1. How can religion help the dying and bereaved?
AIM:
To understand how religion can support both the dying and bereaved
Starter:
What do you believe about life after death?

2. RIP means ‘Rest In Peace’. Explain what YOU think this means.

3. Christian beliefs about death and
the afterlife
After reading this psalm students could be asked to reflect on the psalm and answer the following questions:
What does the psalm say about God?
What words or lines in the psalm might provide comfort to mourners?
How does the psalm express Christian beliefs in life after death?
After reading this psalm students could be asked to reflect on the psalm and answer the following questions:
What does the Psalm say about God?
What words or lines in the psalm might provide comfort to mourners?
How does the psalm express Christian beliefs in life after death?

4. Life after death
Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.’ (John 11:25–26)
Christians believe that their soul lives on after death. Psalm 23 is often read at funerals or to the dying.
Priests and ministers often visit the dying to say prayers and read from the Bible. Sometimes a person may wish to confess their sins before they die.
After death, Christians believe the soul has left the body and is with God.

5. Christian beliefs about the soul
This is a cloze sentence exercise. Not all words are used in the text.
The completed text is provided below. You may wish to copy and paste this into a text document, and print copies for students to keep for reference. Alternatively you could delete words and students could complete the gap fill activity individually.
‘So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him.’ (Genesis 1:27) This verse tells Christians that as humans they are different to all other creatures because God put a part of himself, the soul, into every person. He did this by breathing the ‘breath of life’ into Adam’s nostrils. St Paul taught, ‘If there is a natural body there is also a spiritual body.’ (1 Corinthians 15:44)
Christians believe that the body and soul can often want different things. St Paul said that he often knew what was the right thing to do, but his body wanted to do something different. This conflict is something all humans experience but Christians believe that the way we respond will determine what happens when we die.
St Paul also said that our physical bodies are imperfect and will die but the spirit, or soul, will be raised with God. The body ‘is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.’ (1 Corinthians 15:44) St Paul went on to say that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, instead Christians will be changed at death. ‘When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”’ (1 Corinthians 15:54)

6. How to get to heaven
Christian views differ on who will be allowed into heaven. In John’s Gospel Jesus said, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’ (John 14:6).
Some Christians say that this means that only those who believe in Jesus will go to heaven.
Other Christians would look at the parable of the sheep and the goats which says that ‘all nations will be gathered before him’ to be judged on how they have treated others. This implies that it is what people do, not what they believe, which will get them into heaven.

7. However, Christians believe that God is loving and forgiving and if people truly repent the things they have done wrong then they will be forgiven. This forgiveness is possible because they believe that Jesus was crucified to take the punishment for their sins.
Realistically, most Christians would say that getting to heaven is a combination of both beliefs and actions.

8. The Christian view of heaven

9. Summarise Christian views on Heaven

10. The Christian view of hell
Some Christians believe that hell is simply being separated from God for all eternity; others believe that hell is a place of eternal suffering.
Many of the ideas about what hell is like come from the valley of Gehenna just outside Jerusalem. In Biblical times it was a rubbish tip where fires burned all day long. The medieval idea of hell as a place of fire, demons and torment developed from this.
Most Christians today do not believe that hell is a physical place; these pictures are symbolic of the suffering someone would feel by being excluded from God’s presence for eternity.

11. 2. Summarise Christian views on Hell

12. The Catholic idea of purgatory
The Catholic church teaches that souls can go to three places after death – heaven, hell or purgatory.
Purgatory is a place where souls go if they are not yet ready for heaven. They stay there until they are free from sin and can go on to heaven. People will often pray and say mass for the soul of someone who has died to help them on their way through purgatory.

13. 3. Summarise the Catholic view on Purgatory.

14. Matthew 25 – the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
Design your own cartoon drawing to explain the parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25) X
Matthew 25 – the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory …he will separate the people [like the sheep and the goats].” Jesus said “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” This teaches that people should treat others with care and respect. In short, love thy neighbour.

15. 4. Explain how can these views can help provide comfort for the dying and bereaved.

16. Buddhist beliefs about birth,
death and rebirth
Rebirth is dependent on good deeds (karma). Samsara is the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Buddhists do not believe in the soul or separate self (like Hindus) – at the time of rebirth, the impermanent life force that is fashioned by actions (karma) is reborn at a different kevel of life.
To be reborn as a human is the greatest honour and should be cherished. Only as a human can one achieve the Buddhist ultimate goal – Nirvana (enlightenment). This is where you are liberated from the cycle.

17. Summarise Buddhist view on rebirth.
Explain how can this views help provide comfort for the dying and bereaved.

18. Use Religion and Morality Textbook
Copy the key terms from page 35 & 50
‘Funerals are more for the living than for the person who has died.’ Caterpillar structure.