Areas of revision Revised Revised Tested

Existence of God

The existence of God

The first cause arguments

Arguments about the first cause argument

The design argument

Arguments about the design argument

Religious experience

Arguments about religious experience

Accounts of religious experience

How valid is the argument from religious experience for the existence of God?

Faith

Arguments against the existence of God and the nature of faith

The characteristics of God

God and images

God in one form

God in many forms

Words used about God

More words used about God – father

More words used about God – King

Should more inclusive words be used about God?

The 99 names of Allah

Words only used about God 1 and 2

Words that show God’s closeness and distance

Revelation and Enlightenment

General revelation and revelation through nature

General revelation through people

General revelation: sacred texts

Special revelation: prayer

Special revelation: worship

Special revelation: visions

Special revelation: modern visions

Special revelations: dreams

Special revelation: enlightenment

Revelation: reality and illusion

The problem of evil

The problem and evil and the existence of God

Forms of evil: natural evil

Forms of evil: moral evil

The origins of evil: Adam and Eve

The origins of evil: Iblis

The existence and evil and suffering 1 and 2

The free will defence

The concept of karma and the existence of evil

Believers responses to evil and suffering

Do people need evil and suffering?

The compatibility of science and religion

Genesis 1

Other creation stories

Stories of creation in fundamentalism

The Big Bang and Steady State theory

The role of God in creation

Evolution

The implication of evolution for humans

The contrasting views of the place of humanity in creation from religious dimensions

Fundamentalist views of evolution

The Afterlife

Evidence for and against the afterlife

Eternal life

Heaven, hell and paradise

Reincarnation and rebirth

Out-of-body and near-death experiences

How belief in the afterlife affects this life – Judaism, Christianity and Islam

How belief in the afterlife affects this life – Eastern religions

Practice GCSE Questions:

The Existence of God:

1. Explain how religious experience might be used to prove that God exists. (6 marks)

2. ‘All religious experiences are just made up and cannot be used to prove anything.’ Do you agree? Give

reasons for your answer, showing that you have considered more than one point of view. (6 marks)

3. Explain what it meant by the design argument. (6 marks)

4. ‘It is easier to believe in god than not to believe in God.’ Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer,

showing that you have thought about more than one point of view. (6 marks)

The Characteristics of God:

“O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;

You perceive my thoughts from afar.” Psalm 139:1-2

1. Explain why the above passage is a good example of God as immanent. (3 marks)

2. In what ways would a transcendent God be different from an immanent God? (3 marks)

3. ‘It is limiting to think about God as only in one form.’ Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer, showing

that you have thought about more than one point of view. (6 marks)

Revelation and Enlightenment:

1. Explain how sacred texts are seen as special revelation. (3 marks)

2. Explain why some people would reject the idea that God reveals himself to believers. (3 marks)

3. ‘Revelations are only important for the individuals who get them.’ Do you agree? Give reasons for your

answer, showing that you have considered more than one point of view. You must refer to religious

arguments in your answer. (6 marks)

The Problem of Evil:

1. Explain how the existence of evil can make it difficult for people to understand the nature of God. (6 marks)

2. ‘The stories about the origins of evil do a good job of dealing with the problem of evil.’ Do you agree? Give

reasons for your answer, showing that you have thought about more than one point of view. (6 marks)

3. (i) Explain how believers try to remove the effects of evil in the world.

(ii) Explain why believers try to remove the effects of evil in the world. (6 marks0

4. ‘Human free will needs evil to exist.’ Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer, showing that you have

thought about more than one point of view. (6 marks)

Science and Religion:

1. Describe how science explains the origins of the universe. (6 marks)

2. ‘Science leaves no room for God in creation.’ Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer, showing that you

have thought about more than one point of view. (6 marks)

3. Explain how the religious accounts of creation give humanity a special place. (6 marks)

4. ‘Evolution does not treat humanity as special.’ Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer, showing that

you have thought about more than one point of view. Refer to religious argument in your answer. (6 marks)

The Afterlife:

1. “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, others to shame and

everlasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2

Explain what types of beliefs about life after death are shown in this passage. (3 marks)

2. Explain two pieces of evidence that people might put forward to justify belief in life after death. (4 marks)

3. ‘Believers’ lives are not affected by what they believe about life after death.’ What do you think? Explain

your answer. (3 marks)

4. ‘Rebirth and reincarnation make sense of life after death.’ What do you think? Explain your answer. (3

marks)

Key words:

Key word Definition

The Existence of God

Agnostic A person who does not know if there is a God or not.

Aquinas Thomas Aquinas is the person who thought of the cosmological argument.

Argument from design

A proof for the existence of God based on the idea that there is so much design and purpose in the universe that it could not happen by accident; there has to have been a designer – God. Also called the teleological argument.

Atheist A person who believes that there is no God.

Awe A feeling of great respect mixed with wonder.

Cosmological To do with the nature of the universe and used in particular with the cosmological argument that says there has to be a God to explain the existence of all things.

Faith Believing in something without proof.

First Cause Also known as the cosmological argument. A proof for the existence of God based on the idea that there had to be an uncaused cause that made everything else happen otherwise there would be nothing now.

Paley William Paley the person who thought of the teleological argument.

Proof Evidence that guarantees the truth of something.

Religious Experience

An experience of God that cannot be explained.

Teleological To do with design and order, particularly the attempt to prove the existence of God by showing that there is design and order in the universe.

Theist A person who believes that there is a God who is directly involved in creation.

Valid Something that supports the truth of a statement or fact.

Vision Seeing something, especially in a dream or a trance, that shows something about the nature of God or the afterlife.

The Characteristics of God

Compassionate One of the qualities of God, showing concern for the sufferings of others; literally “suffering with”.

Eternal Without limits in time; outside time.

Father A name given to God to explain that he has qualities like a father.

Forms The different ways in which people picture God.

Inclusive terms Words that are not specific to a gender or a particular group.

Immanent The idea that God is very close and is involved in what goes on in the world. He is not distant or uncaring.

Impersonal The idea that God is a force or abstract idea and cannot be described in human terms.

King A name given to God to show that he protect us, rules us, leads us and should be obeyed.

Merciful A quality of God that stresses God’s willingness to forgive the wrongdoer.

Monotheism The belief that there is only one God.

Nature of God The qualities that combine to make up what God is.

Parent An inclusive name for God to show he has the qualities of a parent.

Personal When used about God, the idea that God cares about the individual and is involved in the individual’s life.

Polytheism The belief that there are many gods.

Ruler An inclusive name for God to show that he has the qualities of someone who leads.

Transcendent The belief that God is beyond space and time, and that there are no limitations on what he can do.

Revelation and Enlightenment

Enlightenment The gaining of true knowledge, particularly in the Buddhist tradition, that frees a person from the cycle of rebirth by seeing what the truth about life really is.

General revelation

The belief that God can be known by anybody who is prepared to accept the idea that though creation, e.g. nature God shows his true nature.

Revelation God shows himself to believers; this is the only way anybody can really know anything about God.

Special revelation

God shows himself to an individual or group of individuals in a specific, direct way, as opposed to general revelation that anyone can know God.

Vision Seeing something, especially in a dream or trance, that shows something about the nature of God or the afterlife.

The Problem of Evil

Evil The opposite of good. A force or a negative power that is seen in many traditions as destructive and against God.

Free will defence

An argument to justify both the existence of a loving God and the existence of evil. It is based on the idea that what makes humans special is their ability to choose. For this to happen they have to live in a world in which things can, and do, go wrong.

Karma A belief in Hinduism and Buddhism that a person’s good and bad actions in this life and in their previous lives contribute to the quality of future lives.

Moral evil The harm that results from a bad choice made by human beings misusing their free will.

Natural evil The harm or damage that is done to people and creation as a result of the forces of nature and the structure of the Earth (evil and suffering causes by nature e.g. earthquakes)

Preparation Getting ready for the next stage or phase.

Rebirth In Buddhism the belief that after this life there is a continuity into a new life form that is affected by the karma gained so far.

Reincarnation The Hindu belief that after this life the soul moves on to a new, usually bodily, form.

Soul-making The belief that suffering makes it possible for people to ‘grow’ into more mature individuals.

Suffering The experience of something bad and painful.

The Compatibility of Science and Religion

Big Bang Many scientists think that the universe began with an explosion from which everything that makes up the universe came into being.

Compatibility When two or more different ideas can be used together without problems or tensions.

Darwinian view Names after Charles Darwin who pioneered the idea of evolution; the idea that creatures have gradually changed and adapted to suit the environment, “the survival of the fittest”.

Evolution The process made popular by Charles Darwin that describes how simpler life-forms gradually changed and adapted to more complex life forms.

Faith A commitment to something that goes beyond proof and knowledge, especially used about God and religion (believing in something without proof).

Fundamentalist A person who believes in the basics of a religion, particularly believing that what is contained in a sacred text is an accurate, almost factual, record that cannot be questioned.

Genesis The book of the Bible that contains the Christian creation story.

Natural Selection

The method by which evolution works. Those creatures that are not able to adapt to the environment change or die out and those that adapt to the new conditions thrive.

Proof Evidence that guarantees the truth of something.

Steady state theory

An alternative to the Big Bang theory that says that the universe is infinite and constantly changes.

Valid Something that supports the truth of a statement or fact.

Afterlife

Afterlife What happens to a person when the present life comes to an end.

Heaven The state of eternal happiness in the presence of God that Christians believe will be granted to the faithful after this life.

Hell The state of eternal separation from God after this life.

Karma A belief in Hinduism and Buddhism that a person’s good and bad actions in this life and in previous lives contribute to the quality of future lives.

Near death experience

Some people, when they are close to death, claim to have had a sense of themselves leaving their bodies and seeing what exists beyond this life.

Paradise The ideal place in which the faithful are rewarded for all eternity; a name used about heaven especially by Muslims.

Rebirth In Buddhism the belief that after this life there is a continuity into a new life form that is affected by the karma gained so far.

Reincarnation The Hindu belief that after this life the soul moves on to a new, usually bodily, form.

Resurrection The Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead and entered into eternal life and that all souls will join this resurrection on the Last Day.

What do people believe?

Theist: A person who believes there is a God.

Atheist: A person who says there is no such as God.

Agnostic: A person who does not know if there is a

God.

What do people believe about God?

God is the Supreme Being who has no

limits in time, space or power. For Jews,

Christians and Muslims and other religions

who only believe in one God (monotheistic

religions), God is seen as the creator of the

universe.

Some of the terms used about God include

omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-

knowing), and benevolent (all-loving).

What is proof?

Proof is the evidence that shows whether something

is a fact or true.

Proof should remove all doubt from someone mind.

Proof is usually something that is physical e.g.

something you can see with your own eyes or the

result of a well-conducted experiment.

Can the existence of God be proved?

There are some problems with trying to prove the

existence of God:

- As human beings, we can only prove things

with our senses: smell, sight, touch and so on.

- God cannot be proved by humans using their

senses because we cannot see God.

- Evidence for the existence of God through a

vision or through hearing God, is not really

valid for other people. It is only valid for the

person who has had the experience.

- Some people argue that only logic and reason

can show that God must exist.

THE FIRST CAUSE ARGUMENT (THE COSMOLOGICAL

ARGUMENT

St Thomas Aquinas believed he could prove that God exists.

God is the UNMOVED MOVER:

1. We see things moving.

2. Things do not move by themselves but have to be

moved by something else.

3. However, everything that moves has to be moved

by something that existed before it.

4. There must be something that started all of the

movement in the universe that is not moved by

anything else.

5. God is the being that moves everything but is not

moved by anything else.

God is the UNCAUSED CAUSE:

1. Everything which exists has a cause

2. The universe exists

3. Therefore... The universe has a cause

4. That cause must be God

5. Therefore God exists and is the First Cause.

God is a NECESSARY BEING:

1. Everything comes into being and then goes

out of being (either death or destroyed).

2. But this means there must have been a

time when nothing existed.

3. If there was nothing then something cannot

come from nothing.

4. Therefore something must have always

existed. This is called God.

Cosmological is to do with the nature of the

universe and used in particular with the

cosmological argument that says there has to

be a God to explain the existence of all things

in the universe.

Arguments in favour of the first cause argument:

Arguments against the first cause argument:

- People thing that the first cause argument can help to explain where the big bang came from.

- Supports Genesis that God created the world.

- Can explain the how evolution happened – God caused evolution to happen.

- We can see evidence of causes in the world around us so it makes sense that the universe has a cause.

- Just because we thing of things having a cause, doesn’t mean we have to apply this to the whole universe.

- Things outside our world and universe might work differently.

- Some people believe the universe needs a cause but they are happy to believe that God doesn’t need a cause.

- If everything has a cause, who caused God?

Does the first cause argument lead to belief in one God?

Some people do not think that it is wrong to assume that the first cause is a

caring, personal God.

Some people cannot accept that God is eternal (infinite) and so cannot believe

that God is the first cause.

Some people believe that God is the first cause and that this explains how the

big bang and evolution happened.

The Design Argument (The Teleological Argument)

Paley argued that there is evidence of design in the world. Just like a

watch needs a watchmaker, the universe also needs a designer.

Paley said that the universe must have been created by an intelligent

designer.

If you came across a watch in an uninhabited place, you

could not say it had been put there by chance. The

complexity of its mechanism would make you say it had

a designer. The universe is a far more complex

mechanism than a watch, and so it a watch needs a

watchmaker, the universe needs a universe maker. As

the only being that could design the universe would be

God, it follows that God must exist

St Thomas Aquinas’ Design Argument says that an arrow

will not hit a target by itself, it needs someone to intend

to shoot it towards the target. In the same way the

whole universe needs an intelligent designer for there

to be order and purpose within it.

The Vision of Bernadette:

On a cold February day in 1859, Bernadette was asked by her mother to go down to the river to collect

driftwood and fallen branches for the fire. She was with two younger children. When they got to the water,

the two younger girls crossed, but Bernadette dawdled on the river bank, removing her stockings to prepare

herself for crossing the river.

Suddenly Bernadette heard a sound like a rush of wind. She looked around her and saw a golden cloud

gradually float down from a nearby cave to reveal a beautiful young lady within it. The lady sat upon a rock

and smiled at Bernadette, her eyes blue and gentle. She wore a soft white robe with a girdle of blue around

her waist and her hair was partially covered by a long white veil.

Bernadette’s fear was calmed by the lady’s beautiful smile, and she walked towards her, and then knelt in

reverence. Bernadette was a religious girl, and took her rosary from her pocket to say her prayers, as she so

often did when she felt unsettled.

The mysterious lady also produced a rosary and as Bernadette prayed; she passed the large white beads

between her fingers along with her, not speaking, except to repeat the word ‘Gloria’ with Bernadette. When

the prayers were finished, the lady and the glowing cloud around her disappeared into the cave and

Bernadette was left alone. Bernadette remained kneeling, a peaceful faraway look on her face, for some

time, until the other girls returned looking for her. As they started on their way home, Bernadette excitedly

told them what had happened, asking them not to tell anyone else about it. After this the lady appeared on

another seventeen occasions

The Transfiguration:

Mark 9:2-8

‘After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him

and led them up a high mountain where they were all alone.

There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became

dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could

bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and

Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus,

‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three

shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. He

did not know what to say, they were so frightened. Then a

cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came

from the cloud: ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!

Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw

anyone with them except Jesus.

Arguments in favour of the design argument:

Arguments against the design argument:

- Some people believe there is order in the universe e.g. the way animals cooperate to produce balance in nature, which is important for the survival of the whole species.

- There is just the right balance of chemicals in the air and earth to allow for the evolution and development of human beings, which suggests there is design.

- Some people argue that if the world was designed by God then there would be no evil and suffering, why would a designer create bad things?

- Some people think that everything that happens is random and that there is no order to the universe.

- Some people believe evolution explains how we have developed.

Examples of religious experiences:

Arguments for religious experiences Arguments against religious experience

- So many people have experiences they must be true.

- Religious experiences happen to all different types of people not just certain types of people.

- There is no evidence that the people who say that they have religious experiences are telling the truth.

- Why does God not appear to everyone?

Religious Experience:

A religious experience is the experience of God in your life. There are four

different types of religious experiences:

- Miracle – something that breaks the laws of nature.

- Numinous – the feeling of the presence of someone greater than

you.

- Prayer – communicating with God.

- Conversion – when your life is changed by giving your life to God.

Faith is a commitment to

something that cannot be

totally proved but that is

not contrary to the facts.

Faith is a different type of thing

to knowledge. Faith is a leap into

the unknown and unknowable.

Knowledge is based on facts, or

what can be proved.

If the thing that was believed in was

shown to be a fact, then it would no

longer be a matter of faith. For

example, if the Loch Ness Monster

appeared and people were able to do

There are examples of faith in the Bible

but there are also stories and modern say

examples of people having faith –

believing in God even though they cannot

prove that he exists.

Jews, Christians and Muslims believe in ONE

GOD in one form.

Christians believe that God reveals himself to

us in three different ways:

- The Father = the creator

- The Son = Jesus who died on the cross for

us.

- The Holy Spirit = God in the world today.

Jews were the first people to believe in only one God.

Because God is so holy, Jews never write it in full. God cannot be shown in any paintings or statues.

Jews call God Yahweh but write ‘Y-hw-h. God called himself ‘I AM’ when he spoke to

Moses.

Christians believe in one God. Christians believe that God came down to earth in

the person of Jesus. Christians believe in the Trinity – Father, Son and

Holy Spirit. God is involved in the world not distant.

Christians have no problem with paintings, statues and dramas about God (the Father and Jesus)

because they help us to understand the nature of God.

Some Christians believe images of God break the commandment ‘Do not worship false idols.’ Muslims believe in one God.

There statement of faith says ‘There is no God but Allah.’

God is so different to us as humans that we cannot portray God in any way e.g. paintings,

statues, drama. Mosques are also not decorated because it can

distract from Allah.

Hindus belief in one God, Brahman. Brahman can be seen in many forms.

Hindus believe in the Trimurti – three different gods that show a different part of the nature of Brahman.

The Trimurti is made up of Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the sustainer) and Shiva (the destroyer).

There are lots of gods and goddesses in Hinduism that show the different aspects of Brahman and Hindus

worship the one that means most to them.

What do all these beliefs have in common?

All religions use words or images to show their understanding of God.

All religions are trying to make sense of something that cannot be limited.

All religions, whether believing that God is in one form or many, are trying to explain the

nature of God.

He:

In early societies God was called ‘He’ because the man was the strong

protector and the provider.

The belief that God is a male makes it easier for people to relate to

God. He is also called ‘He’ in the Bible.

In English we call people or objects ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘it’. Many people think

it would be wrong to call God ‘it’ as it suggests we cannot have a

relationship with God.

In Hinduism there are female gods but they have a male partner, so the

female god is not separate but a pair.

All-powerful:

God is omnipotent (all-powerful) this means he can do anything.

Some people argue that God cannot do anything- for example he cannot make

a square circle – but then a square circle could never exist!

All-powerful means that God is the source of all things and nothing can exist

without him.

Some people think the problem of evil proves that God is not all-powerful.

All-merciful:

This is a name used by Muslims but also shows the idea that God is

forgiving and this is something all religions believe.

Mercy is a willingness to let people off for what they have done wrong.

God is willing to forgive us and this is shown the Forgiving Father

parable.

Being all-merciful also shows us that God is all-loving because he is

willing to forgive.

Father:

In the Old Testament God is referred to as a ‘parent’ because he called his

people ‘sons’.

In Isaiah God is called Father – “But you are our father.”

In the Old Testament Jews recognise that God shows care and love like a

father.

In the New Testament Jesus called God ‘father’ – “Jesus said, ‘I praise you

Father, Lord of heaven and earth.”

When Jesus was praying before his arrest he said “My Father, take this cup of

suffering…”

Jesus taught his disciples to pray the ‘Our Father’ showing a personal and

intimate relationship with God like a Father and his child.

It also makes us feel like God is involved in creation and cares for us, watches

over us and responds to us.

All-loving:

God is benevolent (all-loving) means that God cares for his

creation.

Love means wanting good for another person.

God shows that he wants good for us through creation – this

is how he shares his love.

God is totally self-giving of himself to us. For example he sent

Jesus to die because he loves us so much. Therefore, God is

all-loving.

The Truth:

Sikhs call God ‘The Truth’ because they think this is the only name that can

truly fit with him.

Sikhs believe that God never changes and therefore he is always true.

Sikhs statement of faith says ‘One Universal Creator God, The Name Is Truth.’

All-knowing:

All-knowing (omniscient) means that God is

aware of everything that happens.

This means there is nothing we do that God is not

fully aware of.

However, for some people this means that we do

not have true free will because God already

knows what we will do. So some people believe

that God can limit his knowledge of the future so

that we can shape our own future.

All-compassionate:

This is a name that Muslims give to God and it is an

idea that expresses the understanding of God by most

religions.

Compassion means that God is aware of human

weakness and is concerned for the problems that

these weaknesses create for people.

A compassionate God shares with and supports us.

God is involved in everything that is happening to us.

King:

In the Old Testament God is called ‘King’ by the Jews – “The Lord reigns..” and “The Lord, the

King of Israel..”

In the New Testament Jesus is called King and his kingdom is referred to – “Then the thief said,

‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’” When Jesus is arrested Pilate asked

Jesus ‘You are a king, then!’ and Jesus said he was right.

The role of the king was to protect his people, govern them (set laws), lead them in battle

against the enemy and to be obeyed. God has these qualities – he guides and protects, leads his

people against evil (the enemy), lays down laws e.g. the 10 Commandments.

Although many countries do not have a king anymore, people keep the idea to help them to talk

about God.

Should more inclusive names be used about God?

Yes No

Some people can get the wrong impression if words like father or king are used. Some people might not have had a positive experience of a father and so to call God father is not positive. King is old-fashioned and many countries have no king so people don’t know what it means to call God king.

God has always been called father and so this should not be changed. Even if people have had a negative father experience, everyone knows what it means to be a good father. The Bible shows what it means to call God father. Other words might not mean the same thing.

Some people think more inclusive names like parent and ruler should be used for God.

Parent Ruler

Calling God ‘parent’ would help people focus on the loving qualities of a father and a mother, without

using sexist language. It would help people to stop seeing God as a male

and not as loving as a mother.

A ruler is someone who guides, protects and lays down the law for those in his care.

God does this and therefore ruler is a better word to use. However, ruler is not a part of our everyday vocabulary.

There are also many examples of bad rulers so calling God ruler can be seen as bad.

Answered prayers – God has answered prayers

Religious experiences – an

experience of God’s presence.

Believing a miracle has happened.

Evidence of God being

immanent and personal.

Evidence of God being

transcendant and impersonal

When we pray to God but feel that our prayers have

not been answered.

Evil and suffering suggest that an all-

loving, all-powerful, all-knowing God is not

directly involved in the world.

General Revelation

Revelation means God shows himself to believers:

this is the only way anybody can really know anything

about God.

General revelation means that God can be known by

anybody who is prepared to accept the idea that

through creation e.g. nature, God shows his true

nature.

When God reveals himself this helps people to make

sense of what God is telling humans about himself.

The more God reveals himself the more we can get

to know him.

General revelation through nature

We can know God through

creation

Creation is the work of God

It shows his power and his

ability to create

Nature tells us someithing about God

The wind, night sky, vastness of

the universe are a reflection of tehe greatness of God.

Nature and the universe are

dependent on God who is greater and reflect God

General revelation through people

Genesis tells us humans were made

in God's image Humans

share in the qualities of

God.

Our qualities are a

reflection of God.

Love is a qualitiy tha

reflects God.

Love can be seen in the world e.g. a

mother's love for her child.

People like Maximilian Koble and

Mother Teresa show God's love

We can know what God is like

by looking at the qualities of other people

God reveals himself to us through nature.

We can know what God is like through nature.

We can see what God is like through people.

God reveals himself to us through other people.

We have

qualities that are

like God but

they are not as

perfect as God’s

qualities.

Some qualities are perfect and

must belong to the nature of

God.

Truth, Forgiveness, Justice

They are limited by humans

and show the true nature of

God.

Sacred Texts:

Religions believe that God revealed what he wanted to be passed on to specific

people. For example, Muslims believe God revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad.

Hindu’s believe their Holy Book (the Vedas) have no human author but were seen in

visions by priests.

Jews believe God revealed his law to Moses on Mount Sinai e.g The 10

Commandments and so follow the Torah exactly.

The Buddhism scriptures are the teachings of the Buddha and do not have the same

sacred (holy feeling) that other religious texts have.

For Christians the Bible in the word of God and God directed people or inspired

people to write down his word.

The Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad who recited it and then wrote it down. It is

the word of God.

For Sikhs the Guru Granth Sahib has teachings of the 10 Gurus as well as teachings

from Hindu and Muslim writers. It is treated like a human being.

Worship:

Worship is an act of religious praise, honour or devotion to show that God is

important.

Only God should be worshipped. If anyone else is worshipped it is breaking

the commandment ‘Do not worship false idols.’

Worship can take many forms e.g. going to a place of worship (on a Sunday

for Christians, Saturday for Jews and on Friday for Muslims), taking care of a

shrine at home (Hindus have a shrine at home dedicated to one of the gods

or goddesses, Sikhs uncover the Guru Granth Sahib to wake it up).

Worship can include living by the laws of God all the time.

Worship can be done individually or as part of a group.

Worship can help us to get a better understanding of God and to accept God

into our lives.

However some people think it is pointless because God doesn’t exist,

because if God is perfect there is nothing we can do that will make any

difference to God and the only person to get anything from worship is the

person doing the worshipping.

Prayer:

Prayer is an opening up of the heart and mind to God. This allows God o reveal himself to

the person praying, as there is an acceptance of the presence and reality of God.

Forms of prayer:

Silent prayer: being still in the presence of God. Not speaking but simply sitting at peace

and letting their presence express their faith in God.

Meditation: Similar to silent prayer. A person empties their mind from all distractions to

focus on God.

Communal prayer: When a group of believers pray together, often using a set format.

Liturgical prayer: Prayer that follows a set format and lead by a religious leader e.g. Mass

in the Roman Catholic Church.

Repetition of a phrase: Short sayings that the believer repeats and that help them to think

about the central principles of faith. E.g. Sikhs use the Ik Onkar.

Prayer through physical posture: Many believers take a special position e.g. Muslims go

through a whole series of movements when praying to show the whole person is involved.

Interpreting the sacred texts:

FUNDAMENTALIST: Read the texts literally because they are the

direct word of God. They try to live according to what is written

down in the text regardless of when the text was written down.

They do not question the sacred texts.

LIBERAL: The texts come from God but were written down by

human beings in a very specific time and social setting, so reflects

the true word of God but in a way that could be understood by

people at time. They do not follow the laws literally. They do not

question the truth but they question how modern society should

follow the teachings and interpret them.

Dreams:

Dreams are a series of thoughts, images and sensations occurring in a person’s mind

during sleep.

There are some dreams that can make a deep impression on the person dreaming and,

as with visions, they might give the dreamer new insights into reality and into God.

The dreams can give a new direction to a person’s life. For these dreams to be valid,

they need to free from any artificial stimulus e.g. drugs and alcohol.

In Genesis 28:12-17 Jacob had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth,

with its top reaching to heaven and the angels of God were on it. God was at the top

and said that he would give Jacob and his descendants land. When Jacob woke he knew

God had been there.

He Pharaoh had a dream in Genesis 41:15-32.

Some people question if dreams are real because it is impossible to know how

accurately the person remembers it. As with visions and religious experiences it is

difficult to explain the dream to others.

Modern visions:

Visions have been recorded throughout history.

One of the most famous visions are the visions Bernadette has in Lourdes of the

Virgin Mary.

The full story of Bernadette’s vision is under the Existence of God revision –

Religious Experiences.

Bernadette saw Mary 17 times and prayed the Rosary with her. Mary told

Bernadette she was the Immaculate Conception, a term that had not been used in

the Church yet so Bernadette couldn’t have known this phrase any other way.

It is difficult for a person to explain their vision (remember with religious

experiences it is difficult to express the feeling or experience).

Many people don’t believe the vision because only the individual saw it. They think

there is some other explanation like drugs or alcohol. They think that there is no

guarantee it was actually God or that it is not just an over-active imagination.

Visions:

A vision is an experience that comes from outside in image

or picture form. The person believes that they are seeing or

hearing someone (usually) that no one can see.

The vision usually has a deep meaning for the person

receiving it and enables them to become aware of a reality in

a new way.

There are many visions in the Bible e.g. Isaiah 6:1-10 and

Acts 10:9-16.

In Acts Peter has a vision. Before this Peter was concerned

with eating Kosher food and did not allow non-Jewish people

to join Christianity. In the vision God spoke to Peter telling

him that nothing that God mad clean was impure. After this

the early Christians started to eat all meats and allowed non-

Jewish people to join the faith.

Enlightenment:

Enlightenment refers to the attaining of spiritual insight.

Buddhists are trying to reach enlightenment.

To reach enlightenment a person needs to look beyond this

world and look to the eternal world.

Once this has been achieved the person will be free from the

cycle of rebirth (reincarnation).

Enlightenment helps a person to see what lies beyond all

things in this world.

The Buddha became enlightened. He was called Siddhartha

Gautama lived in 563BCE (before Jesus). He was kept in the

Castle grounds so that he would not see suffering. When he

finally left he saw four signs of suffering: poverty, sickness, old

age and death. He left the Castle and meditated under a tree

where he reached enlightenment. He was a normal human.

Illusion

An illusion is something that is seen which is false.

Some people think that God and religion are based

on an illusion.

People who think this give the following reasons to

explain why people believe in God and claim to have

religious experiences.

‘God is only human qualities on a bigger scale’

Some people think that the qualities given to God

are those that we try to encourage in society.

Some people think that leaders want the lower

classes to obey rules and so say that they are part of

their religion. This will make them less likely to go

against the way the leaders want them to live.

Sociologists think like this.

However, some people think that religion actually

challenges society and does not support it e.g.

religion is against laws like allowing abortion.

Is God a reality?

Despite what people have said against religion, religion is not dying in

the world. There might be a change of emphasis away from organised

religion but there is a great focus on the spiritual side of life throughout

the world.

This would suggest that there is some type of absolute being, even

though its existence cannot be proved.

‘The future of an illusion’

The psychologist, Sigmund Freud, claimed that people hide

behind religious to avoid having to face up to the realities of

life.

Freud said that God was invented by humans who wanted to

avoid taking responsibility for their actions because they could

blame God for their actions instead.

Religion might help with problems but it doesn’t prove that

religion isn’t real.

‘God is only what society demands of people’

Some people think God is just there to have the qualities

that humans strive for and to give us something to hope

for. A philosopher called Ludwig Feuerbach believed this.

People think the qualities that humans give to God gives

them an insight into what is important to humans.

However, there could be an ultimate quality set by God

that we are striving for.

What is the problem of evil?

God is all-powerful,

God is all-loving,

God is all-knowing.

Evil exists

People argue that God is all-powerful, all-loving

and all-knowing then he wouldn’t allow evil to

exist.

Natural evil: the harm or damage caused to

people and creation because of nature e.g.

earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis.

Moral evil: Evil caused by the actions of

humans e.g. the Holocaust.

Christianity: The Fall of Man

St Augustine said that evil exists because of the fall

of humans in Genesis 3:1-24.

In the story God told Adam and Eve not to eat from

the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The serpent came along and asked Eve if this were

true, she said yes. The serpent said that God had

only given this comment because if they eat the fruit

they will become like God. So Eve ate from the tree

and convinced Adam to eat from it to.

As soon as they had eaten it they realised they were

naked and sewed fig leaves together to cover

themselves.

When God looked for them they were hiding in the

Garden because they were ashamed. They told God

what had happened. God said that Eve would suffer

pain in child birth, Adam would have to toil and the

serpent would crawl on his belly.

God then threw then out of the Garden of Eden.

What does Genesis mean?

Evil entered the world because Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent.

The story is not about something that happened in the past but something that is happening every day. God

provided everything that humans need to be happy and he gives them one very special gift: the gift of freedom,

means that Adam and Eve have a choice. The serpent stresses what Adam and Eve are not allowed to do. No one

likes to be told what to do so Adam and Eve assert their independence from God. God allows Adam and Eve to

acknowledge what they have done. Then he lets them live with the consequences of their decision: they cannot

expect God to provide everything they want. They now have to look after themselves and they will find it difficult.

Adam means ‘man’ (as in mankind). God provides everything that humans need to be happy and he gives them

one very special gift: the gift of free will. This is shown by his request for Adam and Eve not to ear the fruit of one

particular tree. Adam and Eve have a choice: they are not just God’s puppets, always doing what he wants. The

serpent phrases his question in such a way that it stresses what Adam and Eve are not allowed to do, and because

no one likes to be told what to do they make the choice not to do what God has asked them to.

Once God had allowed them to acknowledge what they had done and lets them have they want – to be

independent from God, they cannot expect God to provide everything they want anymore. They now have to look

after themselves and they will find it difficult. By giving them clothes before throwing them out of the garden, God

shows that he stills cares for Adam and Eve.

Arguments for the need for evil 1: Humans need a contrast

Islam: Iblis

Muslims believe that evil entered the world

because of Iblis.

Iblis was an angel of the Lord. When Allah created

Adam he told the angels to prostrate to Adam but

Iblis refused.

When Allah asked him why he refused, Iblis said he

was better than Adam because Adam was made

from clay and he was made from fire.

Allah said that Iblis was disgraced and expelled him

from Paradise. Iblis said that he will tempt humans

and they will not be thankful so Allah said he

would fill Hell with all those not thankful.

Adam and Eve were in paradise but were tempted

by Iblis (Satan)and they ate from the tree of

knowledge of good and evil.

Allah sent them to earth and there they shall live

and die and from it they will be resurrected.

In this story from the Qur’an the angel Iblis refused to

bow down before mankind as Allah wished and so Iblis is

sent from heaven.

Iblis now travels around the world getting people to reject

Allah and to join Iblis in hell.

Iblis is Satan and leads Adam and Eve astray. They eat

from the tree that Allah commanded them no to.

Adam and Eve turn to Allah to ask for forgiveness.

Both the Bible and the Qur’an see

God as the creator of all that is good.

God did not want evil in the world and

it is a misuse of free will.

God allows evil but does not will it.

God is not to blame for evil.

Humans need a

contrast

We need bad to show us what is meant by good

If everything was the same, we

would have no understanding of

anything

If nothing went wrong then life would have no meaning - we

wouldn't know what good and bad

meant.

It would be impossible to

value one thing over another, as there would be

nothing to judge against

Evil is necessary so that we

know good and so that we can choose good

Why does evil exist?

Arguments for the need for evil 2: God only created the good

The world as a place of preparation:

God only created

the good

Genesis tells us everything

God made was good

God couldn't make bad

because evil is not part of his

nature

God gave humans free will and

humans used it to do what they

wanted not what God wanted

Evil is the absence of good. God wants a good world but the

world has been ruined because we fail to reach God's

standard

Evil exists because of humans not

because of God. It was the choice

humans made not God

Evil is not God's will but he

accepted it so that humans have true

free will

Why does evil exist?

Life is about developing and

we need to experience

things to learn and grow. We need to

experience good and bad things to be

able to develo,

This life is a preparation for the next life and we need to lean now in order to

make better choices in the

future

We can only learn by making

mistakes and seeing the

mistakes that others make.

We need evil to grow as

mature people. This is

called soul-making

Soul making means that we

can develop and become

stronger as we react to

experience

People who struggle with

the demands of life become

more complete human beings

Christians this life is a preparation for the afterlife in heaven.

If we cannot make choices between good and evil we can never appreciate what God

offers us in the afterlife.

Other religions believe we need evil for the next life e.g. karma for reincarnation

The Freewill Defence:

The concept of Karma and the existence of evil:

The Freewill defence is an argument to justify both the existence of a loving God and the existence of evil. It is based on the idea that what makes humans special is

their ability to choose. For this to happen they have to live in a world in which things can, and do, go wrong.

We must be totally free to love God or to reject the love of God.

This means that God cannot interfere with the choses that people make because this would stop humans from being free.

If God interfered he would be taking over the running of our lives.

This does not mean that God does not have the power to intervene but that if he used this power then he would be interfering with people’s freedom.

This can also explain natural evil. If people lived in a world where unexpected disasters did not happen, then there would be no opportunity for people to take

responsibility for their actions.

Freedom not only means being about to choose, but also being able to accept the consequences.

If unexpected things did not happen then life would be predictable and we would not have the freedom to act and ensure that we are not harmed or to help those

who are harmed.

Karma is a belief in Hinduism and Buddhism that a person’s good and bad actions in this life and in previous lives contribute to the quality of future lives.

Karma is the law of consequences. It plays a large part in the beliefs about the cycle of reincarnation and rebirth. Every action is seen to produce either good or bad results

(consequences) for the person who performs the action.

These consequences will come into play at some stage, maybe at a later point in this life or possibly in the next reincarnation.

Good actions have good consequences and bad actions have evil consequences. Good karma will lead to a positive result in the next life and bad karma leads to a negative result in

the next life.

Karma is not seen as reward and punishment, but the inevitable consequences of actions.

For there to be consequences to our actions there has to be the possibility of bad actions. If people could only do good actions then their actions could not really be called good and

therefore, they should not have good consequences to their actions.

Suffering is the consequence of bad actions. Evil brings about suffering and this helps to show a contrast between good and bad actions.

In Hinduism the challenge is to escape the cycle of reincarnation but in order to do this good karma needs to be built up. Once they break the cycle there is no more evil and

suffering.

For Sikhs karma is the law that brings back the results of actions to the person doing them; so a good action leads to some kind of reward and a bad action leads to suffering.

In Buddhism suffering affects every life. The faithful Buddhist tries to live a life free from negative qualities to reach true enlightenment. Then there is no more karma.

Rebirth and reincarnation means that people experience all of the good and bad things that life has to offer them and that by the time they escape the cycle

everyone has had the same experience of good and bad.

How do believers respond to evil and suffering?

Do we need evil and suffering in the world?

Yes we need evil and suffering in the world

No we do not need evil and suffering in the world

- Without evil and suffering we would not be able to help those in need. This would mean that we would become shallow and selfish.

- We would not know what good and bad is without suffering.

- By helping those in need we can learn and develop by the experience we have.

- In the UK we are among 20% of the world’s population that uses 80% of the world’s resources. But we do not realise this and unless major disasters are reported then we do not think about those who are less well-off. So even with suffering we can be selfish and not think of others if we don’t know it is happening.

- There are people who do not help even when they know people are suffering.

- Suffering causes pain and no one wants to be in pain.

All all religions the faithful are called to help people in need.

They feel that doing something is better than doing nothing

God is loving and doesn't want to see

suffering so we should help those in need

People can help the outcasts of

society like Mother Teresa did.

Gandi tried to remove social

inequality in India.

Help the victims of famine and disaster like CAFOD do

Help homeless people like the St Vincent De Paul

Society

Respect for fellow human beings and a belief that everyone is equal

makes people want to act to help those who are suffering.

Some people help those in need to build up good karma or to gain a

reward in heaven.

Most believers help because they want to change things.

Jesus taught that we should help those in need (The Good Samaritan

and The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats).

Religious responses to evil and suffering:

- Buddhists see suffering as a part of life that needs to be dealt with and not ignored.

- Christians believe that God understands our suffering because Jesus suffered when he died on the

cross. Jesus taught us to help those in need.

- Muslims believe that we need to help those in need and give 2.5% of their earnings to charity. This is

one of the 5 Pillars of their faith and is called Zakat.

- Religious people try to find a solution for the problem of evil. However, we cannot stop evil and all we

can is help those who are suffering to try to reduce the effects of evil.

Genesis is a poem based on seven days.

The story was probably written down about 450 BCE and it

reflects the idea that God is all powerful, creating by his word

only.

All things that God makes are good.

Mankind is the high point of creation as everything is made ready

for man.

Man was created in the image of God.

Hindu creation story:

- Before creation there was no heaven, earth or sky, only nothingness.

- A great snake floated on top of the sea, protecting Lord Vishnu.

- Suddenly a deep humming sound began to vibrate the seas with a low Aum.

- The sound soon spread across the nothingness, rumbling and filling it with

sound and motion.

- Vishnu awoke. As the dawn broke, the petals of a lotus flower bloomed in

Vishnu’s navel, revealing Brahma sitting in the middle. Vishnu said to Brahma,

“It is time to begin”.

- At Vishnu’s command a wind swept the waters. He and the snake vanished

leaving Brahma floating on the lotus flower.

- Brahma broke the flower into 3 pieces creating the heavens, the earth and

the skies. He created grass, flowers, trees and plants. He gave each of these

feeling.

- Next he created animals for the land, birds for the air and fish for the sea and

gave to each creature senses.

The Hindu creation story reflects the idea that the gods are involved in creation.

Creation is a thing of harmony and beauty, not a think of violence and hardship.

Creation is made to enable human beings to live as an integral part of the whole, not

as an abuser of the gifts of the gods. All creation must be treated with respect.

Fundamentalists are people who believe in

the basics of a religion. They believe that

what is contained in the sacred texts is an

accurate and almost factual record that

cannot be questioned.

Fundamentalists

Want to go back to the fundamentals

of the faith

Sacred texts are holy because they come from God.

No human being can reject God's

word

The sacred texts must be followed

Christian fundamentalists

read Genesis literally. The Holy Spirit inspired the

writers

Genesis is the word of God and

should not be questioned. But 1

day could be a period of time not

24 hours.

Creationists believe that the

Bible was created in 6 24 hour days.

Fundamentalists reject scientific

beliefs like the Big Bang and

Evolution because it is not in the

Bible

Fundamentalists reject evolution because

they accept that everything written in the

Bible is correct AND they support the idea of

intelligent design.

They believe everything in the Bible is true.

Evolution is contradicting the word of God.

The Bible was given by God and so provides

scientific truth.

God has let us know the truth and we do not

need to search anywhere else.

Intelligent design:

Fundamentalist believers who accept

that there have been changed and

mutations over the ages.

Rejects any random change like

evolution.

God directs these changed to bring

variations in creation.

God is the intelligence behind

design, the one who is driving

change forward.

The role of God in religious stories of

creation:

The stories tell us God is the creator

and gave humans a special role in

creation.

They focus on the relationship

between God and humanity.

Look for the meaning behind

creation.

Not written to be factual or

historical.

Tell us that God made everything,

he made everything to be good and

humanity is the high point of his

creation.

Without God, life has no value.

Things just happened by themselves

The laws of science govern

the universe

Some believe God caused the BigBang

But the theories do

not need God

Some scientists thing tha

universe will carry on growing

Some thing the universe will

collapse in on itself

All agree that one day life on earth

will not sustained

What do these

theories suggest about

the universe?

The role of God in these theories:

Science can explain the steps they take to find their theories and so

have to be correct. There is no need for God.

However, some people think that science is based on ideas and

needs support and sometimes the evidence doesn’t support the

theory.

Some scientists believe that God created the Big Bang and there

are no contradictions between God and science.

Science cannot always explain why things happen. God is the

explanation.

A common question asked by believers is ‘Where did the material

that created the Big Bang come from? Believers would answer

God.

Arguments for evolution Arguments against evolution

- God could have used evolution to create animals.

- There is evidence for evolution in fossil records.

- There are gaps in the fossil records. Evolution takes place over a long period of time and so the gaps are filled with hypothesis.

- Some people say that the complexity of animals shows a special creation not evolution.

- Evolution undermines a perfect God. God would not let his creation change so much.

Evolution- The theory that all species change over time as only those with the features to survive their environment live long enough to breed and pass on their features to the next generation.

Charles Darwin travelled the world on the HMS Beagle. When he was on the

Galapago Islands he noticed that the finches on each island had differences, on

one island they had short, heavy bills while others had think, delicate bills.

Darwin published a book called ‘On the Origin of Species’ and he explained his

theory of evolution in it.

Natural Selection is also called the survival of the fittest. It means that only the

creatures with the adaptations to help them in their environment survive.

Those who do not adapt die out.

Fossil records contain a large number of species that have not survived.

According to evolution all animals come from a common starting point.

As genetic changes took place and as animals responded to changed conditions, the

different species emerged.

Human beings and chimpanzees had a common ancestor that lived in Africa 7.5

million years ago. This ancestor’s descendants split into two different lines:

chimpanzees and human beings.

This process took a long time and humans only started looking like they did 200,000

years ago.

The implications of Darwin’s theory for humanity

Positive Negative

The race as a whole is important not just the individual. Each person contributes to the race by passing on his or her genes. Every individual is essential within the human race. The way we treat each other is important because it shows we value the human race.

Humans are just another animal The creation of humans was just a lucky genetic mutation Humans have no more right to the earth than any other animal. Human life has no value apart from the short time each individual is alive.

The contrasting view of the role of humanity as shown in creation stories

Believe

Beliefs in monotheistic

religions

Humans are made in the

image of GodWe have qualities

that reflect God e,g,

love

God breathed life into

humans so we share in his life force

God told humans to

multiply and fill the earth

God gave humans free will and did

not give it to any other

animal

Humans were given the power to name the animals

Humans were given power to look after the earth

Monotheistic religions believe in only one God – Judaism,

Christianity and Islam and monotheistic religions.

Polytheistic religions believe in more than one God – many

believe that Hinduism is a polytheistic religion.

Beliefs in Hinduism

and Buddhism

Both believe in karma and good karma leads to

human life.

Humans are on the higher plane of

life, so can make choices and live

with the consequences of

their choices

Animals cannot escape the

cycles of rebirth and

reincarnation.

Those humans who have bad karma

might come back as an animal so animals

are below humans

The value of humans is how they

deal with this life now.

Why do people believe in an afterlife?

Life seems unfair – bad things happen to good people

and some bad people do well. There has to an afterlife

for good people to be rewarded and bad people to be

punished.

People seem to be aware of a deeper aspect to life. Why

would this happen if there is nothing to raise this

awareness?

When people die their soul must go somewhere.

Evidence for and against the existence of an

afterlife:

People believe in life after death because of:

- The existence of ghosts.

- The resurrection of Jesus as witnessed in

the Bible.

- Memories from a previous life.

- Out of body experiences and near death

experiences

- The teaching of Holy Books like the Bible

and the Qur’an.

Eternal Life:

Eternal life means that life continues after death, either

in heaven or through reincarnation in a new body on

earth.

The idea of eternal life is built on an awareness of the

love of God. If there is no afterlife for God’s creation

then life has no purpose and God does not love what he

has created.

Resurrection:

In the early Jewish scriptures, the belief was that all

souls went to Sheol, a place the dead would go but

had no contact with God. They believed that God

would restore the faithful to life.

Some believed when the Messiah came the good

people would be rewarded. Other people thought this

would happen at the end of time.

Resurrection means the person will be in an eternal

state of happiness with God.

Jesus’ Resurrection

Jesus taught about God’s kingdom and this included heaven.

Jesus taught that God’s love continued after death.

God created a perfect place and this had been destroyed by sin and the power of evil.

Jesus defeated the power of death and sin when he rose from the dead.

Jesus died on the cross, rose again 3 days later and gave the message to his disciples

that he had risen from the dead. It was the women who believed him first.

Through Jesus’ resurrection we can all have access to God in heaven. We all be

resurrected to eternal life like Jesus was.

When we are resurrected, we are resurrected into a more perfect state.

Heaven: the state of eternal happiness in the presence of

God that Christians believe will be granted to the faithful

after this life.

Hell: the opposite of heaven, a place of eternal despair and

separation from God. Hell is chosen by those who reject what

God has to offer.

Paradise: the ideal place in which the faithful are rewarded

for all eternity; a name used about heaven especially by

Muslims.

The validity of these arguments:

- No one has come back to tell us what life in the afterlife is like (except Jesus), so writers imagine what life with or

without God would be like.

- The language used about heaven and hell is too physical and cannot give us any idea of the reality.

+ These beliefs have made sense to millions of people through the ages so they must be true.

+ Humans feel there must be more to us than this life, so the afterlife completes this picture.

+ Punishment in hell supports the idea of a just God, punishing those who appear to get away with bad actions.

Reincarnation and rebirth:

Reincarnation is the Hindu belief that after this life the soul moves on to a new, usually bodily, form.

Hindu’s believe that everyone has a soul (called atman) and this is what is reincarnated after death.

The name of the Hindu God is Brahman. Hindu’s believe the atman is trying to get back to Brahman and is trying to escape the cycle of reincarnation.

The atman is concerned with the pleasures of this world and to find its way back to Brahman must realise that this life cannot give them everything they need to satisfy them. When this

happens, the atman reaches moksha and escapes the cycle of reincarnation.

Hindu’s believe the law of karma affects the next life a person will have. Good karma leads to a good next life and bad karma leads to a bad next life. For many Hindu’s some forms of life

are better (higher) or worse (lower) than others. For example, it is better to be reincarnated into a human than into an animal.

When people are reincarnated they either go up to a better form of life or down to a worse one.

Reincarnation is fair Reincarnation is not fair

Because of the connection with karma, many people think there is a great justice shown in the Hindu reincarnation cycle. The good are rewarded and the bad punished, and everyone has as much time as needed to escape reincarnation and achieve liberation when the soul joins Brahman.

Some people feel that this system shows great injustice: if a person is a combination of a soul and a body, why should this particular combination of soul and body be punished (or rewarded) for something that was done by the atman in a different body?

Remembering previous reincarnation – some people claim that there is evidence that people can remember who they were or what happened to them in the last reincarnation. However,

there are millions of people who believe in reincarnation and only a small percentage of people remember their past life.

Rebirth:

In Buddhism, the belief that after this life there is continuity into a new life form that is affected by the karma gained so far.

There is an atman (soul) that moves from one body to another but there is continuity – it is like lighting one candle from another, there is a simple connection between the new life and

the old one but they are not the same.

Buddhists believe that suffering is a part of life. The Buddha believed that there are Four Noble Truths (suffering happens, suffering comes from craving, to end suffering we must get rid

of craving, the way to get rid of suffering is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path). The Noble Eightfold Path contains 8 things that Buddhist should do to try to escape suffering.

Buddhists are trying to escape the cycle of rebirth to reach nibbana – this is the place that the soul goes to once it has escaped rebirth. Buddhists also believe that they need to become

enlightened to reach nibbana. A Bodhisattva is a person on earth is an enlightened being who stays in the cycle of rebirth to help others to attain enlightenment.

For Buddhists there are six realms of rebirth. The type of realm a person enters on rebirth is determined by their karma.

How belief in an afterlife affects this life:

Judaism In the later books of the Old Testament it talks about the end of time when God will judge how people have lived. Jews need to try to live as God wants them to now and follow his laws so that they will have a relationship with God in the afterlife.

Christianity If we want to be rewarded in heaven we must do good works now, not just because we want to be rewarded but because we have a duty to help others. We need to treat others as we would treat Jesus.

Islam On the Day of Judgement those who have been faithful to Allah will be rewarded and those who reject Allah will be punished. Muslims will be judged by their actions.

Hinduism Hindus must act without thinking about personal gain. If people want specific consequences it means that there are too attached to this life and cannot escape reincarnation. They must act without thinking of their own feelings.

Buddhism Buddhists must try to live a perfect life by following the Eightfold Path to reach nibbana. Everything they do must be to escape the cycle of rebirth.

Sikhism Sikhs aim to find union with God and escape reincarnation. The only way to do this is by becoming free from wordly thoughts and possessions. They need to live by the truth, meditate upon God and give to charity. This will help them to become closer to God and to escape the cycle of reincarnation.

Out of body experiences

The beliefthat the soul has left the body and is looking down at

the body

If these are true then there

is a soul that can survive

death

If this is true then the

question is where does the

soul go after death?

People who have taken drugs have claimed to have

out of body experiences

Some say those who have taken

drugs created the experience

Raymond Moody’s

factors:

The person hears

themselves pronounced

dead.

A loud buzzing or ringing

noise.

A long dark tunnel

The person sees their

own body and sees what

is happening.

They meet others and see

events from their life.

They reach a barrier and

know they have to go

back.

Even though they feel

peace, love and joy they

go back to their body.

Near-death experiences

People who believe they

have seen the afterlife when

they were near death

Raymond Moody in 1970 saud there were

similar factors in all near-death experiences

Some scientists say that the

experiences are caused by

chemicals in the brain

There will never be proof of these

experiences

There are lots of similar

experiences regardless of

society or religion