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Year 11 - Religious education

Beliefs about death and the afterlife

Religion and life

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 these beliefs.

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 see them as symbolic.
  • Catholics believe in purgatory as a place of purification.
  • Arguments for life after death include Jesus' resurrection and paranormal evidence.
  • Arguments against life after death 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 first
  • 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 see them 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 being separated from God.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 11 Religious education guide library.