Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Death and Afterlife
"If you believe only in an afterlife, you are restricted to a very limited, dualistic view of time. There is only 'here' and 'after.' But if life is continuous, if the soul never stops making its journey, a completely different worldview opens up" (Deepak Chopra, 2000, p. 258).
How do various religions -- Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism -- view the afterlife? What are the beliefs of these faiths as to what happens when believers pass away? These questions will be addressed in this paper.
The Afterlife From the Perspective of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism
In Judaism believers use the Old Testament exclusively. In the Old Testament there are many passages that refer to the afterlife, including Job 20:26: "And when after my skin this is destroyed. Then without my flesh shall I see God" (Morse, 2005, p. 155). Another reference to the afterlife in the Old Testament comes from the book of Ecclesiastes 12:7: And the dust returneth to the earth as it was, And the spirit returneth unto God who gave it." In the Talmud, the book of Jewish laws and ethics, the dying soul of an evil person does not leave the body easily, in fact it is like "pulling a tangled rope out of...
For a righteous person, the soul departs for heaven "similarly to drawing a hair out of milk" (Morse, 155).
In the Christian religion, living a good life and having faith in God will ultimately lead to "the soul's resurrection into Heaven in the afterlife" (University of Missouri). An important part of the Christian faith includes "forgiveness, repentance, and judgment after death," and if believers have "properly repented their sins to God," then their souls are likely to "spend eternity in Heaven" (University of Missouri). However, those who have led a sinful life may go to Hell. John 3:16 sums up Christianity's belief in the afterlife: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (Wall, 2009, p. 22).
In Islam -- the Muslim faith -- there is the "Day of Resurrection" which can also be called the "Day of Reckoning" or the "Day of Judgment." On this particular day in the life of a believer "all living things will be raised to life again" and they will be called before God for His final judgment on their behavior and faithfulness (Huda, 2008). For those that have been good people, they will enter…
Works Cited
Chopra, Deepak. How to Know God: The Soul's Journey into the Mystery of Mysteries. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2000.
Gerner, Katy. Religions of the World. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish, 2008.
Huda. "Islam: Definition of 'Youm Al-Qiyaman.' About.com. Retrieved October 28, 2011, from http://Islam.about.com/od/heavenhell/g/qlyama.htm?p=1. 2011.
Morse, Donald R. "Can Science Prove the Soul, the Afterlife and God?" The Journal of Religion
Afterlife." Museum of Art and Archaeology. Retrieved October 28, 2011, from http://maa.missouri.edu/exhibitions/finalfarewell/afterlifeintro.html.
grandfather died I was only six years old. I didn't know my grandfather well; he lived far away from us, and I guess because of the costs of traveling, we did not get there as often as we would have liked, and my grandparents could not come here as often as they would have liked. As a six-year-old my feelings about death were simplistic. My guinea pig, named "Sunshine," had
Death Rituals of Different Cultures and Countries Death Rituals of different Cultures/Countries As the globe is full of numerous civilizations and cultures in a very diverse manner, similarly, their rituals, traditions and ceremonies related to life and death are also different from one another. The people belonging to these cultures have their own sets of beliefs that are witnessed through the ways they celebrate their occasions, festivals and even the death rituals
Death and Dying 'My new body was weightless and extremely mobile, and I was fascinated by my new state of being. Although I had felt pain from the surgery only moments before, I now felt no discomfort at all. I was whole in every way -- perfect," (Eadie "Embraced" 30). In her groundbreaking book Embraced by the Light, Betty J. Eadie writes about her own near-death experience to help dispel the
As one performs their dharma, they earn karma, which is the cause and effect aspect of Hinduism. Karma explains good actions bring good results, and by obeying this principle and dharma, one can experience rebirth into a "better" life that puts one in a stronger position to achieve moksha. The ultimate goal for any Hindu soul is to achieve moksha, which is the liberation from samsara, the cycle of
I would also encourage her to cultivate the love she has for her children, since love itself is one of the primary purposes of human life. From this basis, I would then ask her about her husband or partner. If this person is still living, I would ask her about the relationship, whether it is a good one, and whether she finds it meaningful. If she is still with
Life After Death: Afterlife Within the Realm of Ancient Greek Beliefs The question as to what happens after death is not fathomable within human reason. As such, it remains one of the biggest mysteries of life. The belief in life after death is what keeps the hopes of the human race intact even in the face of the tragedy of death. The concept 'afterlife' appears absurd in light of rational thought