Contrasting Theories About Life After Death

The following sample essay on Contrasting Theories About Life After Death tells about the theory of life after death in terms of different religions.

Paintings of Heaven inform humans that it is beyond the clouds and is where a throne is sat on by Almighty God, assessing the Earth with his angels flying around. Heaven is often depicted as a place of love, amusement, exemption from discomfort and a chance to be reunited with loved ones. Some Christians have different beliefs about who will perpetually be with God.

Some believe that heaven is open just for followers of Christianity and simply been baptized into the faith of Christianity is an absolute assurance for one to enter the paradise ahead of them. However, all Christians have a strong belief that God will absolve their wrongdoings and think this will implement them to God’s existence.

Often being known as the differing resort comparable to the paradise of joy, Christians have a strong belief without no arguing that Hell is a state of mind without the reassurance of an omnibenevolent (all-loving) God.

In paintings, hell is rendered as a place of misery, torment, scorching combustion and undeniable dread. If non-Christians go to Hell due to the fact that Heaven was reserved for Christians, this would appear to be an atrocious act of cruelness and, as Christians strongly agree that God is inadequate to perform such a brutal act, may influence Christians to believe that if all those from different religions worship God and devote their lives to fixing their errors will be accepted into God’s absence of evil land for mankind.

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This is a great debate about whether an omnibenevolent God will sentence his establishment of humanity to eternal pain. If this is not the case, another interpretation of the dreadful Hell is the place into which by God’s judgement sinners who wish not to repent their sins pass either immediately after death – known as particular judgement – or in the general judgement.

Looking at Hinduism and their beliefs about life after death, it reveals to us a whole new theory of belief. Hindus believe in Heaven – Swarga Loka (meaning Good Kingdom) – and Hell – Naraka (meaning the place in which non-repenting sinners torment after death). Most Hindus believe that humans are in a cycle of death and reincarnation called Samsara. When a person dies, their soul (also known as Atman) is placed into a different body. Some believe rebirth immediately happens after death.

Some Hindus believe in karma – meaning intentional action. The movement of the Atman after death depends on how one has lived. A good karma in a person’s preceding life will mean a good life in the next. A bad karma in the preceding life will mean a hard life this time, full of excruciating pain. According to Hindus, there is no idea of being judged by Brahman, the Omnipotent (all-powerful) God, because how one has lived will decide whether your next life will be a step up or a step down. Some Hindus believe that committing a sinful act will mean that in their next life they will reenter the Earth in an animal form and then work its way up to becoming a human being again. Another belief a few Hindus believe is committing an act of utter kindness means the soul is given a rest before being reborn.

According to the teaching in the scriptures, the end of the continual cycle of birth and death is Moksha. Whereas some Hindu scriptures describe Moshka as the Atman becoming absorbed with Brahman – the place believed to be where all Atmans originate, other Hindu scriptures describe Moksha as living in the realm of a personal God. The Maitri Upanishad – an ancient Sanskrit text – states: Even as water becomes one with water, fire with fire, and air with air, so the Atman becomes one with the Infinite Atman – Brahman – and thus attains final freedom. Maitri Upanishad 6.24 Being something that every Hindu wishes to achieve, the Atman breaks out of the cycle of rebirth and joins with Brahman. This can only happen when the soul is pure and unaffected by anything happening back on Earth. After this stage, the cycle of life restarts.