Year 11 Homework 2.1
Homework is due in by Thursday 6 November.
Answer the following questions:
a) What does purgatory mean? (2 marks)
b) Outline Catholic beliefs about life after death. (6 marks)
c) Explain why there are different attitudes towards life after death among Christians. (8 marks)
d) “When you’re dead, you’re dead. That’s it.” Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinion, showing that you have considered another point of view. (4 marks)
You will be given a worksheet on which to write your answers. However, you can also submit your answers via this blog, by clicking on “comments“. You will need to include your email address, but that will not be published. Include your first name only.
November 15th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
a) What does purgatory mean? (2 marks)
A place of purification, where Catholics believe souls go after death to be purified.
b) Outline Catholic beliefs about life after death. (6 marks)
* Catholics believe in life after death (”the life everlasting”, according to the Creed)
* They believe that the soul is immortal and will live on after the death of the body.
* When people die they are judged by God.
* Those who are perfectly purified will go to heaven, those with unforgiven sins will go to purgatory, and those who have totally rejected God will go to hell.
* Christ will return at the end of the world, the dead will be raised (”the resurrection of the body”), and God will make a new heaven and a new earth where the resurrected souls from heaven and purgatory will live.
c) Explain why there are different attitudes towards life after death among Christians. (8 marks)
* Catholic beliefs about heaven, hell and purgatory are based on the Creed (”the life everlasting” and “the resurrection of the body”)
* and are taught in the Catechism, the official teaching of the Catholic Church.
* The Bible teaches that God is a God of love, who will surely give everyone a chance to go to heaven.
* Jesus told the crucified thief that he would go straight to Paradise.
* Evangelical Protestant Christians often believe that when they die, their souls remain in the grave until the end of time when God will judge the world. They believe this because:
* Jesus’s body physically rose from the dead;
* St Paul teaches that people will have a resurrection body, like Jesus;
* Jesus taught that he would come again at the end of the world to judge everyone.
d) “When you’re dead, you’re dead. That’s it.” Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinion, showing that you have considered another point of view. (4 marks)
Agree:
* There is little or no tangible evidence
* Some people do not believe in God, so there would be no place for a soul to go
Disagree:
* All religions have a belief in some form of life after death
* Life after death gives purpose to life now
* The example of Jesus is evidence for Christians of life after death
* Paranormal evidence, such as ghosts or near death experiences, suggest that there might be life after death
(Remember: Write in paragraphs! These bullet points are to help you with revision.)