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Afterlife.docxAfterlife:
Hinduism teaches that after death, the level of maturation and purity is weighed by the energy measured in good or bad karma. This dictates the body that a soul is reincarnated into in their next life (Jayaram, n.d-a).
Jainism describes life after death as a process through which the pure attain perfection through water and high-level places to become Siddhas with no concern on the mundane (Hinduwebsite.com, 2013). However, those who value life less go through a process and journey of hell depending on the level of karma hence attain a place within the seven ranks of hell. Either reincarnation as determined by karma or achievement of Moksha in Hinduism or kevala in Jainism Fisher, 2014, pp. 77, 124 - 125
Buddhism According to this religion, death is not the end of life but rather, the beginning of life. Just like life is appreciated, so should death (Coleman & Anderson, 2017). Buddhism views death as a period of rest where life regains energy and prepares for a new cycle. There is reincarnation after death. Such beliefs will give birth to spirit cults.
Daoism: There is life after death and since the origin of the human being is from the Dao, upon death, a person automatically attains immortality.
Confucianism: There is no consideration of life after death since in the religion believes, the now and then dictates the consequences of breaking the sense of relational resonance. This leads to things like famine as a form of imbalance in the nurture and human way of life.
Shinto- Suffering is not viewed as punishment for certain behaviors but it is seen as an element of the human experience, believing in purification they believe you can be pure again, since they do not believe in sin.
Human spirits live eternally with heavenly kami. Spirits of the dead can be involved in earthly affairs when called upon through ritual. Purity, i.e., proper relationship with the kami – required in order to reach heaven in the afterlife. Ancestor veneration Fisher, 2014, pp. 222, 225
Judaism- There is no clear outline of what happens after death in the Torah. However, there are elements in terms on insinuations that define that judgment day would come and thus resurrection (Religion Library, n.d).
Olam ha Ba – soul lives on after death – reward or punishment Fisher, 2014, p. 260
Islam- There is a life after death where the righteous are sent to paradise (Firdaus) while those who have sinned go to Janna. In paradise, there is pleasure in attaining physical need such as food, drinks, and houris. Therefore, there is a culture of devotion to prayer and helping the needy and amplification of the patriarchal society. Islam teaches that the soul continues to exist and that the physical is transformed after death. It also teaches of the day of judgment when all humans will be judged and enter either eternal Paradise or eternal Hell. There is also suffering for those who do not believe in God’s mercy during life hence living in being a believer to avoid being branded kuffar who are condemned to continue suffering. Human’s body remains with the living upon death to be buried and unholy but the spirit moves on (“Salvation in Islam,” 2017).
Following death is a period of time in the grave before a bodily resurrection at the Day of Resurrection, or final judgment. Each person will be held accountable for how they lived their lives while on earth, with events recorded in their own book. Hell awaits unrepentant nonbelievers while heaven awaits. Heaven awaits believers who have submitted to the will of God. The afterlife reveals one’s true nature in this life; for those who sought to be close to God on earth, they will be close to Him in heaven, sinners and nonbelievers will be in hell. Fisher, 2014, pp. 390 - 391
Christianity-There is life after death in Heaven. It is considered that God lives in heaven where he sits with all the angles and Jesus waiting for judgment day. When humans die, their spirit is said to rise to heaven.
However, judgment day will come to all humans when he comes back to earth. Those who lived by His words live according to goodness and light will ascend to live in paradise while those who lived doing evil will descend to hell in the eternal damnation of fire (Stefon, Pelikan, & Sullivan, 2018).
Sikhism- There is no afterlife and upon death, there is reincarnation as there is no heaven or death (Khalsa, 2017). Therefore bad or good actions define the karma that ensures the type of soul someone is born into. Therefore, ego-centered souls are dependent on the type of karma and suffer the fate of good when they are pure and evil when they are demonic.
