The Concept of the Afterlife
16 What happens to us after we die?
2Some believe that nothing happens when we die, that our spirits come to an end and our awareness and existence simply cease and we disappear into nothingness. 3However, it is a more commonly held belief, regardless of what faith, belief or following, that there is something more waiting for us after death. 4With so much energy bound up in our souls (or spirits), is it reasonable to think that we simply disappear when we die? 5Does religion answer these questions, or does it just raise more?
Reincarnation
6This is an old concept still seen in mainstream religions today (usually those with older roots). 7Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism are the major faiths that believe in the idea of reincarnation, as well as the African traditional religions. 8Many alternative religions believe the same, but not all of them.
9The principle here is that our souls do not simply move on to a new realm after we die, but that they come back to Earth in a cycle. 100ur deeds throughout our lives are accumulated and their overall value dictates what type of life we have in our next incarnation. 11It becomes a continuous cycle that only ends when perfect enlightenment is reached, which the Buddhists call nirvana. 12The Hindus have a similar concept, but their name for the ending of the cycle is moksha. 13In either case, your soul rejoins the universal creative force and stops its Earthly cycling. 14The Yorubas believe your soul reincarnates into the family, and do not believe in the concept of karma.
15Unlike the heaven/hell concepts in certain religions, there is no way to remove bad acts from your record: karma tallies everything up. 16The only way to balance out sins is by committing additional positive or virtuous acts instead. 17In essence, you re unable to seek forgiveness or atone for sins as you can in Christianity or similar faiths.
Punishment and Reward
18The realms of heaven and hell (and their equivalents in other faiths) tend to exist in monotheistic religions that believe theirs is the one true path to salvation. 19Christianity, Islam, Judaism and the Baha i Faith all fall into this category. 20This illustrates each faith s constant need to offer either a carrot or stick to their followers. 21The idea of reward and punishment is a fundamental concept for each, and the heaven/hell belief is the ultimate representation of this.
22For Christians, heaven is a paradise made from gold and precious stones:
“The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth and the twelfth amethyst (Revelation 21:19 – 20)
230ne might wonder why there s such a focus on material wealth, given that it is shunned in verse after verse throughout the Bible. 24Perhaps to appeal to our earthly desires? 25You d think that a believer would simply be satisfied with an eternity in the presence of God – worshipping and adoring him.
26The Quran details relatively similar destinations for Muslims. 271n this case, heaven is known as Jannah and is seen as a beautiful garden:
“Allah hath promised to Believers, men and women, gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein, and beautiful mansions in gardens of everlasting bliss. But the greatest bliss is the good pleasure of Allah. That is the supreme felicity. (Sura 9:72)
28Their idea of heaven seems to focus a lot less on materialism, rather on the beauty of nature, as well as the greatest reward of all: the pleasure of Allah. ( 29Let s not forget the 72 virgins though.) 30To be fair, the Bible also refers to the latter in other passages.
31Both religions – more or less – have the same concept of hell:
“Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15)
“… fear the Fire, whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers (Sura 2:24)
32Though the Muslim version sounds similar, it does have some additional features. 33For them, hell (known as Jahannam) has more than one level and each individual s punishment is proportionate to sins committed, unlike the Christian hell, which lumps everyone together regardless of their respective transgressions. 34Another difference in beliefs is that 1slam allows a soul to be purified in the fires of Jahannam, after which it may be released to Jannah. 35Christianity does not have such an exit strategy. 36For them, if your name is not down, you re not going in.
37Though Judaism also falls into the same (heaven/hell) category, their view of the afterlife is far less concrete. 38There is a general sense that good living will take you to heaven and bad living will take you to hell. 39But Jews are more focused on living in this life, so do not fuss so much about what is waiting for them in the afterlife. 40Possibly because their detailed rules of behaviour give them a stronger focus on the here and now.
41There is a third way – for Catholics, Anglo-Catholics and many Lutherans – which is known as Purgatory. 42When a soul has earned its way into heaven, but hasn t been completely forgiven of all sins, it must be temporarily cleansed in the final purification (or final theosis ). 431t s like a temporary hell that purifies the soul before it can continue to its final resting place, similar to the Muslim view.
Earning that Reward
44Unfortunately, gaining entry into Heaven is not as simple as making a choice between door #1 and door #2.
45Certain denominations of Christianity feel that you will earn your way to heaven by accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour . 46Islam is the same (but without Jesus). 47The Bible offers one perfect example of this, during the crucifixion of Jesus. 48Without quoting the entire exchange, Luke 23:39 – 40 talks of the criminal who is being executed next to Jesus. 49He admits to his crimes, then asks Jesus to remember him in Heaven. 50Jesus immediately tells him that he will be with him in paradise. 51This is a nice and simple answer, but seems too easy for some.
52Catholics have a stricter outlook, that you can only enter heaven if your sins have been absolved, which requires the intervention of a priest. 53After you ve confessed your sins, he tells you that you have been forgiven, and you can then go on living your life until you sin again and make a return trip back to the confessional. 54A priest will sometimes assign a small punishment in order to earn that forgiveness, but not always.
55Another Christian sect, the Jehovah s Witnesses, believes that preaching to others is a key factor in being saved. 56This is the main reason why they are so heavily invested in proselytism.
The Afterlife of Old
57Ancient religions also had their views on where we go after death. 58Although there were some aspects of punishment and reward, it was usually not as extreme or as exalted as today s mainstream religions.
59The ancient Greeks believed that souls went to Hades, regardless of how they lived their life. 60There was no option of a heavenly paradise and people certainly didn t go to live with the gods afterwards.
610ddly, the ancient Norse had a very different outlook on the afterlife even though they had a relatively similar polytheistic belief system to the Greeks. 62Heroes who died in battle would go on to reside in the halls of the various gods for an eternity of feasting and mead. 63Those who died of other causes would go on to Helheim, which is not well described, but was considered a somewhat dull and bleak place compared to the godly halls of Asgard. 64That reflected their belief that dying in battle was the ultimate honour.
65In ancient Egypt, a soul would be weighed against the feather of Ma at (justice) to see if it were virtuous enough for the afterlife, otherwise it would be devoured. 66They believed that the afterlife was similar to our earthly world, so you would need your physical body and your possessions. 67This is why they practiced mummification, and why both royalty and the wealthy were buried with vast treasure troves.
Afterlife as You Believe it
68Those who believe in more New Age concepts feel that people experience what they expect to after they die. 69While this may be an open-minded and flexible vision of life-after-death, it can be hard to figure out. 70This would mean that someone who believed in the Christian or Islamic paradise of heaven would have their soul permanently held there after death, whereas someone who believes in reincarnation would keep returning to Earth. 71It could be possible, but who knows? 72The bottom line is that no one can know for sure what happens after we die. 73Every faith has its own beliefs but none can be taken as undisputed fact over any of the others.