Keywords:
Why Christians believe in life after death
•The resurrection of Jesus for Christians proves that there is life after death.
•Jesus tells Christians they will be brought back to life in John 11:25.
•Jesus teaches that he is the key to eternal life. (John 3:16-17)
•St.Paul teaches about life after death and how the body will be transformed from a
physical body to a spiritual one when it is raised. (1 Corinthians 15:20, 35-8, 42-4)
How these beliefs affect Christians
•Some Christians believe in the Resurrection,
that after death the body stays in the grave till
the Day of Judgement. When everyone will be
raised from the dead and be judged by God. As
such they want to lead good lives so they can
get to heaven.
Why Muslims believe in life after
death
•The Quran and Muhammad state
that it exists.
•It is one of the ‘6 Fundamental
beliefs’ of Islam
•Life is a test reward/punishment can
only come in the next life
How these beliefs affect
Muslims
•To get to heaven they will lead a
good life – following the 5 Pillars
is a way to do this – also follow
Shari’ah law – all this gives
meaning and purpose to their life
and so they would be less likely to
commit suicide.
Paranormal- unexplained things which are thought to
have spiritual causes, e.g. ghosts and mediums
Heaven- a place of paradise where God rules
Hell-a place of horrors where Satan rules
Immortality of the soul- the idea that the soul lives on
after the death of the body
Resurrection- the belief that, after death, the body
stays in the grave until the end of the world when it is
raised
Abortion- the removal of a foetus from the womb
before it can survive
Assisted suicide- providing a seriously ill person with
the means to commit suicide
Euthanasia- an easy and gentle death
Non-voluntary euthanasia- ending someone’s life
painlessly when they are unable to ask, but you have
good reason for thinking they would you want you to do
so, e.g. switching of a life support machine
Voluntary euthanasia- when someone dying in pain
asks a doctor to end his/her life personally
Sanctity of life- the belief that life is holy and belongs
to God
Purgatory – a place Catholics believe you go to so as
to work of sins before going to heaven
Quality of Life – the idea that life must have some
benefits for it to be worth living
Reincarnation – the belief that after death souls are
reborn in a new body
Near death Experience (NDE) – when someone
about to die has an out of body experience
Non-Religious reasons for believing in life after death
•Near-death experiences- people who have had these say that they were travelling through a tunnel or toward a light.
•Existence of the spirit world/ghosts - who are thought to be the spirits of the dead that are sometimes visible to the living. Use mediums and Ouija boards.
•Reincarnation – people claim they can remember previous lives.
The case against life after death
•Scientific evidence shows that when the body dies, everything decays.
•No one has returned from the dead to tell us.
•The end of life means exactly that, it is illogical to speak about life after death.
•Life-support machines prove the brain dies before the body
The Law (1967 Abortion Act)
•2 doctors agree that mother’s life at risk OR risk to health of
already living children OR baby is severely disabled.
•Can’t take place after 24 weeks of pregnancy (1990
Abortion Act)
Non-religious arguments in favour
•A woman has the right to chose.
•A child’s quality of life is important.
•A mother’s health and welfare are more important then that
of her unborn child.
•There are too many people on the planet.
Non-religious arguments against
Its a form of murder.
Everyone has the right to be born so they can reach their
full potential.
All life has value.
Non- religious arguments in favour
•Suicide is legal, so why not help someone
who cannot commit suicide themselves,
•If animal were suffering, we have it put
down as its the most humane thing to do.
•It is their life they have should have the
right to end it if they want to.
•It’s not fair for the relatives to have to
watch their loved one dying painfully.
Non- religious arguments against
•Drugs can be used for pain control.
•Euthanasia is just a fancy word for
murder.
•Doctor’s take an oath to save life, it is
wrong to ask them to kill people.
•People can better or medical science
might find a cure for them.
Christian Teachings
•Roman Catholics and some Evangelical Christians believe that
life begins at conception so abortion is murder and a serious sin.
•Christian teachings on the Sanctity of life means every human has
the right to a life (even a foetus).
•Some Christians, such as Liberal Christians, believe that abortion in
certain circumstances may be the kindest and most loving action.
They refer to Jesus’ teaching that love is the most important thing.
Muslim Teaching
•Some allow it up to 120 days. Hadith says the baby gets its soul at
this point.
•Some say it is always wrong. Quran condemns murder.
•Some say it is OK if the mother’s life is at risk. Shari’ah says that
the mother’s life takes precedence over the child’s.
Christian teachings
•Wrong but do not want people to suffer.
•Christians believe that God created everything and that humans were created in his image. So life
is holy, this is known as the Sanctity of Life. Only God should end life.
•Jesus accepted his suffering and death and never tried to escape from it, so Christians believe
that this teaches them to preserve and cherish life.
•God tells us not to kill in the Ten Commandments.
•Evangelical Protestants believe it is wrong in every circumstance
•Bible condemns suicide and they follow it literally
•God tells us not to kill in the Ten Commandments.
•Liberal Protestants allow limited use of euthanasia
•Jesus said ‘love thy neighbour’. Helping someone to die might be the most loving thing to do.
Muslim Teachings
All are against euthanasia but 2 attitudes exist.
•Switching off a life support machine is NOT euthanasia.
•If they are ‘brain dead’ then God has already taken that person.
•Others see turning the life support machine off as BEING euthanasia. Against it because…
•See it as suicide which is condemned in the Quran
•View voluntary euthanasia as suicide as well
•See life as a test. Only God can decide when we die.
Life and Death in the Media
Media should NOT criticise religious beliefs on life after death because…
•Might stir up religious hatred
•Might be offensive to religious believers
•Criticising what the Pope says could be seen as blasphemy
•Religious attitude based on God’s teachings. God is beyond human criticism
Media SHOULD be allowed to criticise religious attitudes because…
•A free media is a key part of democracy
•If religions want to be free to say what they want then the media should also
have that right.
•Life and death is such an important topic all people should be made aware of
the arguments
•Freedom of expression is essential for society to make progress.