Beliefs about the afterlife: heaven and hell
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain Christian beliefs about heaven and hell, and the significance and influence of these beliefs.
Key learning points
- For many Christians, the afterlife consists of heaven and hell.
- There are different interpretations of heaven and hell based on Biblical teachings.
- Traditional beliefs about heaven and hell include that they are physical places a person goes based on God's judgement.
- Contemporary beliefs about heaven and hell include that they are spiritual states, and hell is a separation from God.
- The belief in heaven and hell can help guide moral behaviour, provide comfort and influence practices such as funerals.
Keywords
Afterlife - what follows the physical life on earth; life after death
Heaven - belief that after death Christians can enter a state of being with God for eternity
Hell - belief in a place of eternal suffering, or a state after death of being in separation from God
Sin - behaviour which is against God's laws and wishes/against Christian principles of morality
Common misconception
The belief in heaven and hell only influences Christians to behave well.
The belief in heaven and hell can guide a Christian's moral behaviour, however, the belief can also influence Christian attitudes towards death and Christian funeral practices.
Teacher tip
You may wish to remind students of Christian beliefs about judgement prior to this lesson.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.What does 1 Corinthians 15 teach about the nature of the resurrection body?
Q2.Which Christian teaching affirms belief in the resurrection of the body?
Q3.Why do many Christians believe Jesus’ resurrection is central to their faith?
Q4.How does belief in resurrection influence Christian actions?
Q5.Which of the following best describes Catholic beliefs about resurrection?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following is a traditional Christian belief about heaven?
Q2.What is a contemporary Christian belief about hell?
Q3. is a temporary place that many Catholics believe souls will be cleansed before entering heaven.
Q4.How does belief in heaven and hell influence Christian moral behaviour?
Q5.Which of the following best describes an inclusivist view of heaven?
Q6.How might belief in heaven and hell influence Christian funeral practices?
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Beliefs about the afterlife: heaven and hell, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Beliefs about the afterlife: heaven and hell, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 religious education lessons from the Christianity: Beliefs unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.