Life After Death Flashcards
Define a Materialist
Someone who has the belief that death is the end (materialism)
Define a Dualist
Someone who believes that when you die, your physical body dies but your soul lives on (immortal soul)
What is the Christian teaching on life after death?
-The idea of life after death is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ death is part of Gods Divine Plan.
-Jesus’ sacrifice was a victory over sin. Those who believe in Christ and live a good life will be given eternal life in heaven
-Humans will be reconnected with God in heaven
-Heaven:a place of joy, there will be no more sorrow or sadness and that they will be with God forever.
-Day of Judgement at end of time. Judged on deeds they did or did not do.
-Hell:a place where nothing of God is present it is a place of torment
“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”-3:16
Islamic belief in life after death
-Conscious existence in the grave where they lie in a state of waiting called ‘Barzakh’
-They are waiting for the day of judgement
-God will send two angels to question them about their faith, if people answer correctly they will see the rewards come, but if they deny God, they will see the punishment they have to endure.
-One day God will come when his purpose for the universe has been fulfilled. Angel Israfil will blow a trumpet to announce the world will be destroyed. The present world will be formed into the new world (akhira)
-The trumpet will be blown again and everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected and judged by God
-book of their life will be handed to them
What do Christians teach about the reward of heaven
Christians do not believe that they should do good actions just to be rewarded, but rather because it is right to do good. However, the consequence of good actions will be a place in Heaven.
Christians try to build up a relationship with God during their lives through prayer and worship.
This relationship is also shown in living by God’s laws, as expressed in the Ten Commandments.
Most Christians reject the idea of reincarnation.
For Christians, God makes each individual unique and He loves them as they are. This unique individual is made up of body and soul. When this earthly life is over, this person will continue into eternal life rather than coming back to this Earth in a different body.
What do Hindus believe about reincarnation
Physical body dies but soul continues to recycle until it settles upon its true form
Atman is trapped in continuous cycle called samsara
To escape this cycle and achieve moksha (atman being absorbed with Brahman) they believe in building up good karma
What did plato believe about life after death and what are the 3 parts of the platonic soul
He believed that life after death was a reality. He was a Dualist and believed the sound consisted of three parts
Logical- part of the soul is located in the head and is the thinking part of the soul
Spirited- part of the soul that makes us angry or tempermental, located in the chest region
Appetitive- part of the soul that makes us desire pleasure eg food, water, love and money, located in the stomach
What did Plato argue?
The body belongs to the physical world but the soul is immortal and lives on
The soul is eternal
He referred to the body as the prison of the soul. The soul aims to break away from the body so it can return to the eternal world where values like justice, truth, beauty and goodness exist.
The realm of the forms- perfect versions of important
What does David Hume believe about LAD
No scientific or empirical evidence
There is no possibility of any life beyond clinical death
Some atheists claim that humanity has INVENTED the notion of LAD to ease fear of death and the unknown
What does Bertrand Russel believe about LAD
God was constructed by humans to comfort fear, fear of the unknown, fear of suffering and fear of death
Many atheists accept materialism
What does Richard Dawkins say about LAD
Death is “terminal rather than transitional” no such thing as a soul
The process of teaching LAD to children is child abuse as it installs fear which impacts the quality of present life
What did Christopher Hitchens (anti-theist) compare God to
A dictatorship
Idea of heaven sounds horrendous with a dictator lording himself over you
What do humanists believe
When a person dies they simply cease to exist. There is no future reward or punishment for the way we behave now.
We must live in a civilised way in order to get the best out of our lives.
They rely on science for answers and base their moral and ethical decisions on reason, empathy and compassion for others.
Antony Flew believed the concept of LAD is illogical. If there is LAD, then in a sense, there is no real death at all
Belief in LAD affects how people live (agree)
Hindus believe in the build up of good Karma and achieve Moksha
Theists may live in fear if punishment and will strive to live in a certain way
It helps create a honest person - reward as a motivating
Positive future goal to all humanity
Belief in an afterlife affects how people live (disagree)
Does not affect materialists as they don’t believe there is an afterlife
Don’t have to have a belief in LAD to be good- humanists are motivated by respect for others life (life should be valued)
Atheists and those who look to science (David Hume) are not going to be influenced by something they don’t believe in but still behave morally
Belief in LAD doesn’t mean it will always have a positive influence
