Year 10 - Religious education
Christian beliefs about life after death
Matters of life and death
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit pupils will focus firstly on the relationship between religion and science - looking at ideas of creation. They will examine how religions view the world - examining concepts such as stewardship. Finally they will examine how religions speak about the sanctity of life.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to understand different Christian beliefs about life after death and explain how they respond to arguments against them.
Key Notes
- Christians believe in life after death because of Jesus' resurrection and the promise of a transformed body.
- Christian views vary: some see heaven and hell as real places, others as symbolic.
- Catholics believe in purgatory a place of purification.
- Arguments for life after death include Jesus' resurrection and paranormal evidence.
- Arguments against include the possibility of fraudulent accounts and social control.
Vocabulary To Learn
- heaven: a place of eternal happiness and union with God for those who have lived righteously
- hell: a state of eternal separation from God for those who have rejected him or lived sinfully
- purgatory: in Catholic belief, a temporary state of purification for souls who are destined for heaven but need to be cleansed of sin
- resurrection: being raised from the dead; the form that many Christians believe the afterlife will take, referring to either physical or spiritual bodies
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- All Christians believe in heaven and hell as literal places.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Christians believe in life after death because of Jesus' resurrection and the promise of a transformed body. Christian views vary: some see heaven and hell as real places, others as symbolic.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'heaven'
a place of eternal happiness and union with God for those who have lived righteously.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: All Christians believe in heaven and hell as literal places. Correction: Some Christians interpret them metaphorically as states of being, such as being in God's presence or separation from God.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Christian responses to abortion Study Guide
- Christian responses to euthanasia Study Guide
- Christian responses to issues in the natural world Study Guide
- Christian responses to non-religious accounts Study Guide
- Christianity and the issue of abortion Study Guide
- Christianity and the issue of euthanasia Study Guide
- Christianity and the origins and value of the universe Study Guide
- The sanctity of life in Christianity Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 10 Religious education guide library.