Death And The Afterlife Flashcards
What do Catholics believe about death?
Death is not the end of existence; it is a transition to eternal life with God.
Jesus taught that those who believe in him would have eternal life.
How should the belief in eternal life affect Catholics’ lives?
It gives purpose and meaning to their existence and affects how they treat the dying and approach death.
Death should be seen as a way into a new form of life.
What preparations should Catholics make for death?
- Spend time with family
- Make peace with loved ones
- Arrange wills
- Plan funeral details
Preparing for death includes emotional and practical arrangements.
What does ‘preparing for death’ include for those in pain?
Seeking palliative care to reduce pain in the final stages of life.
Palliative care focuses on comfort and quality of life.
What role do the liturgies and rites of the Church play for the dying?
They provide comfort for the dying and those who have lost loved ones through prayers.
Belief in eternal life is also expressed through music and art.
What is the Catholic Church’s stance on euthanasia?
The Church rejects euthanasia and assisted suicide as appropriate ways to end life.
This is based on the belief that all human life is sacred.
Why does the Catholic Church promote hospices and palliative care?
They respect the value of every person until their natural death and provide pain relief and dignity.
Palliative care includes medication, nursing, and practical help.
What is euthanasia?
Euthanasia means a ‘good’ or ‘gentle death’ where a medical professional administers medication to end life.
It is typically for individuals suffering from serious illnesses.
What is assisted suicide?
Assisted suicide is when an individual seeks help to end their own life in a pain-free way.
Some countries have laws permitting assisted suicide.
What is palliative care?
Palliative care is care for those who are terminally ill and their families.
It focuses on providing relief from pain and improving quality of life.
True or False: The Catholic Church believes that life is a gift from God.
True.
Life should be respected from conception to natural death.
What is the principle of sanctity of life?
The principle that life is sacred and should not be ended.
Define quality of life.
The general well-being of a person.
What does the right to die entail?
The choice of people suffering from incurable diseases to end their life before reaching painful final stages.
What do Catholics believe about human life?
All human life is sacred and should be respected from conception to natural death.
What is the Catholic view on euthanasia and assisted suicide?
It goes against the sanctity of life and is considered equivalent to murder.
What is acceptable regarding life support and brain death?
It is acceptable to turn off a life support machine if medical evidence shows the patient is braindead.
Is it acceptable to withdraw food and fluids from someone in a permanent vegetative state?
No, giving food and water is a basic requirement of human dignity.
What is the argument for quality of life over sanctity of life?
Quality of life is more important if a person can live free from pain and with dignity.
How can quality of life be assessed?
Quality of life is subjective and can be difficult to measure accurately.
Fill in the blank: People should be allowed to die with dignity using good _______.
[palliative care]
True or False: A person in constant pain may be said to have a good quality of life.
False
What is a common argument for allowing a right to die?
If a person has a poor quality of life, they have a right to die.
What is the view on refusing treatment that prolongs a painful illness?
It is acceptable if the burdens of treatment outweigh the benefits.
What do Catholic beliefs about life after death summarize?
The Nicene creed teaches that Jesus rose from the dead and there will be life after death.
Who explains what will happen after death in Catholic belief?
St Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians.
What is the belief in resurrection according to Catholic teaching?
After death, people will have a bodily existence.
What does Paul teach about the resurrection in relation to Jesus?
What happened to Jesus will also happen to his followers.
What kind of resurrection body will people receive according to Catholic belief?
A spiritual resurrection body given by God, which will be a glorified body.
How did Jesus’ body appear after resurrection?
His body was familiar but at times his disciples did not recognize him.
What does 1 Corinthians 15:12-14 emphasize about resurrection?
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised, and faith is in vain.
What is stated in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 regarding Jesus’ resurrection?
Christ died for our sins, was buried, and raised on the third day, appearing to many.
According to 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, how are physical and spiritual bodies contrasted?
- What is sown is perishable, raised is imperishable
- Sown in dishonour, raised in glory
- Sown in weakness, raised in power
- Sown a physical body, raised a spiritual body.
Fill in the blank: According to Catholic belief, Jesus’ resurrection signifies that there will be ______ after death.
[life]
True or False: St Paul states that resurrection is not essential to Christian faith.
False
What do Christianity, Judaism, and Islam believe about the soul?
They believe in the existence of a soul, which is the spiritual part or essence of a person that lives on after death.
The soul is considered non-physical and eternal.
What is the Christian belief regarding the immortality of the soul?
Most Christians believe that when the body dies, the soul leaves the body to live with God, continuing to live on to everlasting life in heaven.
The soul is seen as the essence of a person.
What do some Christians believe about the relationship between body and soul?
They believe that the body and soul are one and cannot be separated, with the soul temporarily apart from the body after death, to be reunited on Judgement Day.
This belief includes the resurrection of the body.
Define ‘soul’ in the context of Christian belief.
The soul is the eternal part of a human being given at conception, which lives on after the death of the body.
It also refers to a human being’s rational nature or mind.
What does ‘resurrection’ mean?
Resurrection is the raising of the body to life again after death.
Christians believe that Jesus has already experienced resurrection.
What do Humanists and Atheists believe about existence?
They are materialists, believing that nothing exists apart from matter, meaning humans are just a physical body with no soul or spiritual aspect to life.
They assert that this is the only life we have.
What is the belief about life after death from a Humanist perspective?
There is no life after death.
Humanists advocate making the most of life in the here and now.
What do Sikhs and Hindus believe about the soul after death?
They believe that at death, the soul passes to a new body, with rebirth depending on good or bad actions in this life.
This process is known as reincarnation.
How does the concept of reincarnation differ from the idea of resurrection?
Reincarnation involves the soul passing into a new body, while resurrection involves the raising of the body to life again after death.
Reincarnation is associated with Hinduism and Sikhism.
Fill in the blank: The soul is the ______ part of a human being given at conception.
eternal
True or False: Christians believe that the soul and body are separate and will never reunite.
False
