The Afterlife: How It Is Viewed by Different Religions (Essay Sample)

Despite differences in beliefs, the major ancient, Abrahamic, and Asian religions all agree on the immortality of humans and their emanation from a divinity to which they may return after death. Regardless of the lack of scientific evidence supporting life after death, all religious beliefs teach that one's current actions, good or bad, determine one's eventuality – heaven or hell for Abrahamic religions or one's reincarnated form for Asian religions. Teachings on life after death in Abrahamic religions are based on their holy scriptures, whereas Buddhism is based on Buddha's teachings, which are allegedly based on his recollections of previous lives after he attained enlightenment. Life after death is a complex concept in various religious and non-religious realms that entails the human soul attaining a final state or arriving at an eternal paradise in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, as well as reincarnation or reuniting with the Brahman in Buddhism and Hinduism, respectively.

Christianity, the world's most popular religion, teaches life after death through the concepts of heaven and hell. According to Christianity, after the physical body dies, the soul lives on, waiting to be judged on the Day of Judgment. Unlike protestants, Catholics believe that souls go to a place called Purgatory while they await judgment (Ellens 219). Unlike Protestants, who believe that a soul's fate cannot be changed, Catholics believe that souls in Purgatory can atone for their sins and eventually gain admission to paradise or heaven. Regardless of their paths to eternal life, all Christian sects believe in the afterlife and the soul as a person's essence (Ellens 217; Brown 20). The body serves as a physical container for the soul. Significantly, teachings on the afterlife emphasize the importance of living a Christ-like righteous and religious life. Such a life provides solace for intercessors and dogmatic believers while forewarning non-believers and doubters of Biblical teachings of the everlasting torment that awaits them. The concept of heaven and hell, it is implied, is intended to scare followers into adhering to Biblical teachings.