Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Religious Studies · 4RS1 · Free · no account needed
Death and life after death: how the six religions answer
What happens after death? All six give an account of what follows death, and the accounts divide cleanly into linear and cyclical — a real structural difference rather than a difference of detail.
The question is Paper 1's 2.1 — Death and life after death, and it reaches into 1.2 (Human nature and the human condition) and 2.2 (The meaning and purpose of life) of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Religious Studies (4RS1). You are examined in the religion your centre enters, so each answer below links to the full unit for that religion — the explanation, the Grade 9 notes, the sources, the misconceptions, and the Teach and Defend gates. This page is the comparison; the unit is the exam.
The six answers, side by side
Buddhism — Death and life after death
Position. Rebirth conditioned by kamma, WITHOUT a permanent self, until nibbana ends the process.
Inside the tradition. Pure Land rebirth in a Buddha-field is a substantially different picture from Theravada's.
Rests on. Buddhist teaching — Kamma and samsara; taught throughout the Pali Canon (translated); Buddhist teaching — The three marks of existence: anicca, anatta, dukkha (translated)
What this cell flattens. This is the cell a matrix damages most: 'rebirth' looks like Hinduism's and anatta makes it a different claim.
Taught in full: 2.1 · Death and life after death · 1.2 · Human nature and the human condition · 2.2 · The meaning and purpose of life.
Christianity — Death and life after death
Position. One life, then death, then bodily resurrection and judgement, leading to heaven or hell.
Inside the tradition. Whether hell is eternal conscious punishment, annihilation, or a state some traditions hope is empty.
Rests on. The Bible, New Testament — the Sheep and the Goats — Matthew 25:40 (translated); the Sheep and the Goats); the Creeds
What this cell flattens. 'Heaven' in Christian teaching is a relationship with God rather than a place, and the spatial language is imagery.
Taught in full: 2.1 · Death and life after death · 1.2 · Human nature and the human condition · 2.2 · The meaning and purpose of life.
Hinduism — Death and life after death
Position. Rebirth within samsara, governed by karma, until moksha releases the atman.
Inside the tradition. What moksha consists of — absorption into Brahman (Advaita) or eternal nearness to a personal God (Vishishtadvaita).
Rests on. Hindu teaching — Karma, samsara and moksha; Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita (translated); The Bhagavad Gita — Bhagavad Gita 2:22 (with 2:20) (translated)
What this cell flattens. Rebirth is not a reward-and-punishment system administered by anyone; it is consequence.
Taught in full: 2.1 · Death and life after death · 1.2 · Human nature and the human condition · 2.2 · The meaning and purpose of life.
Islam — Death and life after death
Position. Barzakh after death, then bodily resurrection at the Day of Judgement, then Jannah or Jahannam.
Inside the tradition. Broadly shared; the detail of Barzakh is discussed rather than disputed.
Rests on. The Qur'an — Qur'an 3:185 (with 75:1–4) (translated)
What this cell flattens. Allah's mercy is central to the picture and it is not a mechanical tallying of deeds.
Taught in full: 2.1 · Death and life after death · 1.2 · Human nature and the human condition · 2.2 · The meaning and purpose of life.
Judaism — Death and life after death
Position. Olam ha-ba, the world to come; Orthodox teaching includes bodily resurrection.
Inside the tradition. The widest internal range of the six — Reform Judaism often emphasises this world and living memory instead.
Rests on. The structure of the Tanakh — Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim; Maimonides' principles
What this cell flattens. Jewish teaching puts far less weight on the afterlife than Christianity or Islam, and a table implying parity misrepresents it.
Taught in full: 2.1 · Death and life after death · 1.2 · Human nature and the human condition · 2.2 · The meaning and purpose of life.
Sikhism — Death and life after death
Position. Rebirth under hukam and karma until mukti — merging with God — which comes by grace.
Inside the tradition. Broadly shared.
Rests on. Sikh teaching — Hukam, karma and mukti; taught throughout the Guru Granth Sahib (translated)
What this cell flattens. Mukti is neither moksha nor nibbana; grace does work here that neither of the others assigns to it.
Taught in full: 2.1 · Death and life after death · 1.2 · Human nature and the human condition · 2.2 · The meaning and purpose of life.
Where they agree
All six hold that how a person lives now has consequences beyond this life, and all six make those consequences depend on conduct rather than on status or wealth.
Where the real disagreement lies
Whether the shape is LINEAR (one life, then judgement) or CYCLICAL (many lives, then release) — and, within the cyclical group, whether anything permanent makes the journey.
How to use this in the exam — and when not to
Excellent for revision and for Paper 1's 2.1, where drawing on more than one religion is legitimate. On Paper 2, do not use it: the 2023 report advises against cross-religion comparison because it rarely deepens the reading of the target religion.
The other comparisons
- Sanctity of life, abortion and euthanasia — Is human life sacred, and may it ever be deliberately ended?
- Relationships between rich and poor — What do believers owe the poor?
- The principal text and its authority — What is the principal text, and what authority does it carry?
- The place of worship — What is the place of worship called, and what are its key features?
- The major festivals — Which major festival does the specification name, and what does it commemorate?
- Pilgrimage — Is pilgrimage required, and where do believers go?
- Equal rights and equal opportunities — What roles may women hold in the religious community?
- Conflict and war — May a believer fight?
- Leaders and leadership — Who has authority, and where does it come from?