Complete in silence
Complete in the back of your
book
Answer the following questions in your book and get ready to feed back
•What do you think happens when people die?
•What would you LIKE to happen when people die?
COMMUNITY - AMBITION - RESPECT
Learning objective
To understand the different
ceremonies or events
marking an important stage
in someone’s life.
NEW VOCABULARY
Religious
Secular
Death
What happens when we die?
Click the link and watch the video.
What happens when we die? – KS3
Religious Studies – BBC Bitesize - BBC
Bitesize
Different religions hold a wide variety of beliefs about what happens after we
die. For many people, believing that death is not the end is a comforting
thought. The afterlife brings the promise of reward for good people, and
punishment for those who have committed evil deeds. Some believe it may
also allow a reunion with loved ones who have passed away. Others believe
there is no afterlife, and that when we die that is the end. Can we ever really
know?
Most religious people agree that death is not the end, but many have
different ideas about what happens after life. Christians and Muslims
generally believe that when they die God judges them and their souls go to a
place of reward or punishment.
Christians call this heaven or hell. Catholic Christians believe in purgatory,
which is place for people who are not evil enough for eternal punishment in
hell, but not good enough for heaven. In purgatory they are purified to be
accepted into heaven.
Muslims call the place of reward in the afterlife Janna. Jahannam is the
word they give to the place of punishment. Janna is described as a paradise
full of joy and pleasure in the Qur’an, whereas Jahannam is written about as
a place of unending punishment.
Many Jewish people also believe in an afterlife, and that when a person dies,
God judges them on how they lived. Most Jewish people believe that they
What happens when we die?
Stick these sheets in your
books
Task 1: Answer the questions
in pink in your booklets.
Hinduism
Task 2:
•Explain what you think about the idea that there is something in all humans that lives on
Hinduism – A cremation ceremony on the river
Ganges
Many Hindus believe that cremation releases a
person’s atman (soul) into the cycle of samsara, to
be born again.
Some Hindus believe that if a person's body is
cremated and their ashes purified in the waters of
the sacred River Ganges, then their atman will
achieve moksha (oneness with the Ultimate Being)
and so be released from the cycle of rebirth.
Buddhism
Task 3:
•Write 1-2 paragraphs to explain why you think it is important for people to show their beliefs about what happens after
death through end-of-life ceremonies?
Buddhism – A sky burial
Most people in Tibet are Vajrayana Buddhists and they believe
that once the spirit leaves the body after death, the body
becomes an empty vessel. In many rocky and mountainous
regions of Tibet, it is difficult to bury a body, and it can be hard
to find wood to light cremation fires.
For these reasons dead bodies will sometimes left on
mountains, to be consumed by vultures. This is called a 'sky
burial' and is performed by specially trained people, usually
monks. It is seen as a lesson about impermanence, a reminder
that nothing lasts forever, and also a final act of generosity by
the dead person.
Islam
Task 4:
•What are your views on how best to remember the dead?
Islam – Muslim graves in Istanbul, Turkey
These gravestones are shown behind an iron gate at the
cemetery of Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul. Muslims
believe that the dead should be buried as soon as
possible.
Funerals should be simple, and graves commemorating
the dead should not be designed to attract attention over
others.
This is to remind everyone that all people are equal when
it comes to being judged by Allah.
Judaism
Task 5:
•What do you think of the Jewish approach to the afterlife, and how different is this to other religions we have looked at?
Death and mourning rituals
As soon as a Jew hears of the death of a loved one, they make a
tear in their clothing to show their grief.
Upon death, the body is washed and prepared for burial. In the
days before the funeral, the body is not left alone.
The coffin should be simple to show equality, and the burial
ceremony takes place at a cemetery.
A person who was a close relative (a parent, child, sibling or
spouse) of the deceased becomes an Onan whilst awaiting the
burial. Out of respect for the deceased person, the immediate
relatives must be fully focused on the burial of the person who has
died, even if they are not involved in making burial arrangements.
The Kaddish is prayer for those who mourn. It is traditionally said
by the closest male relative to the person who has died on the day
of the death. Many Jews feel that the act of saying this prayer
helps people to focus on God at a time when they may feel far
from him
Sikhism
Task 6:
•How might a belief in reincarnation be seen as a comfort to some people?
Sikhism – The funeral of India's Sikh
President, Zail Singh
Relatives of India's first and only Sikh
President, Zail Singh, pay their last
respects as the funeral pyre (the heap
of wood) is lit. Many Sikhs, like Hindus,
believe that the atman (soul) is released
into the cycle of rebirth or to moksha
(release from the cycle).
Non-religious belief
Non-religious beliefs – Remembering a
person after death
Many non-religious people believe that
the only life we have is the present one
that we are currently living. Many
believe that there is no afterlife in the
sense of a soul moving onto heaven,
hell or rebirth.
Instead, afterlife is seen in terms of a
person’s impact on others, and living
on in the memories of friends and
family.
Task 7:
• Why might someone feel that it is positive to believe we
only have this one life?
The day of the dead
Task 8:
• What do you think about the
idea of celebrating life, rather
than mourning death?
•Explain your response fully,
using examples
History Of Day Of The Dead Explained (Dia De Los Muertos)
The day of the dead
Task 9:
You will be designing your own Day of the
Dead sugar skulls
Use the designs on this page to help you.
The day of the dead
Task 10:
You will be creating a PowerPoint, leaflet or Sway presentation about
what you have understood about the Day of the Dead.
You will need to make sure that you answer the following questions in
your presentation and try to do a slide for each one:
1.What is Day of the Dead about? What happens?
2.Where is Day of the Dead celebrated? (Hint – there are several
places!)
3.How is Day of the Dead celebrated? What do people do? Give
several examples
4.What is the ofrendas on Día de los Muertos? (Include all four
elements)
5.What do people eat during Day of the Dead?
•Include lots of bright colourful images to illustrate your presentation.
•You might also want to play around with transitions and animations
on your slides.
•See if you can add a link to a cool video too.
At the end of your lesson
Tidy
Uniform
Ready
Equipment returned
Desk clear
Rubbish in bin
Blazer is on
Shirt tucked in
Tie on
Behind your chair
Waiting in silence