According to Lopez (2010) Christians believe in life after death. The holy, those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior and have repented of their sins, will go to live in happiness with God, Jesus, the angels, and the fathers of Christianity. They will be delivered of all suffering and live in harmony with all other creatures such as wild animals. Their body will be transformed. There is also a hell for those who will not have accepted salvation. They will be subjected to eternal fire, suffering from no end.
According to Bainton (2000) Catholics believe in purgatory, a place of temporary punishment. Those who died without confessing all their sins rest here. Everyone who knows and believes in Jesus Christ will go to heaven eventually. Purgatory is where they are cleansed of all their sins. God forgives all sin, but the Christians must undergo temporary punishment for them to be cleansed.
Hindus believe in that one either goes through reincarnation or nirvana. After death, the body goes through certain processes. They believe that the soul first departs from the body. After this process, the life-breath also departs; the body organs thus stop functioning. The soul takes up the characteristic of its own and follows the body that exhibits such character. The soul carries in it past knowledge and experience. There is only change in body, but the soul of a person remains the same.
In the nirvana, the people who lived spiritual lives are exempted from reincarnation. They do not have to go through different bodily form. They directly go to be with God. Confucianism lays an emphasis on life rather than death. It believes that there is no world that exists after death, and one should live life to the best of their ability. They should take up their various roles and pursue them accordingly. According to the teaching of Confucianism, human beings are immortal. The spirit does come to an end; it lives forever.
According to Daoism, life and death are two separate states. When on is living they should do what is expected and live in harmony with nature. They should desire which they can achieve. I state that when dead one is alive in a different states. Just as when one is living they are in a state where they can pursue the things of the body.
Shinto pays little attention to life after death, but rather life itself, when one is alive. The Shinto believes that those who commit sin during their life can have bad karma following them. They can lose touch with the family spirit. For this situation not to occur, people need to perform their duties accordingly. They should do what is expected of them, as neglect of one’s responsibilities follows them after death.
According to Judaism, there is life after death. The main focus is put on life rather than the life after death. There are not many teachings about the afterlife. It gives room for the Jews to form their personal opinions. Among the orthodox Jews, they believe in the existence of heaven; a place where the righteous will live in harmony with God. There some that also believes in the resurrection. After the coming of Christ people will resurrect. Some believe only the righteous will resurrect while others believe that everyone is bound to resurrect.
According to Jenkins & Ord (2002) Islam, teaches in the existence of life after death. There will be a day of judgment. After judgment, there are those who will go to heaven while others to hell. Those who lived according to the teachings of Islam will live together with God. It will be in heaven while the people who committed sin will go to hell where they will live in misery. After death in the graves, humans have a taste of what they will experience. Some undergo suffering while other true happiness and joy. The true paths they are to follow will be clearly felt after the Day of Judgment.
Sikh put emphasis in life of the living rather than the life after death. One should perform their duties as required and not worry so much about what happens after they die. They also believe that one takes up a different body form after death. One is reborn into a new body. The soul is however immortal. It is only that changes but the person remains to be who they are. The soul carries the past knowledge and experience, which from a particular person.
Chopra (2006) states that according to modern religion, people have varied opinions. There is no particular teaching that emphasis on what happens after death. Most of them believe in the existence of heaven and hell. Those who repent their sins and accept their sins will go to heaven. They will live a perfect life with no lack. The sinners who do not repent and accept salvation will go to hell. Here they will be subjected to unending suffering. There will be burnt; this signifies the torture they will receive. Others believe that they will undergo actual burning; there will be flames that burn. Others believe in evolution that human beings developed from a simple form to a complex form they exist today (Vladimir 2001).
References
Bainton, R. H. (2000). Christianity. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Jenkins, J., & Ord, W. (2002). Themes in RE: Learning from religions. Oxford: Heinemann
Educational.
Lopez, K. M. (2010). Christianity: A biblical, historical, and theological guide for students.
Macon, Ga: Mercer University Press.
Chopra, D. (2006). Life after death: The burden of proof. New York: Three Rivers Press.
Vladimir, M. B. (September 01, 2001). Immortality from a Scientific Point of View. Journal of
Russian and East European Psychology, 39, 5, 34-70.
