How do different religions deal with death?

Answer 1

Well first their are so many different religions that you would lose count. Some religions such as Christians believe that if you Repent (confess your sins) & get baptize and have the Holy Ghost( the spirt of God) & pray and live up to a holy lifestyle that you will get to heaven. But Atheis( may not be spelled right) don't believe in anything such as God and just believe that they will just die & be died in the ground.But being a Christian they want to get to heaven and don't fear it. But ATHESIS fear dying because they don't want to living in a hole in the ground.

I am an ATHEIST and Atheism is not a religion so right off the bat your wrong, and we do not fear dying. we just accept that when we die we are dead and that we don't go to heaven. If anyone is afraid it would be Christians because to comfort themselves that they are going to die and cant accept that the are going to die. So before you talk about something make sure that you know what your talking about and not just make stuff up as you go.

Answer 2

Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam): after death one is judged by God and wither accepted into heaven (generally considered a place of bliss) or rejected (which various faiths and sects interpret differently: as a place of suffering, or as mere destruction and non-existence). Catholicism allows for an intermediate place (purgatory) for people whose sins were not egregious; some faiths believe that all souls are judged together at the end of the world while others believe that each person is judged at death, and different religions usually restrict entry into heaven to people of their own faith.


Dharmic religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, and a few related faiths): death in Dharmic religions generally results in rebirth into this world, in a different state depending on your actions in this life. Hinduism tends to focus on perfection of the self (if you have developed yourself as far as you can in this incarnation you will be incarnated into a better state in your next life). When you have achieved perfection or lived through a certain number of lives, you will achieve moksha, which is freedom from the cycle of living and dying. At this point, your soul will be reunited with God, seen as the universal spiritual force. Buddhism focuses on release from suffering (if you give up the attachments to the world that cause you suffering you will eventually reach a state where you no longer need to reincarnate into the world).


An assortment of faiths and philosophies exist which have no meaningful conception of the an afterlife (Taoism, Native American faiths, Paganism, Atheism). In general, any belief that lacks a meaningful conception of an individual immortal soul has no reason to be concerned about what happens after death.

Answer 3

It depends what religion you're talking about. I'm Catholic. I believe in heaven after I die. The Mayas and Aztecs both believed there were 13 layers of heaven above and 9 layers of the underworld down below, but to most people, that is just silly. They also believed the world was flat and lies on the back of a crocodile. That, also to us, is just silly.

Answer 4

Different faiths do different things to the body when a person dies. Some faiths are old, and others are new.

Greeks used to burn their heroes on a large bonfire made of wood. Egyptians used rituals to sew up the body and prepare it for death. Common people have a history of burying their dead after a sermon. Ancient barbaric cultures eat their dead and roast their organs. During Jesus's era a tomb was made out of rock and their body was placed inside of the rock.

It has often been said that a person has a human spirit that vacates when a person dies. Some thing a human spirit can stay inside of the body and bring it back to life - this is why autopsy is important as it kills the body until a spirit is no longer able to be alive - usually internal organs are removed to ensure that the body cannot wake from the dead. Others say the spirit is lifted into heaven or dragged into hell when a person dies. Some believe the spirit turns into a ghost and is able to walk around earth on the spiritual plane or visit other spiritual worlds.

Answer 5

The soul continues to exist after death and is answerable for its actions.