Ideas of Death and Afterlife in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - Essay Example

Ideas about Death and the Afterlife in Judaism, Christianity and Islam of Learning Ideas about Death and the Afterlife in Judaism, Christianity and Islam Ideas about death and the afterlife play an important role in various religions including the world ones: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The concept of death is considered as a phenomenon that should not cause fear in people because any person has the opportunity to live after his/her death. The essence of man is not determined by his/her physical nature since the spiritual component of man (i.e., the soul) is much more important than his/her body. In turn, the afterlife is seen as something that has a direct relationship with the earthly life of a person. Regardless of their features, various religions admit the interdependence between the afterlife and the earthly life. The acts committed by a person during his/her earthly life affect his/her existence within the afterlife. Afterlife is regarded as a continuation of life on earth and its quality depends on the characteristics of human behavior within the framework of earthly life. In turn, the differences between the three religions are determined by the historical development of their theological ideas, making their concepts of the afterlife specific. These differences are manifested primarily in understanding the meaning of life after death and its connection with the earthly life. In particular, death is particularly important in Christianity because it is seen as the way to eternal life. Knowing about human mortality man has the ability to purify his/her soul and receive eternal life. Analyzing the doctrine of the afterlife in Judaism, one should understand that in modern Judaism, the concept of the afterlife is not so important in comparison with similar concepts in Christianity and Islam. In fact, “in modern times Judaism focuses more in the present world, where the relationship with God exists based on the commitment to humanity” (Houben, n.d.). Perhaps this has led to the fact that the various streams of Judaism provide rather conflicting interpretations of the afterlife. As a result, the task of obtaining a common Jewish concept of the afterlife is rather difficult (Houben, n.d.). Nevertheless, one can identify the main three versions of the doctrine of the afterlife, which followed one after another (Leff & Raphael, n.d.). The first version existed before the creation of the first books of the Talmud. At that time, the Jews believed that after the death, the souls of all people - both the righteous and the sinners – go into the same country, which they called the “Sheol.” Sheol is a place where there is no bliss or torment. Being in Sheol, the souls of all the dead people were expecting the arrival of the Messiah and the decision of their fate. After the arrival of the Messiah, the righteous expected a reward in the form of a happy life in a renewed earth. The second variant of the doctrine of the afterlife existed from the time of the Talmud until the second half of the twentieth century. According to this version, the souls should wait for the Messiah to receive a reward since after parting with the body the souls of the righteous immediately enter the heavenly paradise called “Gan Eden.” In turn, the sinners were sent to hell, a place of torment. Hell was referred to either as “Sheol” or “Gehanna.” The third version is presented by contemporary theologians. Compared to the second version, the third one has a certain change in the understanding of the afterlife. According to some scholars, heavenly reward can be obtained not only by the Jews, but also by the people of other nationalities and with different worldview. Moreover, the Jews should make greater efforts to obtain it than non-Jews. People of other nationalities should only lead a moral life, and as a result, they will deserve a life in paradise. The Jews must not only behave morally, but also comply with all purely religious requirements provided for the faithful Jews. In turn, Christianity does not accept death as an end, rather, death is seen as the beginning of a new life, while life on earth serves as a preparation for it (Houben, n.d.). One should not be afraid of death because the person is able to live after death. Man was created by God for eternity; in heaven, he ate from the “tree of life” and was immortal. Nevertheless, after the fall, the way to the tree of life was blocked and the man became mortal and corruptible. What happens to the soul after death? According to Christian tradition, based on the words of Christ, angels take the souls of the righteous to limbo, where they remain until the Last Judgment, waiting for eternal bliss. The souls of sinners fall into the hands of demons and suffer in agony. The final separation of the saved and the condemned will happen at the Last Judgment, when God will raise all people and they will be divided into the righteous who will have access to eternal bliss, and sinners who become eternal martyrs. Sinners who were not merciful will be condemned and rejected by God, unlike the righteous who will be justified. Thus, Christianity emphasizes that human life on earth must be considered in its connection with the life after death. If a person is living a sinful life forgetting about God after his/her death, he/she will suffer from eternal torment in the afterlife. In turn, the righteous will have access to the eternal and blessed life. A similar understanding of earthly life and death can be found in Islam. Similar to other world religions, Islam preaches faith in the afterlife. A true Muslim must always remember about the afterlife, making his/her life and actions meaningful. What is human life? The human life is a brief moment during which people cannot receive a fair reward or punishment for their actions committed throughout their life. Quran notes the need for equitable reward for both bad and good people, since life on earth is a preparation for the afterlife. In an hour, which is determined by Allah, the person dies. Anyone who led a righteous life, dies quickly and quietly, while sinners are leaving this world in agony. Islam teaches that one should not be afraid of death. Those who believe in Allah and do righteous deeds should be afraid of death since they will certainly gain eternal life. In Islam, there is a concept of sepulchral punishment, a small trial of the dead, which is performed immediately after death (Lapidus, n.d.). In this respect, the grave is similar to the Christian purgatory, where it is determined whether the deceased deserves punishment or reward. If it is a reward, the grave becomes the prelude to the Garden of Eden, if the penalty - the limbo. If the deceased believed in Allah, but has some sins for which he was not punished in this life, he shall be punished in the grave. Then the soul is allowed enter heaven. In the grave, the deceased is being questioned by two angels - Munkar and Nikar. They allow the righteous to enjoy peace until the Day of Resurrection, while they torture sinners and atheists. Finally, on the day when the whole universe will collapse all the dead will appear before Allah for judgment. The Court of Allah is the highest and fair court, during which Allah will punish the wicked and give eternal bliss to the righteous. After the Court, the righteous will find eternal bliss in paradise. As one can see, in comparison with Christianity, Islam demonstrates no less serious attitude to the earthly life and death. Islam believes that everyone should be aware that his/her earthly life has meaning in the sense that it defines person’s existence after death. To sum up, all three religions believe in the existence of the afterlife. Afterlife suggests that sinners and the righteous will receive retribution for their sins and good deeds. Each of the three religions believes that the physical death of a person is a way to go into another world, which can give either eternal bliss or eternal damnation. All these religions speak of the existence of two dimensions (heaven and hell) that are provided for the righteous and sinners, respectively. In addition, they recognize the Day of Judgment, which will give the righteous blissful life while the wicked will gain eternal torment. The main difference between the religions can be seen in the sense that they see in the afterlife. Unlike Christianity and Islam, Judaism does not focuses much attention on the afterlife despite the fact that it has certain ideas about it. Afterlife is particularly important in Christianity and Islam as an opportunity to reconnect with God and as a way to achieve eternal bliss. In this regard, the earthly life is also important in these religious as it is the criterion of a righteous man. Christianity and Islam emphasize the special importance of maintaining a clean conscience within earthly life. Death must be viewed as a gateway to another world where a person has the opportunity to gain eternal heavenly life. For this reason, one should not be afraid of death. References Houben, L. M. (n.d.). Understanding the afterlife under a Christian perspective. Retrieved from Lapidus, I. M. (n.d.). The meaning of the death in Islam. New York University. Retrieved from Raphael, S. P., & Leff, B. (n.d.). Jewish views of the afterlife. The Neshamah Center. Retrieved from Read More