1. Insight: Death and the Afterlife

Beliefs, teachings and ideas about human life, the world and ultimate reality.

1.1 Content

• Christian teaching on:
– heaven
– hell
– purgatory
– election

1.2 Knowledge

• different interpretations of heaven, hell and purgatory, including:
– heaven, hell and purgatory are actual places where a person may go after death and experience physical and emotional happiness, punishment or purification
– heaven, hell and purgatory are not places but spiritual states that a person experiences as part of their spiritual journey after death
– heaven, hell and purgatory are symbols of a person’s spiritual and moral life on Earth and not places or states after death

• different Christian views of who will be saved, including:
– limited election (that only a few Christians will be saved)
– unlimited election (that all people are called to salvation but not all are saved)
– universalist belief (that all people will be saved)

• the above to be studied with reference to the key ideas in Jesus’ parable on Final Judgement, ‘The Sheep and the Goats’ (Matthew 25:31–46)

1.3 Issues as the basis of exam questions

Learners should have the opportunity to discuss issues related to Christian ideas on death
and the afterlife, including:
• whether or not God’s judgement takes place immediately after death or at the end of time
• whether or not hell and heaven are eternal
• whether or not heaven is the transformation and perfection of the whole of creation
• whether or not purgatory is a state through which everyone goes

1.4 Suggested scholarly views, academic approaches and sources of wisdom and authority

Learners will be given credit for referring to any appropriate scholarly views, academic
approaches and sources of wisdom and authority, however the following examples may prove useful:
• Chapman, G. (1994) Catechism of the Catholic Church paras. 356–368, 1020–1050
• Hick, J. (1985) Death and Eternal Life, Palgrave Macmillan, Part III
• McGrath, A. (2011) A Theology: the Basics, Blackwell, Chapter 8
• Revelation 20: 2–6, 7–15 and 21:1–8