Year 11 - Religious education
Non-religious beliefs about death and the afterlife
Issues 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 Christians and non-religious people view the world. Finally they will examine how people speak about the sanctity of life.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain non-religious beliefs about the afterlife and the arguments for and against life after death.
Key Notes
- Some non-religious individuals believe in an afterlife or a soul.
- Non-religious views include psychological continuity, energy transformation, and technological immortality.
- Humanists reject life after death, focusing on the present.
- Arguments for an afterlife cite authority, widespread belief, and disputed evidence.
- Arguments against it stress brain-dependent consciousness, religious contradictions, and social control.
Vocabulary To Learn
- afterlife: what follows the physical life on earth; life after death
- consciousness: the state of being aware of and able to think about one's existence, thoughts, and surroundings
- soul: the spiritual aspect of a being; that which connects someone to God. The soul is often regarded as nonphysical and as living on after physical death, in an afterlife
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Only religious people believe in life after death.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Some non-religious individuals believe in an afterlife or a soul. Non-religious views include psychological continuity, energy transformation, and technological immortality.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'afterlife'
what follows the physical life on earth; life after death.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Only religious people believe in life after death. Correction: People who aren't religious often believe in some sort of life after death; this can range from believing in a soul which lives on to believing that our legacy lives on.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Christian and humanist funerals Study Guide
- Christian and non-religious beliefs about creation Study Guide
- Christian attitudes to human life Study Guide
- Christian beliefs about death and the afterlife Study Guide
- Contrasting views on abortion Study Guide
- Contrasting views on euthanasia Study Guide
- Dominion, stewardship and environmental responsibility Study Guide
- Non-religious attitudes to human life Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 11 Religious education guide library.