1. Matters Of Life and Death
Edexcel Religious Studies GCSE

2. Key Words:
Resurrection: The belief that after death the body stays in the grave until the end of
the world when it is raised
Immortality of the soul: The Idea that the soul lives on after the death of the body
Heaven: A place of paradise where God rules
Hell: A place of horrors where Satan rules
Paranormal: Unexplained things which are thought to have spiritual causes e.g. ghosts
Near-death Experience: When someone about to die has an out of body experience
Reincarnation: The belief that after death the souls are reborn into a new body
Sanctity of Life: The belief that life is holy and belongs to God
Abortion: The removal of the fetus from the womb before it can survive

3. Euthanasia: The painless killing of someone dying from a painful disease
Assisted Suicide: Providing a seriously ill person with the means to commit suicide
Voluntary Suicide: The situation where someone in great pain asks a doctor to end
his/her life painlessly
Non-voluntary Suicide: Ending someone’s life painlessly when they are unable to ask,
but you have good reason for thinking they would want you to do so e.g. turning off
someone’s life support
Quality of Life: The idea that life must have some benefits for it to be worth living
YOU MUST LEARN ALL THE KEYWORDS FOR THE EXAM!!

4. Christian Attitudes to life and death
Who?
What?
Why?
Many Protestant Christians
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After death the body will stay in the
grave but the soul will go to God for
judgment
Difference of opinion for those who
don’t go to heaven by there’s no hell
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Other Evangelical Protestant Christians
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After death the body and soul stay in
the grave till the end of the world
They will be judged, and those who
are good go to Heaven and those
who have not repented go to Hell
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Catholic Christians
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They believe in resurrection and
immortality of the soul.
Those who haven’t sinned since their
last confession go to Heaven
The soul of a Christian who has
sinned will go to purgatory
Those who don’t believe in God or
have committed unforgivable sins go
to Hell
Then Jesus will come back and raise
the dead and reunite their bodies and
souls. God will make a new Heaven
and Earth and those in purgatory go
to heaven.
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Jesus told a thief that he’d be in
Heaven that day
Jesus said his father’s house had
many rooms that he was preparing
for his guest
Evidence of paranormal e.g. ghosts
Jesus said his body was raised from
the dead
The Creed says ‘I believe in the
resurrection of the body and the life
everlasting’
St. Paul taught this belief in the Bible
The resurrection of Jesus
The teaching of the New testament
(Bible)
The teaching in the Catechism (basic
beliefs) of the Catholic Church
The Creed says Jesus ‘is seated at the
right hand of the father and will
come again to judge the living and
the dead’

5. Muslim beliefs about Life after Death
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Islam teaches that Allah (God) gives each human two angels to record all that they do during
their life
On the Day of Judgment when raised to life, Allah will give you book of life to either you left or
right hand. If it is right then you go to Jannah (Heaven), if it is left then you go to Jahannam
(Hell)
Heaven is described as a beautiful garden, full of wonderful leaves and flowers, where
soothing sounds of birds singing and running water can be heard, while the blessed will enjoy
the company of beautiful women as they eat delicious food.
Those who are to go to Hell will face terrible torments of fire and smoke as they face
punishments, chained and burned by boiling water and painful biting winds.
Although some Muslims believe that only Muslims will go to Heaven, others allow allows that
non-Muslims (particularly of Abrahamic faiths) who have led morally good lives may also go to
Heaven
Many people will eventually go to heaven after they have served their punishment in Hell. The
greater the sins, the longer the punishment, which is why, following the teachings of the
Qur’an, their five daily prayers and the fasting of Ramadan, will help remove their sins so that
they can cross straight into Heaven without any punishment

6. How do beliefs about life after death affect people now?
Who?
What?
Effect?
Christians
They will be judged by God
after death
Follow the bible and church
Jesus rose from the dead
Gives them hope that they too
will rise
Life after death
Comforts them if they have
lost a loved one
Promise of Heaven
Explains suffering
Heaven is a wonderful place
Encourages good deeds
Hell is a horrible place
Deters them from sinning
Heaven is a wonderful place
where God rules
They want to go there so
become closer to God by
praying, fasting and reading
the Qur’an
Muslims will go to heaven
Won’t be scared of death
Muslims

7. Non-religious beliefs in life after death
Why would a non-religious person believe in life after death?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
They find the idea of death difficult to cope with
Sometimes people feel their deceased loved ones are still around
A view that those who lead a good life should be rewarded and the bad punished
Earthly life can seem so unfair for some – an afterlife would make things right
There is a need to feel that something of who we are carries on after physical death
Some people have claimed to experience life after death through a near death
experience
7. Some people claim to have experienced paranormal activities
Near-death Experiences: Some people claim to have seen a bright light, and relatives
who have already passed away when they have been pronounced dead for a small
amount of time. They are convinced this proves there is an afterlife.
Contacting the dead: Mediums claim to be able to contact the dead
Ghosts: Thought to be the spirits of dead people.
Reincarnation: This is the belief that a person’s soul is reborn into another body. It is
seen as a religious view as it is believed by Sikhs and Hindus. But many non-religious
people also believe in reincarnation because of déjà vu or memories from past lives

8. Non-belief in life after death
Why do people believe there is no life after death?
1. They believe there is no evidence for an afterlife
2. They believe that religion offers no good reasons to believe in an afterlife
3. They believe that mediums and other people to attempt to prove there is an
afterlife are tricking people
4. They believe that in an age where science explains the world we should not believe
in things that are unscientific
5. When a person dies their body decays, so how can they live again?
6. Life after death is simply impossible – we are either alive or dead
7. Physical evidence shows that when you body dies everything about you dies

9. An abortion is the removal of the fetus
from the womb before it can survive
Abortion is very controversial because
there are many different opinions about
when life begins…
When does life begin?
1.
2.
3.
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5.
Before fertilization
At fertilization/conception
When the fetus is in the womb
When the fetus can live independently
At birth
Legally in the UK an abortion can take
place anywhere up till 24 weeks or 5
months

10. Arguments for Abortion (Pro-choice)
Arguments against Abortion (Pro-life)
Sometimes it’s kinder to abort the baby if
the child will be badly disabled or really ill
There are always loving parents who want
to adopt unwanted babies if the mum
doesn’t want it
Sometimes having the baby will put the
mother’s life at risk
Just because the child may be disabled
doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get a chance
at life
What if the woman who’s pregnant got
raped?
An embryo should have the same rights as
any other human being
The woman has the right to choose what
happens to her own body
Life begins at conception. All life is special,
nobody has the right to kill
All babies have the right to be loved and
cared for, sometimes the woman may not
be able to provide this
Abortion can leave emotional scars for the
mother, family and medical staff
If it’s made illegal women will turn to back
street abortions
Two wrongs don’t make a right
A fetus is not a real human being
Some babies have survived at less than 25
weeks
It has become just another form of birth
control

11. Christian views on Abortion
Conservative Christian views on abortion
Other Christian views on abortion
Life is a sacred gift from God, so only God
has the right to end it – Sanctity of Life
Abortion is not good, but may be the most
loving thing to do e.g. rape
The fetus is created in the image of God
from the moment of conception
It may be the lesser of two evils e.g. if the
baby will be severely disables
God has a plan for every human and
Cannot be sure that life starts at
human beings shouldn’t interfere with that conception
Some fetuses are aborted because the
aren’t ‘perfect’. Every life is created and
valued by God, humans don’t have the
right to make this decision
Abortion is murder, which is forbidden in
the Bible
Abortion is okay if…
- the baby is a result of rape
- the baby will be handicapped
- Mother’s life is threatened

12. Muslim views on Abortion:
• Muslims share similar views to Christians about the Sanctity of life. All life is
considered sacred and a gift from God. It also teaches that life must not be destroyed
without good reason (e.g. punishment for murder) Abortion is considered to be
wrong because it is taking away a life
• Life begins at birth
• Many Muslim scholars say that when the fetus is 120 days old God sends the soul into
it, making it a human being. This is called ‘ensoulment’. Some say this happens at 120
days, others say 42 and some others say it happens when the fetus begins to move

13. • Although abortion is not allowed in Islam there are some circumstances where it is
allowed;
• BEFORE ENSOULMENT –
• If the fetus is suffering from an untreatable defect, genetic blood disorder
or the deformity would mean the child could not live a normal life
• The mother had been raped
• The woman’s life was in danger
• AFTER 120 DAYS IF MOTHER’S LIFE WAS IN DANGER because–
• The fetus wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the mother and in most case the
fetus will die anyway
• The mother’s life is already established and she has responsibilities to carry
out e.g. other children
• She is apart of a family
• ABORTION NOT ALLOWED IF –
• The parents are scared they won’t be able to care for the child
• The pregnancy wasn’t planned or it’s inconvenient for the mother
• The women becomes pregnant because of adultery

14. Euthanasia: The painless killing of someone dying from a painful disease
Arguments for Euthanasia
Arguments Against Euthanasia
It allows the patient to die a gentle, pain free death
and to exercise their right to die as they choose
Some people may be pressurized into choosing
euthanasia by their family
The patient dies with dignity rather than slowly
getting worse, mentally and physically
It’s a ‘slippery slop’ – if euthanasia is legalized it
may be used in other circumstances.
Euthanasia saves medical costs
The sanctity of life – life is precious
Medical staff can focus their attention on patients
who have a chance of recovery
Other people argue that death doesn’t have to be
undignified and the work of the hospice movement
is dedicated to caring for the terminally sick by
concentrating on pain relief to the moment of
death
It relieves the family of emotional and financial
burden
Doctors can be wrong about diagnosis or cure may
be found in the future
Assisting someone with suicide will put a lot of
pressure on that person and they would have to
live with the guilt
Someone may change their mind but not be able to
tell the doctors
The Hippocratic Oath states that doctors must
practice medicine ethically, striving to keep people
alive

15. Christian Attitudes to Euthanasia
Most Christians are opposed to Euthanasia because:
1. It is taking away the life of a human being which is always murder
2. God created human beings in his image, so only he has the power to take away life
3. Even if a sick person wants to die no-one has the authority to take their life away
4. Life is so important, it should be valued even when someone is in great pain
5. Terminally ill patients can still worship God and show other people God’s love
6. Euthanasia could be used for evil purposes
7. Doctors or relatives may make the choice without consulting the patient
8. No one should be able to make a judgment about the value of another person’s life
9. No person should value themselves so worthless that it would be better to die
Some Christians are not so strongly opposed it:
• They argue that God intended people to have a good quality of life
• They argue that killing the patient may be the most loving thing to do
Hospices: Many Christians support the Hospice movement as they;
• Provide good quality pain relief
• Support the dying and those close to them
• Help the dying prepare for death

16. Muslim Attitudes to Euthanasia
Muslims are opposed to euthanasia because;
1. They believe that all life is sacred because it is given by Allah and he chooses when
someone should die
2. All human life is valuable and the idea of a life not worth living does not exist in
Islam whatever the circumstances
3. It is seen as suicide which is not allowed in Islam
4. All suffering is a test and Muslims must endure suffering without losing faith
5. No-one knows Allah’s plans for individuals and euthanasia would be interfering with
that plan. This would have serious consequences in the afterlife
6. It is pleasing to Allah to see the sick and old being looked after
However …
• Some Muslims allow a terminal patient to choose not to continue with medical
treatment (passive euthanasia) if it is causing hardship
• Some Muslims would agree to turning off a life-support machine if nothing further
could be done
• HOWEVER food and drink and ordinary nursing care should never be withdrawn
whilst the patient is still alive