Theological Interpretations Of The Afterlife Concept

Abstract

The variability of clarifications to questions about the concept of life after death are fabricated on the rational reflection that assimilates the ideology of humans, аs wеll аs less reasoned, logical practices and more emotive ones than in the whole feed what we know as ‘bеliefs’. Life after death is a central belief in the majority of religions and cultures. Even with no scientific proof for an afterlife existing, it still remains strong among religious and also some non-religious people. How life would be like after death is diverse for every spiritual group and occasionally there is a distinction of beliefs amongst followers of the same religion. In this research paper, we will have a brief look on what the concept of ‘Afterlife’ could possibly mean, and then review different religious beliefs concerning death and their beliefs for a life after.

Introduction

By definition the word ‘Afterlife’ refers to a life that, believed by many, begins after death. ('AFTERLIFE | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary', 2020) According to common knowledge, the perceptions of one being ‘ALIVE’ and ‘DEAD’ are contradictory concepts. Being opposing notions makes it is rationally unattainable for something to be mutually alive and dead. This acumen is captured in our lexicons, our beliefs, and our minds. “A thing that is dead is not alive.” (Butchvarov,2018) Furthermore, the paradox is bi-conditional: if one is dead, then one cannot be alive and if one is alive, one cannot be dead. This fact, though, generates an apparent issue: how and why are life after death theories omnipresent through the immense of time and space of human cultures and religions? Namely, how did the beliefs of a life after death ever get a footing in the minds of humanity? To embrace such a belief is an upfront, deliberate illogicality if our received knowledge is correct: “one is still alive after that one and the same is dead.” (Filippo, 2006)

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Many people believe that death does not mean the ceasing of one’s existence but relatively the passage from one life to a new one. Different religions all over the world, in the course of time, have provided credence expositions that support the non-secular and societal needs of practitioners. Rituals and sanctified writings guide the numerous religious interpretations of what dying means and what it will be like in the life after death. However, even with the variances in non-secular beliefs, there are resemblances among many distinctive religious groups in relation to afterlife beliefs.

One similarity between religious groups is the credence in a new life following physical death. Another one, is the manifestation of 'the two polar images of life after death - the abode of the righteous, heaven or paradise, and the place for the wicked, or hell' (Berk, 2017) For centuries there has been a strong belief by the majority of religions in the immortality of the spirit or the soul. The credence of an Afterlife has been one of the oldest conceptions in the history of man and the quest for proving the immortality of the human soul remained the purpose for many philosophers, theologians, and researchers even until today.

Freud (1961) stated, “Our own death is indeed unimaginable, and whenever we make an attempt to imagine it we can perceive that we really survive as spectators. Hence the psychoanalytic school could venture on the assertion that at bottom no one believes in his own death, or to put the thing in another way, in the unconscious every one of us is convinced of his [or her] own immortality (p. 154).” (McGraw, 2004)

Numerous theories about the afterlife are talking about a non-physical passage into a tranquil, peaceful transcendent realm coming across with other deceased people and potential holy personages and deities. There may possibly be an evaluation of one's life or perhaps a judgement, with a final arrangement of the individual soul ensuing the judgement or individual evaluation period.

There have been a lot of reports by members of different religions (such as Christians, Buddhists, Hindu, Islamic, etc.) among others, claiming to have gone through near-death experiences (NDEs) or experiences of a consciousness of an afterlife. Reports from atheists and agnostics have been documented, claiming to have had NDEs even with their susceptible lack of faith in anything higher and greater than individual self and life as we know it. (Silva Bautista, Herrera Escobar & Corona Miranda, 2017)

The concept of DEATH

Before looking at different conceptions and views on ‘Afterlife’ by a few of the major religions around the world, we need to try to establish a somewhat understanding on one of this vast world’s enigmas that disturbed men through the course of time: Death. Montiel in his work pointed out that the concept of death from a scientific point of view is defined as follows: 'Death occurs when fundamental functions cease: cardiac and respiratory activities, which lead to cessation of brain functions and this ends the whole existence' (Montiel, 2003) From theologians and specialists on Religious Studies to anthropologists and philosophers, and to the general public, death is commonly understood by people as one of the 'rites of passage’. The phrase ‘rite of passage’ was first established by Arnold Van Gennep in 1908, as a way of explanation on how people move or pass from one social rank or class to another. (Davies, 1997)

He described how such a move would involve the three stages of pre-liminal, liminal and post-liminal, or more simplified, separation, transition and reincorporation. He thought that rites of passage can be applied to many different circumstances. Consequently, based on Van Gennep’s theory, we could accept that the concept of death is very similar to a move or pass from one social status to another, just like the rite of birth or the rite of marriage (Langley, 1993); this part of the cycle of life of all humans. Every religion is apprehensive by ‘rites of passage’ as they are inseparably attached to each religious group's philosophy, dogmas, practices and rites. Myrtle Langley in a chapter on primal religions comments, “In all cultures the transition from life to death has been surrounded by ritual.” (Langley, 1993) When we study the history of mankind there is no doubt the importance that beliefs have had in the development of the human species, and there is no human behavior that is not constituted by them. Numerous researches have shown that beliefs affect behavior in a determinant way and at the same time are the best indicators of the individual decisions that people make throughout their lives. This indicates that how each religion, each faith community views the concept of death influences the people's understanding of death and accordingly underpins and influences their understanding of life and the possibility of life after death.

Theological Interpretations of Afterlife

Christianity

Fundamental belief to Christianity is that death is not the end; but the end of one’s mundane life. It is believed that once a person dies, only the physical body that dies but beyond death a new, eternal life awaits them, in God’s presence in Heaven. This is thought to have been made achievable via Jesus Christ’s earthly life, death and predominantly his resurrection which are mentioned in the New Testament. Christianity believes that the same way God resurrected Jesus’s body 3 days following His crucifixion on the mount of Golgotha, there will be a bodily resurrection for the deceased as well. According to the Bible, there will be a day of the ‘Last Judgment’ that will mark the end of the world as we know it and everyone on earth will be judged by God; and “the deceased would be dispatched forthwith to hell or paradise”. (Pallis, 2019)

However, for Christians there is an issue about how to conceive the part between death and universal resurrection and judgement because the Bible is unclear and opinions vary among clergy, theologians and laity. There is a broad distinction, between the Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions for example, about how to conceive this intervening period between death and resurrection. Roman Catholic doctrine perceives that the intervening period is a transitional state where the deceased are in purgatory and when purgation or purifying from their sins takes place. On the contrary, the Protestant view is that there is no transitional state after death. Traditionally, they do not pray for the dead because they believe that their final destination is set by their life.

Islam

Death, in the Islamic faith, is the ending of our mundane life (biological body) and our spirit will rest in the grave until the Day of Judgment. Muslims believe that from the moment one dies until the time of judgment, their spirit stays in a state, of some kind, of 'dreamless sleep'; with possible visions of eternity – “good souls” see visions of God and the wicked visions of hell. Islam holds a strong prominence on judgement and that after death the deceased will be interrogated in their graves by two angels that will be sitting on the person’s right and left shoulder and will be sending them to either heaven or hell. Beliefs for an afterlife are grounded upon the faith in the “oneness of God” and the credence in the day of resurrection and judgment for everyone irrespective of religion. One will be judged upon their deeds in life, and either allowed to enter Paradise with God or thrown into the ‘Fire’ for a purgation period, or sentenced to eternal punishment. (Filippo, 2006)

“All are walked across a Straight Bridge that spans this world and Paradise, crossing above the pit of Hell fire. For the righteous the passage is broad and easy, but for the wicked it is but a sword's width and they must topple to their fate in the infernal fires of Hell. And yet, even those condemned, if they have but the slightest faith, may be redeemed eventually, either through the intercession of Allah (God) Himself, the angels, the prophets or righteous believers. Only those that do not believe in Allah will stay in Hell forever. (Sheridan, 2000: 86)” (cited in Jepson,2007)

Buddhism

Buddhism unlike the abovementioned religions in its interpretations to what happens after death, it states that the ultimate purpose of a human being is the liberation of extinction, also known as ‘Nirvana’ (A person plainly extinguishes the ardors of greediness, revulsion and ignorance, and attains the state of seamless harmony and peace). Once a person has managed to achieve the state of Nirvana, it is believed that the soul is released for the vicious cycle of reincarnation (cycle of birth, death, and rebirth), called Samsara. Hence once the soul escapes Samsara, it stops from being a distinct entity and therefore becomes perpetual and eternal. According to Buddhist’s believe very few people can escape Samsara and reach Nirvana in one lifetime.) (Meister, 2020)

Hinduism

According to Hinduism, humans are in the constant cycle birth-death-rebirth called Samsara. This concept of reincarnation is very similar to the Buddhist beliefs as Buddhism eventually derived from Hinduism. When some dies their atman which is the ‘real self’ of the individual or the individual’s soul, is reborn into a different body. Many believe that the reincarnation (or rebirth) of the Atman happens directly once the individual has died, but some others believe that the atman may exist in other realms. They believe in Karma or the spiritual principle of cause and effect or ‘intentional action’. Hence, ones actions (good or bad) in one life will lead to a positive or negative merit and determine the Atman’s rebirth. According to Hindus, a human mayw be rebirthed into an animal form and that would occur if the Atman has repeatedly failed to learn its lessons from its past lives. The ultimate goal for a Hindu is to achieve Moksha (the ultimate liberation and freedom from the cycle of samsara) and that could only be achieved if the individual follows the teachings of the Vedas (the scared scriptures). This will eventually allow the Atman to be absorbed by Brahman, the unchanging reality amid and beyond the world, which Hinduism believes Atman originated from. Other Hindus believe that the concept of afterlife once the achieved Moksha is living in the realm of a personal God. ('Life after death - Revision 4 - GCSE Religious Studies - BBC Bitesize', 2020)

Contrasting Theories: Epicureanism

The Epicurean philosophical belief support that death is literally nothing to us. According to the Epicureans, death is the absolute annihilation of our existence and they support that this is the idea that people should hold. However, apart from their standardizing proposition, they support that humans do perceive that death is their own eventual obliteration; and based on this they create, accept and enforce cultural beliefs of a life after death. The roots of that fear according to epicureans is based on the folk’s attempt to imagine what it would feel like to be dead; which is nothing but a foolish mistake. They support that there is nothing to feel after one passes as there is no on one left to feel anything; and thus there is nothing to fear.

In an attempt to reinforce this idea, the Epicurean Lucretius, in De Rerum Natura, suggested a symmetry argument claiming that if we were to be concerned about their “postmortem existence”, then they should have the same concerns about their “prevital existence”; however, no one attempts to imagine what it would feel like to be unborn. In other words, Lucretius argues that people should not be any more perturbed by their nonexistence after death than they are by their nonexistence before their birth. Based on that, they believe that once people change their attitude concerning their unavoidable annihilation, their uncertainties and fear of death, would then be eradicated. (Hodge, 2018)

Conclusion

Life after death is a central belief in the majority of religions and cultures. Even with no scientific proof for an afterlife existing, it still remains strong among religious and also some non-religious people. How life would be like after death is diverse for every spiritual group and occasionally there is a distinction of beliefs amongst followers of the same religion. Even agnostic groups that do not belong in a religious group or dogma also consider that life after death is plausible, while others support that there is no sort of existence after death; but we simply cease to exist.

Each culture and society has its own grasp for the concept of death and its way of understanding death. Despite the great number of cultures and beliefs all over the world, the prevalent impression amongst the majority of people is that death is not the end. Certainly, there has to be more after death. (Mills, 2015)

References

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