The after-Life in Christianity and Jainism - Assignment Example

Term Paper, Religion and Theology Topic: Christianity versus Jainism: The after-life I have chosen Christianity and Jainism as my religions to explore their views on the after-life. There are many religions that believe that hard work and faith in God will lead you to heaven but Christians believe that salvation is a free gift of God through faith in Christ. There is no other way to reach heaven. I know in Christianity there are divergent concepts to the after-life. We have heaven and hell. I am a Catholic so we also have purgatory. There is a place for you to go when you’re not ready for heaven but don’t deserve hell. In Jainism karma and your level of spiritual development determine what happens in your after-life. You might be reborn to start all over again or suffer the eight hells. The eight hells are not eternal but are similar to a Catholic purgatory until you’re ready to move on. Introduction What happens after death is the challenging question that has confronted humankind since time immemorial. Is death the terminating point or the beginning of another life process? Do the bodies just decompose like any other matter? The answer to these questions depends upon the faith (religion) to which one belongs. A. Existential Questions 1. Existence & Christianity The concept of pre-existence was advocated by Origen, a Church Father, somewhere between the second and third century AD. He articulated that human soul was created by God at the appropriate time before conception. God is the creator of all souls and as such he knows about the good and bad inclinations of all the souls. He overruled the position that God loves or hates a soul based on its predisposition toward good or evil, before the soul actually commits a good or evil act. 2. Existence & Jainism According to Jainism the universe is without beginning or end and it is everlasting. The constituents of the universe are six fundamental elements known as dravya. They constantly undergo innumerable changes known as pralaya. In such transformation nothing is lost or destroyed and the Reality is imperishable. Soul and matter are eternal and since no one has created them, no one can destroy them. Jains do not believe that there is a supernatural power. Self-effort and self-initiative are the hallmarks of Jainism and each individual is the creator of one’s own destiny. I Christianity & the after-life: Heaven 1. How we live our life2. What happens after death? B. Hell 1. Why am I here? 2. Is it eternal? Christianity owns different denominations as such no universal belief system as for after life is prevalent in this religion. The discussion about afterlife begins with what is contained in the Book of Mathew which mentions about two worlds in the afterlife which are heaven and hell. There is no universally recognized belief amongst Christianity about the character of heaven and hell. Some believe heaven and hell have secular locations and others believe heaven and hell concern a persons affiliation with God. Apart from this confusion about the landscape, Christians believe in well-founded ideals that go in tandem to arrive at positive conclusions about the existence of afterlife. Heaven is the abode of people who have strong connections with God and they are full of positive qualities and it is engulfed with brilliant aura of Light, and the place of bliss. Hell is the place for people with negativities, they are not true to God and it is the place for perpetual suffering. Heaven and hell have direct linkage to afterlife. Those who accept Jesus Christ as their savior reach heaven after death and those who do not believe in him land in hell. To attain heaven after life is the ultimate reward for the Christians for which an individual has to lead a morally correct life. The opposite is true about the one being sent to hell. The sins of everyone will be laid open, which as Ligon Duncan in his book “Fear Not! Death and Afterlife from a Christian Perspective” argues "Is the one thing that scares believers about the Last Day." (p.70)Thus belief in afterlife provides strong motivation for the Christians to live noble lives. Duncan further writes “every Christian should study death and every minister worth his salt wants not only to prepare you for purpose in this life, but wants to prepare you for death, as well. The moment of a Christians death is his passageway into glory and so we must be prepared for that moment whenever it may come."(p. 21) Death is not the final frontier for a human being, according to Christianity. Russell D. Moore in his article “A Purpose-Driven Cosmos: Why Jesus Doesnt Promise Us an Afterlife” writes, “But Jesus doesnt promise an "afterlife." He promises us life—and that everlasting. Your eternity is no more about looking back to this span of time than your life now is about reflecting on kindergarten. The moment you burst through the mud above your grave, you will begin an exciting new mission—one you couldnt comprehend if someone told you”(2012). This standpoint raises even more questions as for afterlife. C. Purgatory 1. What is this place? Bible is silent on the issue of Purgatory. The canon or Purgatory is not a spiritual theory. In God’s Word the discussion is restricted to Heaven and Hell. Jesus never mentioned about the third place, the intervening location, where the man undertakes further purification. The redemptive work of Christ was accomplished on the cross and Christ declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30) 2. How do I get out of here? However, traditionally the belief on purgatory persists. Upon death, many souls get into a spiritual realm between heaven and hell where their sins are dealt with until they are ready to enter heaven. Sin is effectively treated to enable such souls to make an entry into heaven. The Catholic tradition also encourages one to do actions on behalf of the dead to help them improve their position in the purgatory and quicken the process of their journey to heaven. Purgatory is an extra-biblical teaching. II Jainism and the after-life:Karma1.What is it? 2. How does this determine what happens next? B. Reincarnation: Death and Afterlife.1.Cycle of Birth.2.How many lives? C. Bliss 1. Liberation of soul 2. Transcendence Afterlife in Jainism is very interconnecting and connects with everything. How one ends up depends on one’s karma. If an individual sheds bad karma then he is set on the journey of spiritual progress. Otherwise an individual might have to suffer the eight hells, which get colder as the soul travels through them and after severe torture that individual is reborn to own another chance to reach liberation. Liberation is moksha and that individual is ready for his place among gods. M. Tobias in his book “Life Force: The world of Jainism” writes “What distinguishes Jain theology and praxis from all other religions is its emphasis on the immediate repercussions of one’s behavior. The pain or pleasure of the world hangs in the balance of our thoughts and actions.”(p. 6-7).One who identifies himself with his soul regards bodily transmigration of his soul at death fearlessly, like changing one cloth for another. (The Immortal Soul: Jainism, Pujyapada, Samadhishataka 77)Everyone has the spark of the divinity within him. An opportunity to attain perfection and strength is possible for an individual. One has to achieve the inner growth with self-efforts. No one can make an individual spiritual. The teacher is the soul and there is no other teacher. The process of discovering the soul is possible only with individual initiative. Jains believe that they can accumulate and shed karma and this impacts their future lives (reincarnation). Jains support being free of materialism — not because it can be destructive in and of itself, but because it’ll allow you to more easily break free from the cycle of reincarnation. M. Tobias writes “We can self-destruct, or carry on. But we will not live on as a species if we fail to co-exist harmoniously with all other creatures sharing this island with us.”(p.8)Jains don’t believe in a god, per se, but they do believe in supernatural beings that have broken free of the reincarnation cycle to attain Nirvana. In fact, there are 24 beings that have done that. Your residual karma will decide the condition of your life next lifetime. Tobias writes “According to Jainism, animals will eventually be re-born as human animals, at which time they will have to choose: empathy, peace, compassion—ahimsa—or perpetual degrees of violence. Humanity is the launching site for this choice.” (p.11) “Its philosophy and practice rely mainly on self-effort in the progress of the soul on the spiritual ladder to divine consciousness. Any soul which has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state of Supreme Being is called jina. (Conqueror or Victor).”(Spiritual….) According to Jainism, “Every living being has a soul. Every soul is potentially divine, with innate qualities of infinite knowledge, perception, power, and bliss (masked by its karmas). Therefore, regard every living being as yourself, harming no one and be kind to all living beings. Every soul is born as a celestial, human, sub-human or hellish being according to its own karmas. Every soul is the architect of its own life, here or hereafter. When a soul is freed from karmas, it becomes free and attains divine consciousness, experiencing infinite knowledge, perception, power, and bliss.”(Spiritual…) A. Christianity after-life answered. Hank Hanegraaff in his book “After Life: What You Really Want to Know about Heaven and the Hereafter” writes, "All of us will spend eternity somewhere. It stands to reason, therefore, that we know precisely what that entails." (9) But the main issue is about the process of knowing for which he relies on the revelations of the Bible. Reincarnation, resurrection and spiritual growth are interrelated subjects. A Christian believes that when one dies he will be with Jesus till eternity. It is the celebration of reunion. R. Rhodes in his book “What happens after life?” articulates his arguments on the Bible, which is the perfect word of God. He describes the plan of salvation well and how it works in tandem with eternity. He writes ““The more your present life is informed by the glorious truths of Heaven, the more you will gain an eternal perspective that will help you navigate the difficult circumstances you might face in life.” B. Jainism after-life answered Afterlife in Jainism is very interconnecting and related to everything. You could end up in a variety of ways. It is dependent on your karma; if you have given up all bad karmas then you are set. It will also depend on your spiritual development and weather you have achieved moksa, or free from his cycle of rebirth, which is what happens if you don’t achieve it. You are born again and have another chance for liberation. This process may repeat again and again, depending upon one’s karma. Conclusion What happens after death is the challenging question that has confronted humankind since Ages, and no final answer is forthcoming even now. This is the topic on which relentless discussion have been made without arriving at the conclusive decision acceptable to all. Both Christianity and Jainism believe in some form of after-life, but conditions apply in case of both religions. In Christianity divergent opinions prevail about after-life. Works Cited Hanegraaff, Hank. After Life: What You Really Want to Know About Heaven and the Hereafter. Worthy Publishing; 2013) Rhodes, R (2014). What happens afterlife? Eugene, OR: Harvest House Tobias, M (1991). Life Force: The world of Jainism. New York Duncan, Ligon. Fear Not! Death and the Afterlife from a Christian Perspective. Christian Focus; 2008 Moore, Russell D.A Purpose-Driven Cosmos: Why Jesus Doesnt Promise Us an Afterlife Afterlife - Christianity Today: Web Retrieved from www.christianitytoday.com › The Magazine › Feb 27, 2012 (2004) Jainism. Retrieved from WWW.religionfacts.com/Jainism/inlex.htm Article: Spiritual India Trip. Web: Retrieved from: http://spiritualindiatrip.com/religion-philosophy/jainism/ Article: The Immortal Soul. Web: Retrieved from http://www.unification.net/ws/theme040.htm Read More