Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Christian beliefs on life after death
Religion without sacrifice
Christian beliefs on life after death
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Christian beliefs on life after death
The spirit within one is eternal, indestructible, and never changes. Because death is inevitable to all creatures, humans have been perplexed with the concept of death and an afterlife for centuries. Once we are deceased, does our soul become confined underground, or does it transcend to a divine world? According to different religious texts, there are different steps one must take in order to reach salvation and the afterlife. Although Genesis text and the Bhagavad Gita originate from two different religions that do not directly address an afterlife, they both speak of the soul and higher entities, which imply a final resting place for the soul that can be achieved through sacrifice, prayer, and devotion; this in return provides …show more content…
Prayer is simply a conversation with God and it shows obedience. Jesus constantly prayed during his lifetime, and through prayer one connects to the Supreme Entity. The Jewish people have a prayer named the Shema Israel. One of my favorite lines from the prayer is “Love your neighbor like you love yourself and you will have eternal life”. According to God, this commandment should be put above everything else. Christians also believe in the idea of loving your neighbor if one wants to reach God’s kingdom. God is reminding us that we are all God’s children. According to Christian Doctrines, one must forgive others, help those in need and love our enemies because they are a mere reflection of ourselves. In order to experience the true love of God, one must see God in another individual. Similarly, Hindus believe that the self is identical to the self of the others. God is reminding us that we are all God’s children. Christians and Hindus have a duty to be willing to forgive others, help those in need and love our enemies because they are a mere reflection of ourselves. In order to experience the true love of God, one must see God in another individual. In the Bhagavad Gītā, Krishna explains that prayer is conducted through karma, jñāna, bhakti, and rāja yoga. (Jnaneshvara, 1). Karma has to be worked off. In order to reach heaven, one must show devotion to the Supreme Being through meditation and
Muslims and Christians have distinct prayers that correspond. Both prayers are sacred to the religions and follow the same pattern. This pattern is adoration, submission, and supplication. The Lord’s Prayer, prayed by Christians, starts by saying, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." Similarly, the Fatehan, prayed by Muslims, begins with, "Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds, the compassionate, the merciful. King of the Day of Reckoning." Both sections of the prayers show adoration for the Lord and acknowledge His greatness. The following passage from the Lord’s Prayer is, "Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven." This shows surrender or submission to the Lord, saying that whatever he pleases will be done. "Thee only do we worship and of Thee only do we ask aid," the subsequent line from the Fatehan is somewhat parallel to that of the Lord’s Prayer. The final section of both prayers is a list of requests to the Lord to carry out through the day, known as supplication. When breaking each prayer into sections, one can recognize that the only difference is the vernacular in which it is written.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is regarded as the oldest written text discovered by mankind. Written copies of the work are dated during the early Mesopotamian empire. The story concerns the king, Gilgamesh, and his search for immortality. Throughout the piece, gods and divinity are highlighted and by virtue of this, many historians emphasis that the text has religious significance. Approximately a millenium later, Judaism is founded and Moses writes the beginnings of their religious scripture, Genesis and Exodus, the first two parts of the Bible. Though set in different times, by different authors, for different beliefs and cultures, there are many evident parallels between The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible. The Bible borrowed many stories from The Epic of Gilgamesh to explain the events of the time before its writing.
After viewing the “Bible Stories for Kids! Story of Creation” episode, there were several key differences to be found between this children’s show and the actual Genesis story from the Bible. Despite these differences, the episode did display a few similarities from the original Genesis story as well. Based off of the articles by Trible and Hassan, one may critique the characterization of this episode’s versions of Adam and Eve. Trible and Hassan most definitely have views of Adam and Even that differ from those portrayed in this show. While this may just be a representation of Genesis meant for children, it is still important to point out the differences it has from the original creation story.
The idea of the soul varies widely in religious tradition. While these variations exist, its basic definition is unvarying. The soul can be described as the ultimate internal principle by which we think, feel, and will, and by which our bodies are animated. The soul is seen as the core principle of life or as the essence of a being 1. Views on the permanence of the soul vary throughout religious tradition as well. While some view it as a mortal entity in flux others believe the soul is an immortal and permanent unit. These interpretations vary from time period to time period and between religions. These characteristics of the soul are interpreted differently through an Eastern or Western perspective. In general, Eastern and Western Religions, with the exception of Buddhism, consider the soul to be a permanent entity, which is either reborn or sentenced to a permanent heaven or hell.
Where Genesis I describes a more ordered creation - the manifestation of a more primitive cultural influence than was responsible for the multi-layered creation in Genesis II - the second creation story focuses less on an etiological justification for the physical world and examines the ramifications of humankind's existence and relationship with God. Instead of Genesis I's simple and repetitive refrains of "and God saw that it was good" (Gen 1:12, 18, 21, 25), Genesis II features a more stylistically advanced look at "the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens" (Gen 2:4). While both stories represent different versions of the same Biblical event, Genesis II is significantly more complex than its predecessor and serves both to quantify the relationship between God and his creations and lay the foundation for the evolving story of humankind as well.
In the Bible, there are several references that help me to better understand this thought—in fact the word ‘soul’ is used nearly 800 times in the Bible. In Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 it says “For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; Nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun.” This verse means that the soul and body die together. In Genesis 2:7, God breathes life into Adam and he becomes a living soul, meaning that before, he was not a living soul. On the other hand, I did find a verse that could mean the soul is separated from the body at death: “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7. I also found a verse that means the soul does not die unless God destroys it: "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew
The Epic of Gilgamesh has many similarities to the Bible, especially in Genesis and it’s not just that the both begin with the letter “g”’! One major similarity being the flood story that is told in both works. The two stories are very similar but also very different. Another being the use of serpents in both works and how they represent the same thing. A third similarity being the power of God or gods and the influence they have on the people of the stories. Within these similarities there are also differences that need to be pointed out as well.
Prayer is also a way of talking to God on behalf of others that in a way are unable to speak with due to emotional things or due to being upset where they need their heart softened maybe. Prayer is used as way of talking to God in asking for forgiveness, praising Him, getting close to Him, asking for help and guidance, healing, and some others. There no thing as praying too much, but one needs to pray fervently whether it be someone who is lost, needs a miracle, healing, and maybe guidance. It needs to be genuine in the communication with Him.
As previously written, God creates Adam and Eve and puts them into a Garden of Eden to live for eternity as immortals as long as the obey God. Adam and Eve eat the fruit from the forbidden tree and as a consequence God expels them from the Garden of Eden. Their disobedience to God becomes known as "The Fall of Man, Failure of Man or the Original Sin." After their expulsion from the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve begin a family together eventually having three sons named Cain, Abel and Seth followed by two daughters and two more sons who are not named in the bible. Adam lives to be 930 years of age, but there is no biblical reference as to Eve's age when she dies.
Most religions believe in an afterlife. If the deceased person wisely led a kind, generous and loving life, the soul or energy of the person will be rewarded with everlasting life in paradise. There is the Christian Heaven and the Buddhist and Hindu Nirvana. These two forms of spiritual places are very different, yet similar. They both share the same idea and purpose: a beautiful, peaceful place after death.
After death, where does our souls transport to? In Ancient Egypt, many believe that death wasn’t the final stage; Egyptians believe that their souls are sent to the afterlife, where they suspected a new life awaits for them in the afterlife. The reader will be able to understand the purpose for mummification, it’s beliefs and the events that lead to this particular burial method.
As of now, we don’t know what happens after death scientifically. Using God on our side, we say that personal eradication, or transformation to a higher state, or reincarnation, or departure to a shadowy existence on "the other side1” must happen to a person at death.
To those with the desire of being in a closer union with God trough prayer, God give the gift of prayer. Prayer truly is a gift from God, and not simply a fruit of our own power. Trough prayer we unite ourselves closer to God, presenting ourselves in all the needs that we may have or thanking God for his graces to us. The Catechism also mentions on its section on prayer that prayer may be expressed in words or gestures, and that according with the scriptures everything comes and is an expression of the heart. The Church is an example of what prayer is in the way we are encourage to live, act and testified our faith from the feelings of our heart, life and actions.
Judaism also firmly believes in this concept; however, because Judaism mainly focuses on how one lives their life here and now rather than in the afterlife, the Jewish religion has very little dogma regarding the afterlife. This fact that there is very little dogma relating to the afterlife leaves a great deal of room for personal opinions. The spiritual afterlife is referred to in the Hebrew Bible as Olam Ha-Ba, the world to come. There are two main beliefs that the Jews hold: the first one is that they believe that the souls of righteous people go to a similar place as the Christians heaven OR the second belief is that they simply wait until the coming of the messiah and then they will be resurrected. Regarding the unrighteous dead, Jews believe that their souls are tormented by demons of their own creation or that their souls simply cease to exist. Christians also believe that human existence does not end at physical death. In Christianity after the body ceases to exist, the soul is judged and the righteous and free of sin enter into the kingdom of heaven; however, those who die while still having mortal sin on their hearts are damned to hell. Certain Christian groups believe in a place called Purgatory where an individual undergoes a purification process before they can enter into the paradise of heaven. The core of the Christian faith is the belief in the resurrection of Jesus and the promise of everlasting life to all who accept his
Through prayer we converse with our Lord and through prayer we can express our love of Him and intercede for our neighbor.