The
Afterlife
Survival after death
The Afterlife or the life
after death, simply refers to the continuing existence of the
soul, mind or spirit after the physical death of the body. In
many beliefs, those who die pass into a specific realm or plane
of existence. Some believe that souls go to Heaven and Hell,
while others believe that humans are reincarnated after death.
Many theists believe that some form of afterlife will await us
when we die. Atheists do not believe in an afterlife, as a
general rule. Other religions such as Buddhists, believe in the
act of reincarnation, however do not attribute this act to
God.
Agnostics believe that like the existence of God, the existence
of a supernatural phenomena like souls or the afterlife, is not
easily proven and therefore must remain unknown. Throughout
nearly all religions such as Christianity, Islam and many Pagan
religions, who believe that souls exist beyond the grave, and
others, who believe in reincarnation such as Hinduism and
Buddhism, all believe that the rewards of the afterlife are in
direct correlation to the lives that we lead.
In ancient Egyptian religion, the afterlife played a crucial
role. The belief here is that when the human body died, parts
of the soul known as the body double would be taken to the
Kingdom of the Dead. While the soul would dwell in the Fields
of Aaru, Osiris demanded that it work to pay him back for the
protection that he provided while living. Many tombs held
statues that were placed to serve as substitutes for the
deceased. In order to reach the afterlife and claim a reward, a
heart free from sin was required as well as the ability to
recite the spells, passwords and formulas found in the Book of
the Dead. Egyptians also held on to the belief that the only
way to experience the afterlife was to be mummified upon death.
The only way that the deceased could dwell in the Fields of
Yalu and accompany the Sun on its daily ride was to be properly
embalmed and laid to rest in a flat-roofed, rectangular
building known as a Mastaba.
In the ancient Greek and Roman religions, an afterlife of
eternal bliss was believed to have existed in Elysium. However,
this was reserved for the mortal descendants of Zeus. Plato
described souls as being judged instantly upon death and sent
to heaven or to a punishment underground. After the judgments
have been either enjoyed or suffered, depending upon how the
deceased led their lives, they were then reincarnated. The
Greek god Hades is known as the king of the underworld, in
which torment is given to those souls after death. There are
heroes in Greek methodology who are said to have visited the
underworld. The Romans had a very similar belief about the
afterlife, with Hades being known as Pluto.
Many religions view the afterlife in many different ways. While
Christians believe that all souls will either encounter Heaven
or Hell, depending upon their loyalty to God, other religions
believe in the reincarnation of souls into other lives. One
thing is certain. In order to fully understand the afterlife,
one must experience it firsthand. urvival after death is often
viewed as reincarnation or the belief that the soul of the
deceased returns to the material world and is reborn into a new
body. Many people throughout the world have stated cases in
which they grew up with memories of past lives. These memories
allow them to trace their roots from their previous lives and
even be reunited with people that they knew in past lives.
There are references to reincarnation found in virtually every
religion. In Hinduism, it is believed that souls advance to
other bodies immediately after death.
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