Philosophy of Religion: ☁️ Life After Death ☁️ Flashcards
What is the Christian idea of resurrection?
Christianity
- Christians believe Jesus died rose from the dead on Thursday and ascended into heaven 40 days later
- In doing so he granted eternal life to his followers e.g Jesus said to the repentant thief that he would go to heaven clearly indicates there is life after death
- Shows Jesus defeated death
- Resurrection is not the same as resuscitating a dead body

What is the Christian idea of final judgement?
- future judgement of humanity, determine where individuals spend eternity
- Jesus will return to judge humanity- for what they have done or fail to do throughout their lives - “second coming” of Christ, “Parousia”
What is reincarnation?
What is a near death experience?
- phrase coined by American philosopher Raymond Moody in 1975
- People sensed that they have left their bodies and have seen something beyond this life
- used as evidence that the soul lives on after the physical body has died
- near death or clinically dead and resuscitated
What is a remembered past life?
What is general judgement?
Last judgement when God will pass judgement on the whole of humanity and each individual
What is particular judgement?
Judgement given to every soul when a person dies
Purgatory
- Catholic teaching - people have to go to Purgatory to pay for their sins before they can enter heaven
- prayers for the dead can shorten a persons time in Purgatory
What is the Christian idea of Heaven?
- scripture – in heaven there will be no more death, no more grief or crying or pain. The old things have disappeared
- Aquinas - perfect happiness the beatific vision – direct union with God
- St Paul - Christians in the afterlife will get a new spiritual body as opposed to a physical one
What is the Christian idea of Hell?
- place of Eternal Fire
- Punishment for abuse of human free will
- Parable of the rich man – rich man – “I am in agony in this fire”
- Final day of judgement – God will decide who will be saved and who will be sent to hell – parable of the sheep and goats, wicked will go away to eternal punishment
- The book of Revelation – hell is lake of fire
Dualism
Belief that humans are made up of two natures - the body and the soul (mind)
What did the French philosopher René Descartes believe about dualism?
He believed that the mind and body did interact even though they were separate e.g. thoughts influenced by what is happening to the body and bodies can be directed by the frame of mind we are in
What will the dualist believe?
They will accept a disembodied existence after death – an existence without a body
What is the Islamic belief in resurrection?
Islam
- life on earth is preparation for life after death
- they believe in the resurrection of the body and the dead being brought back to life
- analogy of a plant dying in the winter and coming back to life in the spring time to illustrate hi Alan will give new life to the dead
What is the Islamic belief in final judgement?
- when a person dies they understand between death and resurrection – Barzakh
- Angels ask them questions
- If they answer correctly they have had a good life, a window opens where they can see different levels of paradise
- If they answered incorrectly a window open on hell
 - Muslims believe through other lives we have two recording angels – one recording on good deeds + one recording or bad deeds
- Allah will open the final record and judge people on how they have lived their lives – a person is judged based on both their beliefs or faith and actions or good deeds
What do Muslims believe will happen at the end of time?
- end of time will be announced by the sound of a trumpet
- the world will disappear
- the dead will be raised to life and will join the living
- Muslims believe through other lives we have two recording angels – one recording on good deeds + one recording or bad deeds
- Allah will open the final record and judge people on how they have lived their lives – a person is judged based on both their beliefs or faith and actions or good deeds
What is the Islamic idea of Heaven?
- Qur’an - describes Heaven/Jannah as a “garden of bliss” or Paradise
- eternal youth
- Lie on jewel encrusted couches, served fine foods, will drink wine taken from fountains