The End of LifeThis module covers 5 main areas:

•The Soul

•Heaven and Hell

•Purgatory

•Judgement

•Funerals

For each topic you will need to know a range of Christian views as well as

your own viewpoint

Fist we need to know what Christian denominations we are discussing

The Christian Denominations

The Roman Catholic ChurchThis denomination is a

traditional group of Christians who believe in Natural Law: doing what God intended in a natural way. Up until the C16th Catholics were the dominant group of Christians in Europe. Catholics are controlled by the Pope in Rome

Protestant ChurchesThese are the Christian

groups that developed after Martin Luther’s debate in 1517.

These are modern Christians who have re-interpreted the Bible and have a different view to the Roman Catholics.

These Christians are NOT controlled by the Pope.

Christian do NOT all believe the same thing and are divided into different groups depending on faith and establishment

The SoulAll religions teach that humans have a soul.

Christian view of the SoulChristians believe the soul is the part of us that survives death and goes onto the afterlife. It is though to be the part of us that is in the ‘image of God’

Some people believe the soul to be the part of us that contains our personality, our uniqueness from everyone else, the part that contains our memories and experiences and makes us the person that we are today

St Paul taught that the body and soul were in conflict with each other: the soul strived for knowledge and perfection, to become a better person; while the body strives for earthly desires.

The Soul

“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the spirit

have their minds set on what the spirit desires..”(Romans 8:5)

This is very similar to the ancient Greek view of the soul

Plato argued that we are vessels for our souls who strive for perfection but are restricted by our earthly forms

The AfterlifeMany people believe in an afterlife, whether it be reincarnation, a

different dimension or paradise. Christians believe in two main parts to the afterlife

HeavenThis is paradise. People who have lived good lives and are worthy will enter Heaven to be with God

HellThis is a living nightmare. People who have lived bad lives and hurt people will find themselves here being tortured

Heaven Christians teach that Heaven is a place of paradise, where

people will feel no pain, have no suffering, and will live forever there

Entrance to Heaven:People will only have access to heaven if they genuinely repent their sins and accept Jesus as the son of God.Therefore, heaven is only accessible for Christians Evidence for the Christian belief in heaven can be found in the

Book of Revelation: this is the last book of the Bible in the NT.Christians used to believe that they would be physically

resurrected in Heaven but in more modern times they believe that Heaven is a spiritual place; a home for their souls.

HellChristians believe that Hell is the punishment for people who

have failed to live acceptable lives, and have not repented their actions.

Traditional view of HellTraditionally, people thought of Hell as a physical place, hidden away in the centre of the Earth, with no natural light. Hell was lit by fires and people were to spend eternity being tortured here in the worst ways imaginable.

The Modern View of HellHell is simply an absence of God. A dark place of

emptiness and loneliness.

In the middle ages, the Italian poet Dante Alighieri wrote a famous book outlining the nature of the afterlife: The Divine Comedy.

Hell

Dante’s InfernoThe Inferno outlines the 9 pits of Hell. Each is designated to a

particular group of sinners. They progress in seriousness as they move deeper down into Hell. Satan is found in the 9th pit, which

is saved for traitors

The first pit is limbo: this is reserved for people who have lived good lives but who are not Christian; these people have no chance of entering Heaven.

PurgatoryThis is purely a Roman Catholic belief: it is a place where souls

are cleansed before being allowed into Heaven.

Purgatory:A temporary place for souls to be purified before progressing to eternity in Heaven

Catholics believe that very few souls are in a fit state to gain immediate access to Heaven, therefore they require a time in purgatory to work off the sins that they have accumulated.

Traditionally, Catholics used to buy indulgences (relics) to buy their loved ones time off purgatory. This practice has since stopped but people often pray for their loved ones in the next life

Chaos: people everywhere

Skulls and knives and weaponsPeople escaping to Heaven

A Monster rising up from HellPeople being tortured

JudgementAlthough, when people commit crimes, they are punished in

this life, Christians believe that ultimately God judges us all on our actions and intentions.

God as a Judge:God judges people based on their actions in this life, He also judges them based on their repentance of their sins and their

belief in Jesus as the son of GodBased on this, God decides whether people will go to Heaven or

to Hell, or in the case of RCs, Purgatory

There is a parable by Jesus in the NT that clearly explains how to gain access to Heaven and how people will be judged

This is called the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats outlines how people ought to behave in order to gain access to Heaven.

Judgement

31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats outlines how people ought to behave in order to gain access to Heaven.

Judgement

The Sheep PeopleThese people think about others; they give time, energy and love to help others. They take people in and care for them. These are Good Samaritans who treat others are they want to be treated

The Goat PeopleThese people think only about themselves. They put themselves before everyone else and only do what benefits them. They ignore people in need and keep clear of poverty and helplessness. They are selfish and arrogant.

Funerals Funerals are a very sad time for people, they mourn the loss of

their loved one and wonder how to continue their lives with this absence

Funerals are designed to do two things:1) They are there to comfort those left behind and be an official

goodbye to someone2) They are there to pray for the departed soul on its journey to

the next life

There are several areas of a Christian funeral that are symbolic and important for Christians praying for a departed soul

E.g. Flowers / candles / prayers

Funerals

Most Christian churches have formal funeral services but some, Quakers, have unstructured funerals where people may simply sit in silence to remember their loved one

Symbolism within funerals is very important

FlowersThese represent new life: the new life the soul will have in Heaven. They were also used to cover the smell of death

CandlesThese represent Jesus as the light of the world: no one can

come to Heaven without belief in Jesus

PrayersPrayers are said for the soul of the departed; “ashes to ashes,

dust to dust” refers to how God created people

a) What is purgatory? (1)b) What is meant by the soul? (2)c) What do Christians believe about life after death?(3)d) How may Christian funeral rites reflect beliefs about life after

death?(6)e) “There is no evidence for an afterlife, therefore there is none”

Discuss this statement. Give different, supported viewpoints including a personal viewpoint. You must refer to Christianity (12)

Practice Exam QuestionThe End of Life: this exam question is worth 24 marks

Remember: Part E is an ESSAY question and must be written in an essay style with PEE paragraphs in order to attain all 12 marks