Beliefs on Death and Afterlife by Different Cultures and Religions

Matters of death and the afterlife have always been considered topics to be avoided. However, these are part of life and should be spoken about openly. What makes these topics even more interesting is that different religions across the world have different beliefs about them. Let us take a look at some of these beliefs:

Christianity

While beliefs about the afterlife can vary slightly depending on which denomination of Christianity you belong to, most believe that your life on Earth and whether you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord determine whether you end up in heaven or hell. However, in Catholicism, people believe in the presence of a Purgatory, where people who are destined to go to heaven are purified from their sins.

Buddhism

Buddhists believe that after someone dies, they get reincarnated, completing the cycle of life, death and rebirth. In other words, Buddhists believe that after death, they take on another body in the next life. The ultimate goal is to achieve Nirvana or enlightenment so that they can escape reincarnation.

Hinduism

Hinduism preaches that the soul gets reincarnated into a new life form, depending on your actions in your previous life. Hindus believe that you can even get reincarnated in your next life as animals, plants and insects, and not necessarily humans. Similar to Buddhism, the ultimate goal is to escape the cycle of reincarnation and achieve Moksha.

Islam

In Islam, people believe that the after death, the journey of our physical bodies on Earth stop. However, the soul continues to live on, as it goes to the Angel of Death, where it waits for Judgement Day. They believe that when the world ends, Allah will resurrect everyone to judge them for their life on Earth and determine if they should go to heaven or hell.

Thanks for reading,

Karen