GCSE Philosophy and Applied Ethics
God and Life After Death Units
1. Read the booklet – take notes on key points.
2. Convert each revision sheet (a topic like Abortion) into a ‘poster’ where you can
visualise the key points.
3. Then reduce every sheet to just a few bullet points – so you have the whole of
Medical Ethics on just one sheet of A4 – (see my sheet near back of booklet).
4. Read examples of ‘What is a Good Answer?’ so you know the style and the amount to
put in your answer.
5. Read the Exam Technique page so you know how to answer the different types of
questions.
6. Read the Exam Questions sheet and attempt every single question. At least do a plan
of how you would answer the ‘c’, ‘d’ and ‘e’ questions.
Exam Technique
Each question is splits into parts a, b, c, d and e
Part a
- 1 mark
This is knowledge question and is only worth one mark so try to limit time spent on it; Usually 1 or 2 sentences,
aprrox 1-2 minutes only.
Part b – 2 marks
This part of the question is worth two marks so be brief; 2-3 minutes only, approx 2-4 sentences.
Part c – 3 marks
This part of the question is worth three marks and should take no more than 4 minutes and be 3 – 5 sentences. It
usually asks for you to describe Christian beliefs. Make sure you just do that. E.g. Some Christians believe...... Some
Christians believe....... Some Christians believe...........
It usually doesn’t want you to expand on why – so make sure you don’t, save that for part d.
Part d – 6marks
This part of the question is worth six marks so spend 8-10 minutes on it. This part of the question asks you to explain
a belief or attitude. For example you could be asked to ‘Explain Christian beliefs about giving money to charity.’ In
your answer make sure that you:
 Briefly explain the Christian point(s) of view.
 Back up with evidence from the Bible or other Christian sources.
 Explain why the evidence supports that point of view.
 Use specific religious words in your answer. For example when writing about medical ethics you could refer
to the ‘sanctity of life which shows the all life is created by Gold as so is special.
 If possible mention a famous Christian who responded to this issue, e.g. poverty – Mother Teresa.
Part e – 12 marks
This part of the question is worth 12 marks so allow 12-15 minutes. By following the structure below it is easy to get
really good marks:
 Some people agree with this statement because.... x 1 or 2 reasons. Then say, ‘However some other people
might think differently because ... . x 1 or 2 reasons.
 Some Christians agree with the statement because.... x 2 to 3 reasons. Then say (if you can) However some
Christians might disagree because .....x 2 to 3 reasons
 Ideally you need to put YOUR opinion throughout the answer but if you haven’t then you must put it at the
end with reasons. E.g. I have considered both view points and my view is .... because... ....x 2 to 3 reasons
NOTE: You Cannot gain a ‘C’ grade unless you have put your opinion and a Christian view. Don’t forget to....
 Refer to the Bible or Church views if you can or the views of famous Christians where appropriate.
TOPIC: GOD
Sub Topic: Existence of God
Theist = Someone who believes in God
Atheist = Someone who doesn’t believe in God
Agnostic= Someone who is unsure
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Reasons given for the existence of God
1. Design Argument – Teleological - The more complex a design is, the greater the mind behind the design
is. William Paley 1743 -1805 looked at a watch and concluded this.
2. First Cause – Cosmological – Plato 4th century BC - Everything has a beginning and something or
someone that causes that beginning. The Prime Mover. Why would the universe be any different? There
must be a ‘God’ that started it all.
4. Miracles – Miracles like that of Jennifer Rees Larcombe are proof there is a supernatural realm
controlled by God
4. Conscience, Religion and Love – By observing human behaviour through every tribe in history one could
conclude that humans have a basic morality and spirituality implanted within them . This must have come
from God.
5. Bible – The Bible is a ‘historical’ book that has transformed lives through history, proving that God must
have inspired it.
Reasons Against
1. Design – Why Earthquakes and suffering if designed so well? Counter argument is that God gives free
will and humans use it to cause suffering. And he allows nat disasters as a punishment.
2. First Cause - Scientists say, ‘No beginning to universe – just expanding and contracting
3. Conscience, Religion and Love - Humans just developed systems to preserve themselves as a species
and help them with their fears.
4. Miracles – Most can be disproved. Some that can’t, science will in time.
5.. Bible – Many books have helped transform lives e.g. Shakespeare. Are they from God?
TOPIC: GOD
Sub Topic: God’s Nature
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The Trinity - Christians believe in ONE God but He consists of three persons, three distinct
personalities
God the Father – Throughout the Bible God is called Father
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God the Son – The Bible says ‘In the beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the word was With God and the
word was God’
God the Spirit – Many references to God the Father sending ‘the Spirit’ who has a personality
The classic passage in the Bible is when Jesus is baptised. He is God the Son and he is being spoken to by
God the Father and God the Spirit comes in the form of a dove and empowers him.
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Jesus Character = God’s character - It reveals what God is like. He is God in human form. The
Incarnation
Caring, Courageous, Kind, Strong minded, Compassionate, Passionate, Fair, Gentle, Powerful in action,
Powerful in personality, Honest, Clever, Miraculous, Dignified
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The Omni’s - The Bible reveals other things about God’s nature
Omnipotent – God is all powerful
Omnipresent – God is everywhere
Omniscient – God is all knowing
Eternal – God is outside time and space
Judge – God is completely fair and just
Immanent – God is in everything
TOPIC: GOD
Sub Topic: God intervening into the world through: Miracles / Jesus / Holy Spirit
1. Through Miracles – By experiencing miracles and answer to prayer people can
experience what God is ‘actually’ like
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2. Through Jesus – By studying the life of Jesus in the Bible people can know exactly what
God is like because Jesus is God in Human form.
3. Through the Holy Spirit – Through ‘feeling’ God’s spirit within, listening to any ‘nudges’
within their spirit people can experience God ‘personally’
4. Through Nature – By looking at nature Christians believe everyone can have some
understanding of what God is like.
5. Through Conscience – Because everyone is made in God’s image and has a conscience
implanted by God, everyone has some knowledge about what God is like within them
6. Through the Bible – By reading the Bible people can understand in their minds more fully
what God is like.
TOPIC: GOD
Sub Topic: Miracles
Definitions
Miracle = God intervening in the world in a remarkable way
So a miracle could be seen as: An event that occurs where no rational or scientific explanation can be given.
Any event where people might stop and think about the existence of God, e.g. the birth of a baby
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Some famous miracles in the Bible:-
1. Feeding of the 5000
- power over nature
2. Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead – power over death
3. Healing a man born blind and man paralysed and lowered through roof – power of disease
4. Mary Magdalene healed of demon possession – power over evil
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Modern Day Miracles
The story of Jennifer Rees Larcombe and other ‘miracles’ where people in Africa have been raised from the dead are evidence to ‘some’ that
God is still doing things he did in the Bible
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Different Christian Views
Fundamentalists / Literalists - Some Christians believe the miracles in the Bible are literally true. The main point these Christians get from the
stories are ‘ If God could do it then He could do it NOW!’ – They generally believe any modern day miracles.
Liberals – Some Christians DON’T believe the miracles in the Bible but DO believe each one has a point or moral. The story of the man born
blind would tell them that Jesus / God is the Light of the World or the feeding of the 5000 would tell them that ‘SHARING’ is important. These
Christians would be as sceptical about modern day miracles as anyone else.
Mainstream – Some Christians believe some Bible miracle stories are literally true and others are NOT true. Depending on the story they
would either take the ‘moral’ or they might take the point that miracles can still happen today. These Christians would evaluate every modern
day miracle to decide if it is believable.
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How might Bible miracles and modern day miracles help Christians today?
1. Lazarus being raised from dead could comfort someone that there is life after death
2. Feeding 5000 could make someone realise that God will somehow provide for their needs
3. Story of man born blind or story of Jenifer Rees Larcombe could give hope that they and others could be healed
4. Bible miracles and modern miracles can remind them that God can step in anytime giving them hope
5. Give hope that God is real and encourage them to pray more and go to church more
7. Give hope that God is real and encourage them to keep going in tough times
Possible Exam Questions on Topic: GOD
a.
b.
c.
d.
What is God?
State two things a Christian might believe about miracles
Describe the reasons Christians might give in support of their belief in God. (2003/9)
Explain how miracles might strengthen the faith of a Christian. 2006
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e. There is no way of knowing what God might be like. Do you agree?2003
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
What is a miracle?
State two ways Christians might think God intervenes in the world
Describe what Christians believe about the nature of God. 2008
Explain why Christians might believe in miracles. 2008
If God existed we would have evidence to prove it. Do you agree? 2008
Life after Death
Sub topic: Soul
Soul / Spirit = The non physical (spiritual) part of human beings
Reasons to Believe in Life after Death
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For Hope
Fear of Dying
Convinced by Bible and Resurrection
Gut feeling
Near Death Experiences
Ghosts
ESP proves there is another realm
If God is real he must be just, punishing the wicked and rewarding the good
It’s worth the gamble to believe, either way you win
Christian Views of the Soul/Spirit
Some Christians believe the soul/spirit is separate from the body
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Some Christians believe that the spirit or soul is separate from the body and leaves the body after death.
They use the example of when Jesus said to the man who died on the cross next to him, ‘Today you will
be with me in paradise’ as proof that it was the man’s spirit that went to heaven. His body would have
been buried.
They quote Jesus who said ‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but who cannot kill the soul’
showing that the soul is separate from the body and eternal
Some Christians believe the soul/ spirit and body always stays together
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Some Christians believe that the body and soul cannot be separated.
They say that it was Jesus body that was brought back to life not just his spirit because he ate fish.
Some Christians believe the spirit/soul and body are together and apart? - Both True
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Some Christians believe both ideas to be true because although Jesus had a body after he was resurrected
(raised), it was a body that could walk through walls like a spirit, yet he ate fish.
Some Christians believe that when a person dies they are outside of time. It seems that only there
spirit is in heaven because there body is in the grave, but because they are in eternity their body is actually in
heaven as well, because heaven is outside time. Because eternity is outside of time it is as of they have been
judged by God immediately and passed straight into the afterlife.
Life after Death
Sub topic: Judgement and Hell
Judgement
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Traditionally most Christians have believed in a final judgement where everyone will be judged by God/Jesus.
Hebrews 9:27 ‘Everyone must die and face judgement’
Most Christians believe in the story of the sheep and goats which explain that if you don’t help the poor you
will be judged negatively by God and go to hell and if you do you will go to heaven.
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The ‘Judgement’ picture by Angelico shows the view of judgement where Jesus separates the good from the
evil with the help of angels who are blowing trumpets. The disciples are watching. The graves open and the
good go to the right and bad go to the left where demons can be seen torturing people
Most Christians believe this judgement is fair and just, otherwise evil people like Hitler would get away
with murder.
Catholic Christians believe in PURGATORY – a midway place between heaven and hell where some people
go, before progressing to heaven after having their sins ‘purged’
Bible views of Hell
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Fire
Darkness
Grinding teeth
Tied up (torture)
Everlasting
Sulphur
Torment
Destruction
Isolation/loneliness
Different Christian views of Hell
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Liberal Christians (found in Quakers and C of E) – believe in main themes – so DO NOT believe in
Hell. They believe GOD IS LOVE is the big theme so God would not send people to hell.
Fundamentalist Christians (Pentecostal, some Baptists) – believe the Bible literally – so believe all the
images of hell are literally true
Mainstream Christians (found in every denomination) – understand each Bible story in its context –
don’t believe in fire etc but believe people will be punished in some way
Life after Death
Sub topic: Heaven and Redemption
Biblical views of Heaven
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Garden
City
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Kingdom
Feast/ Party / Banquet
Peace
Joy
No Pain / Suffering/ Crying
Glory / White light
With God
Different Christian views of Heaven

Liberal Christians (found in Quakers and C of E) – believe in main themes –They believe GOD IS LOVE
is the big theme so God sends all people to heaven. They usually hold a mainstream view of what heaven is like
Mainstream Christians (found in every denomination) – understand each Bible story in its context – they
believe that the images of heaven found in the Bible just show that it will be wonderful.
Fundamentalist Christians (Pentecostal, some Baptists) – believe the Bible literally – so believe that
heaven is an actual city with a garden where a feast takes place etc takes place.
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Most Christians believe in Redemption to get to heaven
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Most Christians believe that all people are ’sinners’ and are therefore guilty before God
Most Christians believe that if you are guilty you deserve to be punished by God
Most Christians believe that Jesus Christ has taken the punishment for people and if they say sorry for their
sins and believe in what Jesus has done they will go to heaven.
Christian views on going to Heaven
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Some Christians think that you just have to believe certain things about Jesus to go to heaven. They
quote Jesus words, ‘I am the Way and the Truth and the Life, no- one goes to the father (heaven) except
through me.’
Some Christians think that it is purely your actions that decide your fate, whether you helped the sick
and the poor (see Sheep and Goats)
Some Christians say it is both. That your belief if genuine will show itself in your actions.
Topic: Life after Death
Sub topic: Actions that result from believing in Eternal Life
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Try to convince other people to ‘believe’ to save them from hell
Try to convince other people to ‘believe’ so they can experience heaven
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Live a good life because actions will be judged (sheep and goats)
1. Help the poor
2. Help the sick
3. Look after orphans
4. Welcome strangers
5. Feed hungry
Many Christians might support various charities, e.g. Tearfund, Oxfam, Barnados etc
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Go to church
1. Pray for forgiveness
2. Worship
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Forgive other people – because Bible says not to put a person in danger of hell
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Follow ten
1.
2.
3.
commands
Do not steal
Do not murder (Jesus said danger of hell if you are viciously angry)
Do not commit adultery (Jesus said danger of hell if one is lustful)
Topic: Life after Death
Sub topic: Funerals
A rite is a ritual in a religious service
What rites happen at a funeral?
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There will be hymns and songs about death, resurrection and hope for the future. E.g. ‘Abide
with me’ or ‘Angels’ by Robbie Williams
Bible readings about life after death will be read e.g. Psalm 23 The Lord is My Shepherd
The vicar will give a talk or sermon – usually to comfort the relatives that God is loving, fair and
merciful
Tributes are paid to the deceased
Periods of silence may be included for reflection
A gathering around the grave to sprinkle dirt on the coffin. This action helps finalise the death.
If the person is cremated, the coffin is taken out of sight to be cremated
Famous words said at a funeral to give comfort:
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Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
We brought nothing into this world, we take nothing out
Jesus said, ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life, whoever believes in me will live’
‘The Lord is my shepherd….even though
I walk through the valley of the shadow of death and
shall not fear.’
How a funeral can help the family and friends
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Opportunity to publicly celebrate the dead person’s life
Opportunity to publicly grieve for the dead person
Chance to say goodbye to the person
Chance to gain comfort from the many words and actions of the ceremony
Chance to gain comfort from family and friends
Offer prayers for the person or the relatives
It can give hope of the next life
It finalises the death and helps people to move on to the next step
Fulfils the persons last wishes, e.g. the songs etc
Possible Exam questions
a.)
What is a soul?
b.)
Decribe two reasons people might believe in life after death
c. Describe Christian beliefs about what happens to evil people after death.(2003)
d) Explain how a Christian funeral service might comfort someone whose close friend has died. (2003)
for friend read „relative‟ for 2007)
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(
e) “Funeral ceremonies are for the living, not for the dead.”(2005)
a. What is purgatory?
b. Describe ways a Christian might view heaven
c) Describe Christian beliefs about the soul.(2004)
d) Explain Christian beliefs about how the way people live their life might affect what happens to them when
they die.(2004)
e) “It cannot be true that there is life after death, because there is no evidence for it.”(2003 and 2006)
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
What is a funeral rite?
Describe two reasons people might want a funeral service
a) Describe Christian beliefs about what happens to good people after death. (2007)
Explain the ways in which a Christian might try to find the answer to a moral problem.(2005)
“A forgiving God would not send people to hell.”(2007)
a. What is death?
b. What is meant by the soul?
c. Describe Christian beliefs about heaven and hell.(2006) ( see 2005)
d. Explain how these beliefs ( about heaven and hell) might affect the way a person lives. (2006)
e. “People only believe in life after death because they are afraid of dying.” 2004 and 2008
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