Christianity: Life after Death The life after death is an area of human consciousness we enter upon leaving this earth at physical death. Throughout history people have questioned if there is a new never-ending life after death or not. Along the way, many religions of world and various philosophers offered opinions and beliefs to answer this frequently asked question. But, many of the answers conflict each other making it even hard to solve it. "Belief in life after death is a source of personal security, spiritual betterment and optimism" (1 John 3:2). Nothing offers more courage than the self-confidence that there is a superior life for those who use the present life on earth to prepare for eternity and after death life. While some people …show more content…
According to Christianity life after death is personal life but within this life after death there are differences in Christianity. “Christians can be assured that death is not something to be feared. Instead, at death we arrive home in heaven. To live means we exist in a foreign country. Death has lost its sting and now is a victory through the resurrection of Jesus our Lord.” (Zukeran, What Happens After Death?) Christians were said to live like everyone else. But there was one point in which it was particularly obvious that they were different from the others and that was in their concept of death and of life after death. Christianity and other religions like Islam agree that the death is not the end of life. In Christianity, this belief, in life after death is reason for the burial practices. All Christians believe that they will be rewarded for their good works in the form of heaven and all evil people will end up in the hell. So they have some motivation that they will be rewarded and they handle death as only the end of temporary …show more content…
"Christianity's views of the afterlife, immortality, and the soul reflect the influence of the cultures in which it originated and spread during its first centuries in the Mediterranean basin. For example, the idea of resurrection (both individual and eschatological) was introduced into Christianity from Apocalyptic Judaism (a notion ultimately derived from Zoroastrianism). The idea of resurrection developed in tandem with an apocalyptic vision of history that entails the end of the world as we know it and which will result in the defeat of death and evil.” (Williams, Christian Afterlife Beliefs) There are many conflicts among Christians in belief about what sequence and events happens after death. Various faiths group emphasize that their beliefs and views are correct and are totally based on correct interpretations of Bible passages. Some beliefs are: Many people face pain and severe punishment in Purgatory in order to purify them before they are allowed to enter to Heaven; others go directly to Hell or Heaven at
The Christian view does not only change one’s focus, but it also changes how we perceive life in general. Facing death means that we are able to face the ultimate question of the meaning of life.
Differing Functions in Popular Culture It only makes sense that there are countless novels and films focused on the afterlife when we consider the human race 's collective interest in what happens after death. Several popular movies have presented different versions of the afterlife, each with their own purpose. Beetlejuice (1988) tells the story of two individuals who pass away in their home, and must navigate their new existence in the afterlife by reading a book entitled Handbook for the Recently Deceased. In this movie, the two deceased individuals seem to be in an intermediate realm between Earth and the Netherworld (similar to Hell); they are in regular contact with a girl living in their previous home, but they also visit the Netherworld
Christians answer the question of what happens to us when this life is over by their beliefs in heaven and hell. If a true believer has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior and led their life by the Bible and the laws of God, they will go to heaven once their earthly body dies. If a person leads a life of sin and never seeks redemption, living their life against God and His kingdom, they will burn in the fire and brimstone of hell.
Even for Christians, death is difficult to dealt with. Separating from those we love is never easy. For Christians, this separation is just temporary. The bible tells us that death is not the end. Death is described a been asleep many times in the bible. Therefore, Christians are very hopeful that life will continue after death.
“You will be with me today in paradise,” Jesus Christ told this to the thief on the cross while they were dying. However, can people believe that there is truly life after death? In many different religions there are different perceptions of life after death. For example in the Buddhist religion, the Buddhist people believe that life is practice for death. Professor Brown, of California State University of Northridge stated, “The Buddhist people cultivate positive, happy virtuous states of mind and abandoning non-virtuous, harmful, suffering states of mind.” This teaching is mirrored by Christianity teachings as well. Professor Brown also stated, “Death is an opportunity for great spiritual achievement if one is prepared and remembers one’s spiritual practices and beliefs and understandings during the death process.”
There is much belief that when humans die their lives are not yet over. They will live on as something else or they will live as their spirit/ soul. How is it though, that people would be able to live on in an afterlife because once you’re dead you cease to exist? There are three common explanations to how there is an afterlife. The first, near death experiences take place when someone is close to death and can either feel the soul separate from the body, or are able to see what is known as the “white light”. The second, reincarnation which occurs when someone passes on and has a second chance at life as either someone different or a whole new organism is general. The third, resurrection, the way Jesus rose from the dead, happens when someone confirmed dead return to life. Each one of these theories for life after death has a series of truths behind them, however, which one is considered the most reasonable truth? This paper will analyze each theory and conclude with the best answer possible why people should believe in the afterlife.
Christians, for example, believe that souls that have lived by the words of their God will exist eternally in heaven as divine beings themselves. This conception of an afterlife is generally what we people who are residents of the Unitied States hold to be true. For American culture has its roots in Europe and European culture was and is still influenced by Christian faiths. Similar to Christianity, the Hinduism also eases the fear of death by presenting a life after death. Disimilarities present themselves in the two faiths concerning exactly what kind of afterlife is lived. Believers of the Hindu faith expect to be reincarnated after their demise, either as an animal or human being depending on the manner in which their lives were carried out.
What is Christianity? Christianity started in the mid- 1st century. The religion is based on Jesus Christ. Jesus was in many stories of the Bible. One of them is that Jesus was the Son of God and was placed by God, onto this earth as a man. He was sent by God to die for our sins, so we can be free, forgiven, and have eternal life. Once Jesus died for our sins He was resurrected three days later, and then ascended to heaven ("Christianity"). "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification" (New International Version, Romans 4:25). There are tons of people around the world that ask: What happens when we die? According to Christianity, si...
Christian sects may see death and what follows a little differently however; the “majority” agree that proof of heaven, as a real place, can be found in the bible. The bible teaches that another life awaits Christians, when their time here on earth comes to an end. During the next life, they will dwell in the “presence of God” and other followers of Jesus. In the next life they will be liberated from sin and thereby released from their agony. (ReligionFacts.com). “Heaven is not a figment of divine imagination, some mystical floating, the ethereal, never-never land” (Stowell, (1995) p.87).
What happens to the dead? Where do they go? Do you really believe they leave the Earth? I believe the dead remain on the Earth to go around and peacefully, or horrendously, wander aimlessly. Since I believe the dead don’t just leave the Earth when they die, I should explain myself. The dead are not really dead when they leave their bodies, their spirits are here. The spirits know they are spirits and they go about their everyday lives. They can go between worlds or be in one or the other. I have no reason to believe anything else because it’s my opinion. I have not very much found or read anything else that appeals to how I want to believe. I have not believed any other method of where the dead go, I just think their spirits stay.
Lastly, there’s the question of our destiny; is there life after death and what will happen to me when I die? I know that sometimes we all think about what happens after we go to be home with our Lord and Savior but as for me, I know that I will never truly die that that I will live on forever with my Father in Heaven. So the answer to this question is yes I believe there is life after death because if you believe in God you are forever his child and you will live an everlasting life. Please refer to 2 Timothy 1:10 and 2 Corinthians
One way in which death can be viewed comes across the Catholic religion. The Catholic believers look life after death in a prospective of three different worlds, such as Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise according to the deeds committed during life. If a person during his or her lifetime committed any sins, this person’s next world will be the Hell. The traditional view in which people refer to hell can be found in the book written by Dante Alighieri, “La Divina Commedia”. The book states that the formation of Hell was given by the crash of Lucifer (the angel that wanted to be better than God) from the sky onto the earth. Crashing on the Earth in Jerusalem, his head formed an upside down cone inside the Earth. This is where is located the Hell. In the Hell, people pay for their sins with different penitences (12-13). For instance, a person that committed homicide will freeze in a lake frozen by the breath of Satan (XXXIV canto). If a person during his or her life commits any sins but asks for forgiveness, then he or she will go to the Purgatory. The purgatory is represented by an island with a mountain (23). One source states that “Purgatory is very similar to Hell; the main difference is that one will eventually be released from torture. The souls that go in the Purgatory are tortured with fire. These souls remain in purgatory until they become sufficiently purified to enter heaven”(2). For example, if a soul in the purgatory asks for forgiveness and pays the punition with some tests, the soul will be released and moved immediately to Heaven (2).
Death is a mystery to the living. It is an inevitable truth, but it is viewed differently depending on your location and religious beliefs. The answer to what happens after we die is one that has been debated since the beginning of time. This debate has brought to attention how this perception of death, especially in religions, has influenced cultures worldwide. However, to focus on all the religions and their perspectives in the world is absurd. The world’s largest religion is currently Christianity, with an estimated 2.2 billion followers. The world’s oldest religion is Hinduism, which dates back to approximately 5500 BCE. This sparks a question between the oldest religion and the largest - How does the perception of death in Christianity
The resurrection put away the pains of death. “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him”(Acts 2:24). Here on earth people experience death but because of the resurrection death no longer has a hole on those who believe in Jesus. As Christians we have the reassurance of life after death this is all made possible by Jesus death burial and
Upon death, Christians believe that the soul leaves the body and ascends to heaven. The body is believed to return to dust and ashes as referenced in several places in the Bible. When Christians die, they believe that their souls will be reunited with their loved ones in heaven. At the end of all time, Christians believe that the souls of the dead will be reunited with the earthly body.