Matters of Life and Death

Edexcel 3.2

Christian Teachings on Life After Death

“For everything, there is a season; a time to be born, and

a time to die.” - Ecclesiastes 3:1

Heaven“A blissful state of paradise where

God rules”

• Christians believe that Heaven is for souls that have died in God’s grace and have been cleansed and purified from sin

• All Christians believe in Heaven

• Some (liberal) Christians believe in only Heaven and that there are varying stages of Heaven

Hell“A place of horrors, where

the devil rules.”

• Most Christians believe in the existence of Hell

• They believe Hell is for those who have not died in God’s grace show no signs of remorse for the sins they have committed

Purgatory

• If you have died in God’s grace but have uncleansed sin

• Where a soul goes to be made clean of sin

• It’s almost like “Heavens waiting room”

“A place where Catholics believe souls go to be made clean of sin”

Immortality of the Soul

“The belief that after the death of the body, the soul

lives on in a spiritual state...”

• All theists believe in the Immortality of the Soul

• “I believe in the resurrection of the body and life ever lasting” – Apostles’ Creed

Resurrection

• Resurrection is the Evangelical belief that the soul stays in the grave until judgement day, which is when all souls will receive an immortal body

Conscience...

• Some Christians believe that Heaven and Hell aren’t actual places, but it is your conscience acting on you...

Reasons for believing in Life After Death

The Resurrection of Jesus

• Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead, and people saw him

• This shows that there is life after death because Jesus conquered death, and came back and told us of it

“Today, you will be with me in paradise” - Luke 23:43

The Paranormal

• When strange things happen that could only be explained by the after life, for example, ghosts

• This would make people believe in the after life because it couldn’t happen without it

Reincarnation

“To be made flesh again”

•Reincarnation is a non-Christian reason for believing in life after death•It is the belief that, after death, souls are re-born into a new body•It is a form of theodicy for religions such as Hinduism (that believe in reincarnation)

Near Death Experience

• When someone dies, but is then brought back to life

• People have had near-death experiences and have told us what they encountered e.g. Mickey Robinson

How does belief in life after death affect Catholics lives?

“For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; thirsty, and you

gave me something to drink.”

- Matthew 25: 35

Judgement Day

• Many Catholics believe they will be judged by God after death and that only if they have lived a good Catholic life will they be allowed into Heaven

• This means that Catholics will try to live a good Catholic life following the teachings of the Bible and the Church so that they can go to Heaven when they die

Scripture• Living a good Catholic life

means following scripture, tradition and the teaching authority of the Church

• The teachings of Jesus taught that the two greatest commandments are to love God and love your neighbour as yourself

• So Catholics lives will be affected as they try to love God, and glorify him in their service to others

Think about our school mission statement...

“In our community of faith in Bishop Challoner school

we give glory to God by developing our full potential and in our service to others

the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit”

“... And in our service to others...”

Overall...

• Catholic beliefs about life after death give their lives meaning and purpose

• Living your life with a purpose and believing that this life has meaning, both affect the way you live

• It may be why in surveys Christians suffer less from depression and theists generally feel happier and more fulfilled in life than atheists or agnostics...

Why don’t some people believe in life after death?

Why just nothing...?

• If there is no God, there is nothing non-material. There is no Heaven to go to after death

• The different religions have different beliefs about life after death, whereas, if it were true, they would all say the same things about it

• There is nowhere for life after death to take place. Space exploration shows there is no Heaven above the sky

• Just wishful thinking....

Abortion

The nature of Abortion....

“The removal of an unborn foetus from the mothers womb before it can survive...”

• In 1967, abortion became legal in the UK on the following 4 conditions:

• The mothers life is at risk• There is a risk of injury to the mothers physical or

mental health• There is a risk to the health of existing children• There is a substantial risk that the baby might be

born severely handicapped

Different kinds of ‘abortion’....

• Procured – this is an operation that has been chosen to take place to remove the foetus

• Miscarriage – this is a natural miss carriage of the baby/ when the foetus dies of natural causes

Two Stances...

Pro-Life• Abortion is wrong• It is the killing of an

innocent life• Most Pro-Lifers are

religious, and believe in the sanctity of life

• The foetus should have a ‘right to life’

• Life begins at conception

Pro-Choice• The mother has a right to choose – it’s her body• The mother has a ‘right to liberty’• The mother may not be able to cope with a child• The child could grow up being disadvantaged

Catholics and Abortion• Catholics believe abortion is wrong due to Catholic

teachings on the Sanctity of life• The sanctity of life is the belief that all life is sacred

and important, and should be protected and respected at all times

• This belief stems from the Bible...

“So God made man to his own image, to the image of God he created him; male and female he

created them” – Genesis 1:27

The Doctrine of Double Effect

• This is an ‘ectopic pregnancy’

If the foetus puts the mothers life in danger, Catholics believe the mother is allowed to

have an operation to try and save her life. As a result of the operation, the foetus may die...

Liberal Protestants and Abortion

• Liberal Protestants believe that abortion can be the lesser of two evils

• For example, a young girl in the middle of her GCSEs – she’s clearly not ready to bring up a child, so abortion would be the lesser evil of two situations

• This belief also stems from the Bible, Jesus said “Do the most loving thing”

Euthanasia“The painless killing of someone

dying from a painful disease”

Different Types of Euthanasia... • Assisted Suicide – Providing a seriously ill person

with the means to commit suicide• Involuntary Euthanasia – ending someone’s life

painlessly when they are unable to ask, but you have good reason for thinking they would want you to do so

• Voluntary Euthanasia – ending life painlessly when someone in great pain asks for death

• Passive euthanasia – refusing to take treatment that could pro-long your life, resulting in a sooner death

Quality of Life

“The idea that life must have some benefits for it to be worth living”

• To have ‘good’ quality of life you should be able to complete tasks such as breathing and eating by yourself

• It is said that if you cannot perform simple tasks like these, and your life appears to have no meaning – there is no point in you being alive

The Catholic View.... • The sanctity of life crops up again... • “In his hand is the life of every living thing and

the breath of every human being” – Job 12:10• “For it was you who formed my inward parts;

you knit me together in my mothers womb” - Psalm 129:13

• All life is a gift from God, and only God should end it

The Doctrine of Double Effect

By taking so many strong pain killers, it could shorten your life by several months. Catholics believe that you should take the painkillers, because the intention is not to kill yourself, but to ease your pain. This gives you a better

quality of life.

The Liberal Protestant View.... • Euthanasia can be the lesser of

two evils• Jesus said “Do the most loving

thing” and making someone to go on to suffer isn’t exactly loving, is it?

• Modern medical science means that we can no longer be sure what God’s wishes about someone’s death actually are

• God is benevolent, and would want us to end someone’s suffering

The Law and Euthanasia....

• In the UK, all forms of euthanasia are crimes and any persons involved in giving euthanasia can go to prison

• In other countries, such as Sweden, Euthanasia is allowed and people from the UK sometimes go to Swiss euthanasia clinics

The media, and Matters of Life and Death

We’ve looked at....

• Million Dollar Baby • Dot and Ethel, euthanasia (Eastenders) • Danielle’s abortion (Eastenders)

You need to know....

• Arguments that media should not be free to criticise what religions say about matters of life and death

• Arguments that the media should be free to criticise what religions say about matters of life and death

• How an issue from matters of life and death has been presented in one form of the media

World Poverty

General Knowledge

• MEDC – More economically developed country, for example, the USA or the UK

• EDC – Economically developing country, such as Mexico

• LEDC – Less economically developed country, for example, Bangladesh

(all of which we already know from Geography)

The Causes of World Poverty

• War• Debt• Natural Disasters• Unfair Trade• HIV/AIDs • Lack of education

The work of CAFOD• CAFOD – Catholic Agency

For Overseas Development

• CAFOD run development programmes

• Help out with disasters and emergencies

• Raising awareness• Speaking out on behalf of

poor countries to bring social justice

Why do CAFOD want to help others?

• It’s in the teachings of the Bible to “Love your neighbour”

• If you “Love your neighbour” you cannot neglect the poverty that goes on in the world

• They feel compelled to help their brothers and sisters in Christ

That’s matters of life and death!