Life after Death, Reincarnation, Resurrection and Immortality of the Soul

1730 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The concept of life after death for Christianity religion

Life after Death, Reincarnation, Resurrection and Immortality of the Soul

Belief in life after death has taken many forms, some which are unique

in particular religious belief systems, though; others can be found in

more than one religion. 'For most religions, life after death is an

article of faith. In Western religions, the belief is founded in

scriptural evidence, but for all religions the belief in life after

death is the same: life after death has been promised to humans by an

all powerful'[1]

There are many views of life after death in particular which have been

much adhered to and much discussed by philosophers. This essay will

attempt to put forward some of the key ideas and arguments for and

against life after death.

One view of life after death does have a venerable philosophical

history. It can be found in Plato's Phaedo. Here we are presented with

the figure of Socrates who is about to drink poison because he has

been condemned to death. His friends are grief stricken but Socrates

assures them that he is perfectly able to survive death. His friends

ask Socrates how he wants to buried and he responds to them by saying

"however you wish, provided you catch me, that is, and I don't get

away from you". Socrates is distinguishing himself and his body, which

is soon to be lifeless. He is clearly thinking of his real self as

something distinct from his body. So according to this argument we

shall survive as a disembodied self. Many Muslims believe in a

disembodied survival of death during which the soul is questioned and

sentenced to either torment or ease until the day comes when the soul

and earthly body is reunited[2...

... middle of paper ...

... fear of non-existing is the prime reason for the fear of death.

To conclude, ultimately the only way life after death is verifiable is

via eschatological verification. All of the views supporting the idea

of there being a life after death are not coherent because they namely

lack empirical evidence.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Philosophy of religion life after death by Jonathan Webber

[2] Philosophy of religion life after death by Jonathan Webber

[3] Topic 5 Human Destiny by Sarah Tyler

[4] Philosophy of Religion by Stephen T Davis page 701

[5] Philosophy of Religion by Stephen T Davis page 703

[6] Jeff Astley- thinking about life after death

[7] Jeff Astley- thinking about life after death

[8] Philosophy of Religion by Stephen T Davis page 705

Show More
Related

  • Discussion of D.Z. Phillips Conception of Immortality

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    Phillips gives an alternative account of immortality based, not on any realm of existence beyond this life, but on certain moral and religious modes of living within this life. Unlike some of writers, e.g. R. Swinburn, D Z Phillips does not support the notion that belief in continuous personal existence is logically defendable. Indeed, he provides an extremely robust argument to the contrary, claiming that such claims are open to fatal logical objections. After briefly contradicting any notions of survival of a non-material body (the possibility of some form of bodily resurrection in this world or the next), Phillips goes on to attack the more comm... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Apology, Crito And Phaedo

    2032 Words  | 5 Pages

    Human beings are comprised of two separate entities, a body and a soul. The soul is immortal and cycles in nature and lives an infinite number of bodies. This paper will explore the immortality of the soul as discussed by Socrates in The Apology, Crito and Phaedo and significance of being a philosopher.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Two Accounts of Life After Death

    593 Words  | 2 Pages

    A Comparison of Two Accounts of Life After Death Materialism is the view that the body and mind are inseparable, and for there to be life after death then the body must be resurrected. This is much like the Christian view of life after death. John Hick was a materialist and he argued that, in certain circumstances, it would be possible that the dead could exist as themselves after death, if an exact replica were to appear. Hick uses thought experiments to show the person who dies in this world is the same person who is resurrected in the next. He uses examples of using a character named John Smith.

    Read More

  • A Tibetan Perspective on Birth and Death

    1436 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many religions and philosophies attempt to answer the question, what happens after a person dies? Some religions such as Christianity and Islam believe there is an afterlife. They believe that good and moral people enter Heaven or paradise and that bad and immoral people go to Hell. Other religions and cultures believe that death is final, and that nothing happens after a person dies. Buddhism and Hinduism have a different idea about death. Both of these religions originated in India. Buddhists and Hindus believe that death is not final. They believe that a person comes back after he or she dies. This process is known as reincarnation, and it provides opportunities for people to enter the world multiple times in different forms. Buddhists and Hindus want to reenter the world as humans, and they want to improve their status through reincarnation. In ancient India, many members of lower casts wanted to come back as members of higher casts. While this is an important goal of reincarnation, the main goal is to reach either moksha (Hinduism) or nirvana (Buddhism). In other words, the goal is to reach a point of spiritual enlightenment that removes the person from the reincarnation process. Geoff Childs, an anthropologist examines the views of the Buddhist religion by studying the lives of the people in Tibetan villages. He looks at issues that adversely affect these people such as infant mortality. He carefully looks at the lives of people who have been left behind by deceased loved ones, and he pays careful attention to customs and traditions surrounding death. Tibetan Buddhists view death as a means of reaching spiritual perfection, and they seek to reach this level of spiritual perfection through living spiritually meaningful lives....

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Soul Survives And Functions After Death

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    What if I told you that you’d be able to relive the fondest moments of your life as many times as you want in a dream world reality, would you believe me? This may seem far-fetched for some people, but if you take the time to read "The Soul Survives and Functions After Death” by H.H. Price, you’ll start to question your own beliefs about your soul and where it goes once death strikes. Price questions the nature of souls once the inevitable happens and states that the soul goes to another world, a Next World. The idea of the dream world I previously mentioned will make you question your very own beliefs about where your soul will go once life’s inevitable happens to you. So, is Price’s afterlife theory of the Next World really something to

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Five Eastern Religions

    1439 Words  | 3 Pages

    The five Eastern religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto have some similarities when it comes to the their beliefs on death. Hinduism and Buddhism both believe in karma and reincarnation, while Daoism and Shintoism revolve their beliefs around nature. Confucianism chooses not to focus on things we do not know, so their beliefs on death are limited. In deciphering the different beliefs on death associated with each religion, it is important to understand the different belief systems and their origins. While some religions merged the views of the other religions, some came from the views of an originating founder. Each religion has their own view on life after death and whether or not their followers should be concerned

    Read More

  • The Recollection Theory Of Death

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    Considering the arguments from Plato’s Phaedo argue: “Death is not the end and we ought not fear it.” Souls are immortal and continue to live after the body has died. The theories of recollection and opposites are sensible and Socrates can justify them.

    Read More

  • The Great Ambiguity of the Afterlife

    1876 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the greatest and oldest human mysteries on Earth is death, and the fate that lies beyond it. The curious minds of human beings constantly wonder about the events that occur after death. No person truly knows what happens after a person ceases to live in the world, except for the people themselves who have passed away. As a result, over the course of history, people of various backgrounds, ethnicities, and religions have speculated and believed in numerous different possibilities for the destiny that awaits them beyond the world of the living. The great ambiguity of the afterlife is extremely ancient that many different beliefs about it have been dated back to several centuries ago. These beliefs go as far back to the beliefs of Ancient Egyptians, which outline the journey that the dead travels to the land of Osiris; and the belief of Ancient Greeks that all souls eventually find themselves in Hades’ realm, the Underworld. Throughout history, views and beliefs from emerging religions continue to develop as the human conscience persists in finding answers to this ancient, unresolved mystery. Prime examples of the various and separate beliefs regarding death and the afterlife are found in the diverse faiths of Roman Catholicism, Islam, and Buddhism.

    Read More

  • Bhagavad Gita Argumentative Essay

    1322 Words  | 3 Pages

    “As a man abandons worn-out clothes and acquires new ones, so when the body is worn out a new one is acquired by the Self, who lives within” -Bhagavad Gita. For centuries, humans have been perplexed with the concept of death and an afterlife. Death is inevitable to all creatures. Once we are deceased, does our soul become confined underground, or does it transcend to a divine world? In order to reach salvation and the afterlife, there are steps that we need to take.

    Read More

  • The Resurrection of the Dead

    1169 Words  | 3 Pages

    As with most other Pauline attributed documents, 1 Corinthians is believed to be a single document that addresses salient topics and rationalizes Paul’s view of faithfulness to Christ with Corinth citizens. The newly founded church of Corinth was in correspondence with Paul requesting his answers to questions they posed on topics ranging from marriage to the resurrection of the dead; the latter being one of the most highlighted in 1 Corinthians. Paul’s assurance of resurrection illustrates a concern for Corinth as he admonishes their disbelief in resurrection of the dead with a series of explanations as to why such doubt would render the faith of Christ “in vain”. Given the context of the time, Paul’s correspondence with Corinth clearly had an original intent of educating and admonishing Corinth on their views on resurrection. However, modern Christianity in its many forms has established an interpretation that slightly strays from its original inscription. Regardless, Paul’s letters not only shaped the ideals of Corinthians believers but influenced the Christian ideals of post mortem resurrection or eternal life as well.

    Read More

  • Cultural Analysis On Death And The Afterlife

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    The concept of human mortality and how it is dealt with is dependent upon one’s society or culture. For it is the society that has great impact on the individual’s beliefs. Hence, it is also possible for other cultures to influence the people of a different culture on such comprehensions. The primary and traditional way men and women have made dying a less depressing and disturbing idea is though religion. Various religions offer the comforting conception of death as a begining for another life or perhaps a continuation for the former.

    Read More

  • Death In Plato's Life And The Definition Of Death

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    Given what Socrates states in the Phaedo through his arguments about the afterlife and the definition of death, I argue, that he would he say, that we are alive when we are no longer in our body. This paper will argue that an individual is not only alive after death, but that we are most alive when we are not in the body, through an outline of premises picked from the book Phaedo, in The Last Days of Socrates by Plato.

    Read More

  • Life after Death

    2091 Words  | 5 Pages

    Life after death is a topic of controversy in which Bertrand Russell and John Hick discuss the idea of whether it is possible to have life after death. Russell addresses his argument against the idea through his brief essay titled “The Illusion of Immortality” (1957). In addition, Hick also discusses the topic through his work “In Defense of Life after Death” (1983) of why life after death is a plausible idea. In this paper, I will be discussing Russell’s argument against the belief of life after death. As well, I will also be addressing the opposing view by explaining Hick’s argument in defense of life after death.

    Read More

  • Resurrection From The Dead

    948 Words  | 2 Pages

    You say, there is no way Christ resurrected from the dead, but I wanted to type this letter to show you differently. Christ’s resurrection was one of the most extraordinary moments in all of history. He was able to perform a miracle no one could or can ever do. That moment in history saved a sinners life, like mine and yours. I am here to argue and prove that Christ did rise from the dead on the third day. If Christ "be not risen, our faith is vain 1 Cor. 15:14 (Bible Dictionary).

    Read More

  • Life After Death

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    What is going to happen to us when we will die? Some people never considered what it could happen to them after life. For many people, death is a redoubtable event because they do not know what to expect after their death. However, other persons, such as religious people are conscious of what to expect after their death because of their beliefs. Each religion has different ideas and different ways of looking life. Death, therefore, is viewed by different religions in many ways. Although, different religions have a distinct conception of death, they all have something in common: they all give hope to people. Among all different religions in the world, four of the most common ones - Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, and Hindu- view death in different ways.

    Read More

More about Life after Death, Reincarnation, Resurrection and Immortality of the Soul

Open Document