UNIT 4 PR Revision - Immortality

UNIT 4 PR Revision - Immortality

AO1 - Assessment of knowledge and understanding of topics and key concepts

AO2 - Assessment of evaluation and expressing opinion

What is immortality?

Immortality is the idea that someone never dies and lives eternally.

Good

• Holy books believe in everlasting life - In the Gospel of John; 'for whosoever believes in Jesus will not die'
• Spiritualist Churches claim to contact the dead
• Ghosts have been rumoured to interact with people; they still have conscience and control
• NDEs have really been proven that the person dies; and all of them are roughly the same
• Revelation shows that God will fulfil what he promises

Bad

• No scientific proof
• There is no proof of ghosts
• Scientists do not know what goes on in the brain near death - it could be very weird
• Some people are biased; they are unconsciously thinking about it
• There are so many contradicting Holy Books; they can't all be right; in fact only one or none can be correct!

Why do people want to be immortal?

For

• They want to see civilization rise and fall - history
• They are scared of death; there is never a good time to die
• They enjoy life too much

Against

• They are bored of life
• They don't like their body; it limits them; it might become diseased or it might become old and rubbish
• One life is enough for anyone

Mind, Body and Soul

Many people argue about what we actually are. The idea of our body and soul being completely separate but linked entities is called dualism.

• Your mind is a big storage box that is you, your essence, which is not actual; it is abstract
• Your body is the physical status of us, and it helps us get from point a to point b.
• Your soul is the spiritual idea of your essence, thought to last after death

Theories of what happens after we die

Reincarnation

Reincarnation is the Hindu idea that we are made of body and soul, called an atman. Your soul is you, your essence and this is born into another body after you die. Bad things that you have done in previous lives are repaid for as suffering through your next lives; this is called Karmic Justice.

Good

• • People do remember previous lives whilst in hypnosis
  • Bad people deserve to suffer, even if they don't suffer in their life

Bad

• • Everyone should remember their lives
  • The world population shouldn't increase 
  • There is no proof or empirical evidence
  • Karmic Justice is not fair; shouldn't every new life get its own chance in life?

Memories

Some people that people never die because the memories of them in other people are carried on for generations. They cherish these memories and believe this is an example of immortality.

Good

• Historical bodies have rotted; since we can't use physical evidence, we use memories instead
• Our goal in life could be to make good memories for ourselves

Bad

• Isn't immortality meant to be eternal? If everyone who remembered you died or forgot about you, are you still remembered?
• If you make a bad impression, and the memories of you are wrong, are these memories of you?

Rebirth

Only Buddhists believe in rebirth; the idea that each lifetime changes you a bit, and you learn and develop as you go through your lifetimes.

Good

• People do remember previous lives whilst in hypnosis
• Bad people deserve to suffer, even if they don't suffer in their life

Bad

• Don't changes mean it cancels out a new life?
• There is no proof

Resurrection

Christians and Muslims believe in Resurrection - on a specific day, God wakes you up and you still have a physical body.

Good

• You would need your body to move from A to B when resurrected
• God is omnipotent and can do anything

Bad

• Your body will fall to bits anyway
• Your body limits you; wouldn't it be better to be a stronger being? - would you still want your body?
• People might not recognise you when you become older

Legacy

Some people believe in legacy as if we leave a footprint on the earth.

Good

• Legacies of famous people still live on and are probably not going to be forgotten - Hitler

Bad

• Your legacy might not last long if you aren't famous
• What if your legacy is credited for someone else, if it's wrong?

What do the religions believe in about immortality?

Buddhism

Rebirth - There is no soul in Buddhism - 'no soul' is called Anatta. An ever changing character moves through the cycle of rebirth; a mix of Skandhas shape the next life. They aim for enlightenment.

Christianity

Resurrection - The body and soul wait in Purgatory until Judgement Day, when they are put in heaven or hell.

Judaism

Jews believe in the 'world to come' when the Messiah will rule the earth in peace, waking the dead.

Hinduism

Reincarnation - Your atman - soul - lives through lifetimes, shaped by actions of the previous lifetime(s). One needs to achieve enlightenment and become one with the Ultimate Reality to stop being reincarnated.

Sikhism

Reincarnation - Your soul lives through lifetimes, shaped by actions of the previous lifetime(s), serving and worshipping God; one needs to achieve enlightenment and reunite with God (waheguru) to stop being reincarnated.

Islam

Resurrection - The body waits in the grave (barzakh, seeing the events of its life. On Judgement Day, good go to paradise, bad go to hell; others cross As-Sirat Bridge, carrying sins which make it heavier. Afterwards, being purified, they go to heaven.

More about Proving life after death

Channelling

Channelling is when mediums claim to speak with the dead, suggesting that people remain after death, immortality. Many people go to spiritualist Churches to speak with their relatives. 

Mediumship or spiritualism is the art of speaking to the dead. The people who claim to be able to do this are called mediums, and there are spiritualist Churches that are purely based on this. Some experiences are so real that people are forced to believe in them, and Spiritualist Churches are still sustaining strong congregations.

Good

• The media seem to be very true - if they can speak to the dead, it proves that there is life after death.
• Thousands of people believe in them

Bad

• No proof
• The media may have researched you or can read body language

NDEs

Near Death Experiences are events when the person is proven to have died, and they say that they go through a tunnel of light meeting someone they know, and then they are pulled back into their life again.

Good

• Doctors have proven that these people do die during the experience
• Every experience is roughly the same, from all cultures and from thousands of people

Bad

• You might be unconsciously thinking about it
• Scientists think weird things happen in your brain just before you die that science cannot explain at this time being
• No scientific proof

Holy Books

Holy Books all claim that there is life after death.

Good

• They all agree that there is life after death
• In the Gospel of John; 'for whosoever believes in Jesus will not die'

Bad

• No proof
• They contradict eachother in how the afterlife is going to be