life after death

Religious

Studies

2.4-90823

Emily Willing.
Catholicism

What the tradition teaches and say about the life after death:

Jesus died and accepted his suffering on the cross for us so that we could all live happier lives. Jesus saved us all, Because of this Catholics believe he opened the gate of to heaven for us. ‘ Christ offered himself for our salvation’.( Luke 22:19) Then he took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them saying “This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Christians believe that we cannot say for sure what happens after death.

Some Christians say that our physical body dies when we die, however we are given a spiritual body as a replacement. So when the body dies the soul lives on and is reunited with God.

When a person dies the body of that person is washed, dressed and then laid in a coffin. In most cases your coffin is left open so that your loved ones can morn and pray for you and your soul, and try to help you enter the gates of heaven. Most people tech that if you were a nice, good and pure person you will go to heaven. However if you were bad and lived a evil life full of sin you will be rejected and punished in hell. Some people that have lived bad lives repent and accept Gods forgiveness spent their time Purgatory. In Purgatory they pay for all their wrong doings and this then prepares them for heaven.

After death our souls and body separate, the body then comes corrupt while the soul goes up to meet the judgment of God. It then is reconnected to the body at the time of the return of the lord. You will then live a everlasting life with God, which begins right after you die. Christ is the judge of this, however this particular judgement will be confirmed in the final judgement. God will then decide if you will live a happy everlasting life in heaven which is the state of supreme and definitive happiness. This is where you will get to see God face to face, or enter into the damnation of hell. The only way you will go to hell is if you die in mortal sin though your own free choice. “ depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41). We are all aloud to choose freely if we want to live a happy life with God in heaven or to be separated from him forever in hell, because God gave us the gift of free choice. So in a way it is up to us as people to make the choice of our own afterlife.

How do believers express their understanding:

Funeral rites are there so that the family and friends of the person that has died don’t stop believing and reminds them not to forget about God and their faith in the resurrection of the dead, it also provides hope, love and support. There are three main celebrations with funeral rites, they are the vigil, the funeral liturgy and the rite of committal.

The vigil involves scripture reading, rosary, intercessions, the our father, concluding prayers and blessings. This can take place in the home of the person that has died, the church or in a suitable room that is able to fit all the deceased family and fiends. On the evening before the funeral is when this takes place.

The funeral liturgy is the day after the vigil. It is a mass celebrating the life of the person who has died, but sometimes the funeral liturgy can be separate from the mass. The mass is in a parish church and is where everyone gathers to give thanks and praise to God for Christ win over sin and death. The mass is broken up in different parts. It starts off with the welcoming of the coffin, often carried by the men closes to the deceased. Then the large Easter candle is placed beside the coffin as a sign of God being there. After as a sign of Baptism a white clothe is placed over the coffin. Other things like the Bible, cross or something b=very important to the deceased is also placed by the coffin. The coffin is then sprinkled with holy water and prays are said. The priest then reads the word of god and then Eucharist is performed. After that all the deceased loved ones are able to come up and say a few words, and then the last acts of farewell are said.

The rite of committal is when the coffin is taken to the graveside or crematorium where the deceased will finally rest in peace. This is the time where everyone says their finally goodbyes and prays for the deceased to live a happy long life in heaven with God. Many people scatter earth over the coffin once it has gone into the grave to say goodbye.

why this belief is significant to the tradition:

Catholics believe that if you were good and did the right thing on Earth you will go to heaven and if you were bad and did the wrong thing you will go to hell. This is very important to Catholics because people devote their time on Earth to serve the lord. They did everything right and did not sin. However the people that did not care for a good after life did bad things and sinned. These people would be punished forever in hell.

Life after death is not all sad or depressing it is meant to be a wonderful time for all that have lived a great life. Catholics believe there is a place called heaven because if they didn’t, what have they been living for?, and , why would serving the lord matter?. These questions are answered when you reach heaven, and meet God. We all know that in life there are very bad people and sinners, that turn away from God. These people can choose if they want to change and do good, they can do this if they are truly sorry for the things they have done. If this happens you are reconciled to God thought the sacrament of reconciliation for your sins. Also going to mass and receiving the sacrament of the Eucharist is often referred to as a reminder of Gods promise of heaven.

On October the 1st we are all reminder about the after life and what will happen after you have died. It is the fest of all saints. On this day we remember all of those who are in heaven. And on this day is when most people think about their lives and if they want to change anything so they are more likely to go up to heaven.

What is the point of living a good life if there is no reward of a beautiful after life full of hope and love. Catholics live their life to the best they can so the are insured a spot up to heaven, so they are with God for all on a entry.

Emily Willing.

Islam

What the tradition teaches and say about the life after death:

If you want to be a Muslim you must believe there is a after life. This after life is called “Alehirah”. They believe that you stay in your grave until the day of “Yawmuddin” which is the day of judgement. They are judged on how they spent their life on earth when they were alive. Allah (their God) gives no second chances. Allah is merciful and compassionate, however he is the judge. If you have lived a good life and been a good Muslim you will be rewarded with entry into paradise. If you have been a bad Muslim and ignored Allahs teachings you will be sent to Johanna, which is hell. Your soul is the thing that is judged on wreathing you go to paradise or Johannam not the body.

Everyday the prayer from Qur’an is said by Muslims (Qur’an 1:1-7). This tells and reminds the Muslims that there is a life after they die, and what they do in this life will decide on what their after life will be like. The teachings of the holy Qur’an say that there will be a final day of Judgement when all the dead will be resurrected. On this day Allah will decide your after life, the good and the bad. Everyone is responsible for there own actins in the life they live and it is up to them weather they want a good after life or not, and will have to answer that after they die. Every Muslim believes that there are two angels watching over them at all time keeping a tally of all the good and bad things you have done so they can tell Allah after you die, and then he will decide on you future.

Paradise is described as the most beautiful garden with rivers running all around it and there is to be no suffering or hunger. There is always food to eat and fun to be had, it is just a place full of peace and love. However hell is a place where you will be punished for you sins and tormented and have to live in unbearable heat for entity.

How do believers express their understanding:

Muslims live there life on earth just to please Allah, because they believe that their life on earth is just the preparation for what will come to you after you die. So in there earth life all they do is to please Allah, they are guided by the five pillars. The five pillars are Shahada, Prayer (Salat), Fasting (Saum), Alms-giving or charity (Zakat) and Pilgrimage (Hajj).

The fist pillar Shahada reminds Muslims that there is no true God except Allah, he is the one and only true God. You should only ever worship him, and do what he says because he is the sovereign lord and his rules and laws should be followed. The second pillar is Prayer (salat) this is the pillar of confession of sin, this begins with purification with the body and ends with the soul. The first pray is said at sunrise and the last pray is said at sunset, you must say five prays a day. The third pillar is Fasting (saum) this is the month of Ramadan it is to show that you follow and worship Allah. Fasting means no drinking, eating, or sexual relations while the sun is up. The forth pillar is Alms-giving or charity (Zakat) which is a charity given to the poor, it is a form of worshiping God. The last pillar is Pilgrimage (Hajj) this is the pillar of Mecca. It is a very important step in preparing for death and the after life. It purifies and cleanses the soul of all evil.

When a Muslim is close to death he/she will recite the words of the shahadah and friends and family will read verses from the Qur’an. When the person finally dies the family will recite theses words from the Qur’an: ‘We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return’.

As a Muslim they believe that that body of the deceased must be buried as soon as possible after death. You are not aloud to be cremated because they believe they will be raised from the dead. After you die your body is washed three times with soap and water during this time prayers are said. The body is then sprayed with perfume and wrapped in three pieced of white cloth. After that has been done the body is laid in the coffin feet first on its left side so it can face Makkah. The coffin is then taken to the mosque where family and friends gather together. The first chapter of the Qur’an is then repeated. Then they head off to the cemetery for burial, as the coffin is lowered into the grave these words are said from the Qur’an ‘ from the earth we did create you and into it we shall return and from it shall we bring you out once again’. Muslims believe that you should always pray for the deceased relatives and loved ones. The night of forgiveness is in the middle of Ramadan and it is the night their life for the coming years is determined by Allah. The men will then visit the graved of their loved ones and everyone will pray for people that have died.

why this belief is significant to the tradition:

Muslims think that the belief of the after life is very important because if there was no after life, what are they doing on earth. They live their time on Earth so they can have a amazing after life with Allah. There is no point for them to live if there is no after life. All a Muslim wants is to live a life dedicated to Allah, to do right and not to sin because they want to go to Paradise (Qur’an 3:133).

The last thing a dying Muslim should hear is Allah. No Muslim should ever die alone, they should be with friends and family. A dying people should be turned so they are facing Mecca. Everything that happens to you is no accident, God controls all, so when the day of judgement comes Allah will give no second chances. You will be judged on you charter and they way you lived your Earth life. If you are a good Muslim it is because of Allah.

Life is very important because it is a gift from Allah, with this gift comes freedom to choose how to live your life. With this you can choose to follow Allah and live a God centre life, or live a self centred existence. For what ever life you have choose will decide you future for the after life. Muslims are people that submit to the will of Allah.

If you are a Muslim you live for the after life, you do all you can so you will live a life in paradise with Allah. This is why Muslims believe in the after life so much, because if they don’t what are they living for, why were they put on Earth but no to serve Allah.

Emily Wiling.

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