Death and Afterlife "If You Believe Only Essay

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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 a narrow opening," Morse writes.

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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….....

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