In today’s society, the issue of life after death forms the basis for a number of debates. At one point or the other, everyone wonders at what happens after they die. Christians, in general, believe that there is life after death. They believe that there are two places that the soul goes after a person dies, and this depends on the ways in which Christian follow the moral teachings of the Bible. While the various Christian groups believe that when an individual dies, there is hell for those who continuously disregard the Commandments and the teachings of the Bible, they also believe in Heaven for those who are righteous in their thoughts and deeds. The Roman Catholic Church continues to teach its followers the heat from fire in hell lasts forever, while the paradise in heaven offers more happiness. Christians, in general, believe that all sins can be forgiven through the repentance of one’s sins.
In contrast to the Christians belief that people move on to another life after death, the Hindus believe that if a person dies before karma pays them in kind, then the individuals comes back to life. The law of Karma dictates that every bad deed returns to the individual in the form of punishment or reward in the end. As such, they believe that an individual comes back to life as many times as it takes to reap the required karma. "Moksha" refers to the “liberation from the endless chain of deaths and rebirths” (Zammit, 2001). The process of liberation or release takes many forms, for example, yoga practices or the use of rituals. After reaching Moska, the individual eventually awakes “from the dream of separateness” (Zammit, 2001).
Followers of Hinduism believe in the notion of hell worlds as well at heaven realm. In addition, Hindus believe that sinners are punished for their sins. The idea of the tormenting he; world in Hindus is similar to the Christian’s views of hell. Both religions see hell as a place where people face torture at the hands of demons. In contrast, hell is the finally resting place for sinners, but for Hindus hell is not the final home for sinners. The Hindu hell is similar to a purgatory where sinful souls face their suffering for a limited period of time, and then they participate in the cycle of reincarnation or rebirth.
Reference
How Different Religions View the Afterlife (2001) Victor Zammit. Web. Retrieved June 15, 2014,
http://www.victorzammit.com
