Why believe in life after

death?
 In this lesson you’re going
to learn:
• Why Christians believe in life after
death
• Non-religious reasons for believing in
life after death
 Is there any evidence for life
after death?
• The paranormal
• Near death
experience
• Religious belief
Non-religious explanations:
 The Paranormal
• Unexplained things which are
thought to have spiritual causes, for
example, ghosts and mediums
 Near Death Experience:
• When someone is
about to die and has
an out of body
experience – but
then is brought back
to life
Why don’t some people believe
in life after death?
• If there is no God, nothing is non-material. There is
no Heaven to go to after death
• The different religions have different ideas about
life after death, whereas, if they were true, they
would all say the same things about it
• The evidence for life after death is either based on
holy books, and there is no way for a non-believer
to decide which holy book should be believed, or
the paranormal, which has been criticised by
scientists
Reincarnation:
• Children re-calling past
lives...
• Several children re-call
‘past lives’
• They explain their
parents
• They explain places they
used to live
• They sometimes even
explain how they died
and what their old age
was like...
Religious Explanations:
 The Bible
• The Bible is the holy
book for Christians
• The Bible talks a lot
about life after death,
including Heaven and
Hell
• It also tells us what we
have to do in order to
go to Heaven
 Bible Examples:
• “Today You Will Be With Me In
Paradise” (Luke 23:43)
• “I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven” (Matthew
16:19)
• The Parable of the sheep and goats
 The Resurrection of Jesus
• The resurrection of Jesus is a big reason why
Christians believe in life after death
• Every time the Apostles’ Creed is said, they
state that “I believe in the resurrection of the
body, and life everlasting”
• Jesus died, and on the third day he rose – and in
this he showed there is a life after death, and
ensured we too could have eternal life
 Potential Exam Questions:
• B) Do you think Catholics are right to
believe in life after death? Give two
reasons for your point of view
• C) Explain why Catholics believe in life
after death
• D) “Catholics only believe in life after
death because they’re scared of dying”
i) Do you agree? Give reasons for your
opinion
ii) Give reasons why some people may
disagree with you