Death and Afterlife Beliefs Essay

There remains no scientific evidence or facts which understructure prove the existence of the after bearing. Such patterns like reincarnation, salvation, and near- remnant experiences conduct been in truth controversial topics of debate over the years. How invariably, different religions, philosophies and sacred beliefs from different stomachs surprisingly provide truly detailed and meticulous history about the concept of wipeout and the hereafter. These explanations vary as their core of ideologies and philosophies vary as well. The Mesopotamian politeness has been known for its precise rich culture and tradition.During the reign of the civilization, a solidifying of discoveries and inventions mystify been made which eventu aloney led to some modern development as well. In addition to this, the Mesopotamian culture besides had a very interesting view of death and eternal life. consort to the superannuated Mesopotamian belief, the domain potentiometer be divided into deuce-ace different layers these argon the nirvana, the the pits and the living being (Cornell University CU academic site, 2004). The divine beings or the gods and goddesses ar believed to make love the heavens.This value is said to be exclusive for these holy beings. The netherworld on the separate hand was believed to be the imprisoning place after death which is besides described as the house of darkness and a place, where no wholeness, to all farther extent, can lack. According to Mesopotamian myths in relation to King Gilgameshs adventures and stories about Ishtar, the descent to the netherworld is really frightening but inevitable, and that in fact, even Gilgamesh himself went on his adventures in hard to escape this place.Lastly, the living world was described to be the world where all living beings reside and get in the years with their humane and worldly needs. Although this culture recognizes the existence of death and futurity in the netherworld, Mesopotamians believed that a man can still escape the black market of death and the dark netherworld by being moral and trying to connect and find an inside relationship with God. The Egyptian tradition and beliefs of death and the afterlife on the other hand, can also be considered one of the most culturally rich traditions in the world.Deaths of Egyptians are rather commemorated and venerated than mourned. They were to a abundanter extent focused on the preservation of the embody as a lordly ritual in giving the short a pleasant afterlife state. Ancient Egyptians would also design the grave accents of the drained with scriptures, holy verses, poems, and splendid sculptures of scenes of the afterlife in the apprehend that the spirit of the numb(p) will be at a peace and be granted prosperity in the afterlife. The tomb of the dead is also packed with necessities that the owner might need or want to bring with him/her in the afterlife.The afterlife in Egyptian culture was described as a place where there are picturesque canals, dams, and farms where the yield of the fruit-bearing trees and crops is neer-ending (Williams, 2008). Life in ancient Egypt in customary has been blessed being resided along the banks of the Nile River where citizenry always have ample resources. This somehow explains why Egyptians also looks forward to a blessed afterlife. They have been used to living life bountiful with resources that is why they would always hope to find the same bountiful afterlife like the life of the living.On the other hand, the culture of the classics and the Romans (Greco-Romans) was rather more individualified and mythical. Concepts of death and afterlife were corporal with very detailed descriptions of gods and goddesses. The life of ancient Grecians was always bounded and command by these gods and goddesses who were believed to have the ability to talk and decease with them. According to the ancient Greek mythology, as a person dies , his/her psyche or somebody is being release finished a puff or confidential information of wind (Metropolitan Museum of Art).Death in ancient Greek tradition also had very elaborate rituals that were divided into three parts the prothesis, ekphora and the internment. During the prothesis, relatives and love ones of the dead come and pay respect. And during the ekphora, the dead shall be brought to the cemetery through a procession which fleets before dawn. And then finally, the deceased will come to its final rest through the internment. The concept of afterlife for the Greeks was clearly described through the stories of the Iliad and Odyssey which was able to write a very detailed account of the Greek mythology.Homer noted in the Odyssey the early description of the nether region where the dead people all go. The place was described as a place underneath the earth where Hades, the brother of Zeus and Poseidon reigns. A person who enters the inferno can never go back. Howeve r, there were also stories told about great people who were able to go to the underworld to talk to their deceased loved ones and were able to go back to the world of the living. But the success of these people required trickery and deception of the king of the underworld, Hades.Hercules was one of the great Greek characters, who was able to return from the underworld. But knowing that Hercules was half-immortal, it was also get wordable that he could do such a thing. And because the life of the Greeks has been closely guided by several gods and goddesses, it was also believed that a person can possibly escape the deep and frightening walls of the underworld by having a close and intimate relationship with the gods. Through this, people to whom gods and goddesses are mostly pleased are sometimes brought to the heavens (Olympus) to live an immortal life with them.The most frequent story about death and afterlife in rescuerianity is probably that of the death and resurrection of Je sus Christ. For Christians, it was taught that Christ died on the cross, then after three days he rose from the dead and eventually rose up to the heavens, body and soul. This story has been the inspiration for the spiritual lives of all Christians. The resurrection of Christ from the dead has been the great affirmation to Christians that there really is life after death. And from this story, a circularize have already been told in Christian bible about the life after death.This concept has been argued by the apostle Paul to the disbelievers, he said instantaneously if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you judge there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. (1Corinthians 15. 12-14 qtd. in Houben). For Christian believers, every person has a soul (dualism) and that soul is what live s after the person dies.The soul can either rest in heaven or continuously drop off in nut house depending on how s/he was able to live his/her life. These concepts of heaven and hell have been the guiding idea of the Christians to how they live their lives. According to teachings, one shall be accepted in heaven if s/he was able to follow the commandments of the Lord, and if s/he was able to be righteous in his life in accordance to the word of the Lord. On the other hand, one shall suffer the pains of hell if s/he did mischievous things in considerably most of his/her life and s/he chose to live against the will of the Lord and his teachings. over the years, this has been the main teaching to Christians about heaven and hell. Christians would describe the heaven as the place where there are favourable roads and castles. A place where there are bountiful trees and crops that never runs out of yield, and also, a place where there is no more suffering. The heaven was indeed taugh t as a paradise after death, where hell on the other hand was described as the complete contrary and was further depicted as the worse place one can ever be in.The burial and monument rights for the dead among Christians are also evenhandedly detailed. They would lament and pay respect to the dead for a couple of days, gather the family, and offering flowers and prayers to the dead and to the family. During these gatherings, the dead is often remembered and prayed for. The prayers were believed to help the soul of the deceased reach to the heavens easily. After the plaint, the dead shall now be brought to its last venue where flowers and significant items to the dead are being buried with it into the grave.And the commemoration of the dead does not end there because Christians celebrate the life of the dead on the same day of their deaths every year which is called their death anniversary. flavour at these different perspectives about death and the afterlife, we can observe th at there are several equivalentities and differences among the religions or spiritual beliefs discussed. The Mesopotamian, Greco-Roman and Christian cultures all believe in the concept of heaven or paradise and hell or underworld after death.This concept of a very beautiful and peaceful place after death has been evident in the teachings of the three cultures. All of them also taught that only righteous people can go to the heavens and be with the gods. The Mesopotamian and Greco-Roman cultures similarly described the underworld as the place where the dead inevitably go. These two cultures also described the underworld as place where people cannot escape anymore once they are there. While the Christians believed in the concept of hell as a wicked place where people who chose to be bad shall go after they die.The Egyptian culture also shared that similarity with that of the Christians and the Greco-Romans in terms of lamentation and burial rights. All these three cultures lament o r commemorate the death of their loved ones in belief that this would please the dead. These cultures also practice very detailed burial rights in order to give the dead a peaceful cross over. There may be similarities in the practices of these religions or cultures however their core beliefs are completely different from each other.Over the years, we have relied on spiritual and sacred teachings to find hope and explanation if there really is life after we die. We as human beings have that natural urge to find out what can possibly happen to us after death, but even how different or similar religious teachings might explain death and afterlife we must understand that the answer will always depend on what specific religious belief we stick to and what beliefs we have about life itself. These religions or spiritual beliefs may vary in explaining the concepts of death and afterlife, but these differences come from the differences they have with their ideologies.