The Afterlife

The two basic beliefs of afterlife are:

• Soul of the dead person enters a new eternal state of happiness with God or punishment

• Soul of the dead person is reborn or reincarnated to come back to another earthly existence

Why people believe in afterlife:

• Life seems unfair. Those who are good die young whereas some who are bad prosper. There is no point in life if both those who live a good life and those who live a bad life ended their life and there was nothing more

• People seem to be aware of a deeper aspect of life

• Dreams, visions etc. show that there is more to an individual then flesh

• When a person dies, the body remains but there is clearly something missing from it. The soul must go somewhere

In favour of afterlife:

• Existence of ghosts and hauntings

• Resurrection of Jesus witnessed in the Bible

• People sometimes remember something from a previous life

• Out of Body/Near death experiences

• People have believed it for so long

Against afterlife:

• No solid evidence

• People may use the idea of an afterlife in order to comfort themselves so that they are not scared of either themselves or someone close from dying

• No one has come back from the dead to tell us (except Jesus)

Beliefs of the After-Life

Eternal life - The person after they die enters a unending state in which the identity of the person continues. It is a reward for living a good life on earth, as it means being with God for ever.

God's love is supposed to be eternal which accepts this idea. If we die and then that was end, then it could limit God.

Resurrection -  The idea that God would restore life for the dead who have been faithful to God. The life would be an eternal happy state in the presence of God

Heaven/Paradise - An eternal place of great happiness and perfection in the presence of God. It is given to those who have been faithful to God.

Hell - State of eternal despair. Given to those who have rejected what God has to offer.

Reincarnation - The belief that when someone dies, they may have another life on earth as a person or an animal. Hindus believe that a person has an immortal atman (soul). The cycle of reincarnation can be escaped by getting rid of earthly desires which can only be enjoyed through a body. 

Karma - The cosmological law of consequences. Those who do sinful acts get bad karma whereas those who do good get good karma. Karma determines the quality of your future in this life and next lives. Good justice is however unfair to be punished for something you don't remember doing.

Rebirth - The process of being born again after death, on the planet in the form of a animal or human. To escape the cycle, the Buddhist must reach Nibbana (getting rid of craving).

Out of Body experiences

Near Death Experience - Some people, when they are close to death claim to have a sense of themselves leaving their bodies and seeing what exists beyond this life.

Against:

• When we are in extreme situation our body creates chemicals which may make us produce a type of imagery similar to NDE

• No definitive proof that it shows anything beyond life

In Favour:

• Many similar experiences

How afterlife affects this life

Good deeds done in this life will be rewarded whereas those who have done bad will be punished. The attitude in which the deeds are done is also important. There is no point trying to do a good deed in order to please God and to try and secure a better after life.

Buddhists try to go beyond craving to reach Nibbana. The Buddhist must live by the four noble truths and the 8 fold path.

Sikhs aim to find union with God and escape reincarnation. They must live by the truth, meditate upon God and give charity to those in need,

The two basic beliefs of after life are:

• Soul of the dead person enters a new eternal state of happiness with God or punishment

• Soul of the dead person is reborn or reincarnated to come back to another earthly existence

Why people believe in after life

• Life seems unfair. Those who are good die young whereas some who are bad prosper. There is no point in life if both those who live a good life and those who live a bad life ended their life and there was nothing more

• People seem to be aware of a deeper aspect of life

• Dreams, visions etc. show that there is more to an individual then flesh

• When a person dies, the body remains but there is clearly something missing from it. The soul must go somewhere

In favour:

• Existence of ghosts and hauntings

• Resurrection of Jesus witnessed in the Bible

• People sometimes remember something from a previous life

• Out of Body/Near death experiences

• People have believed it for so long

Against:

• No solid evidence

• People may use the idea of an afterlife in order to comfort themselves so that they are not scared of either themselves or someone close from dying

• No one has come back from the dead to tell us (except Jesus)