What happens to you when you die if you are not a Christian?

Answer 1

Other answers from our community:

There are certainly many answers to this question but only one right answer. The answer also isn't determined by anyone's personal beliefs. These do not change or even touch the reality of the matter. If the atheist is right we all rot. If the Christian Gospel is right then those who reject Christ go to eternal hellfire, by their own free choice. Since the God of The Bible has revealed Himself as a God who cannot lie, and also those who know Him know Him to be trustworthy in all His dealings, then the odds are in favor of the Bible answer being right.This is especially so in the light of those who have tried to prove the Bible wrong and to destroy it down through the centuries. To say something is false is one thing but to actually prove it is quite another. The integrity of the Bible has stood the test of both time and attack and thus deserves serious consideration in terms of the answer it gives to this question. One thing is definite; when we die, our body decomposes and will revert back to its chemical and mineral components and will be recycled as part of another being.

Our body will be eaten by the worm, the worm will be eaten by the bird, the droppings and what's left of our body will become fertilizer to vegetation, then eaten by cattle which in turn will be eaten by humans, which will then die and the cycle repeats.

This is true for non-Christians and Christians. The ignorance and fear of what will become of us after death, gives birth to different afterlife fantasy of life everlasting in the land of tralala called heaven or nirvana or whatever..

Since matter is indestructible and our body will become a part of other beings, then what is there to resurrect?

One thing is certain, nobody have ever came back after being dead for a long period of time to validate the existence of heaven or nirvana or whatever they call it. The only true happiness can be experience in the present. The Islamic belief in the afterlife as stated in the Qur'an is unique, its official description is more detailed. The word used to describe Paradise in Islam is referred to as jannah and to describe Hell is jahannam. Jannah and Jahannam both have different levels. Individuals will not get there until after the Judgement Day when they are resurrected, but their level of comfort while in the grave depends on their belief in The God and hereafter, as well as their deeds during this life. The levels are 8 for Jannah and 5 for Hell.

Hindus also believe in 'Karma'. 'Karma' is the accumulated sums of one's good or bad deeds. According to Hinduism the basic concept of Karma is 'As you sow, you shall reap'. So, if you have a lived a good life you will be rewarded in the afterlife. Similarly your sum of bad deeds will be mirrored in your next life.

Buddhists believe that rebirth takes place without a self (similar to soul) and that the process of rebirth is simply a continuation of the previous life. The process of being reborn as any other being is based on your karma. From a Buddhist perspective, the current life is a continuation of the past life. If one dies with a peaceful state of mind, this will cause fortunate karma to ripen and a fortunate rebirth as a human or god will follow. If one dies with a negative state of mind, this will ripen negative karma and a lower rebirth such as an animal, ghost, or hell-being will follow.

Sikhs also believe in reincarnation. They believe that the soul belongs to the spiritual universe which has its origins in God. It is like a see-saw, the amount of good done in life will store up blessings, thus uniting with God. A soul may need to live many lives before it is one with God. But there is more to it than this; there are four classes that are included in this belief. Above these four classes is God "Waheguru" and you can stay with him if you like or take another step and go to your people and serve them.

In Judaism, the Talmud offers a number of thoughts relating to the afterlife. After death, the soul is brought for judgement. Those who have lead pristine lives enter immediately into the "World to Come." Most do not enter the World to Come immediately, but now experience a period of review of their earthly actions and they are made aware of what they have done wrong. Some view this period as being a "re-schooling", with the soul gaining wisdom as one's errors are reviewed. Others view this period to include punishment for past wrongs. At the end of this period, approximately one year, the soul then takes its place in the World to Come. Although punishments are made part of certain Jewish conceptions of the afterlife, the concept of "eternal damnation," so prevalent in other religions, is not a central tenet of the Jewish afterlife.

Egyptians also believed that being mummified was the only way to have an afterlife. Only if the corpse had been properly embalmed and entombed in a mastaba, could the dead live again in the Fields of Yalu and accompany the Sun on its daily ride. Due to the dangers the afterlife posed, the Book of the Dead was placed in the tomb with the body as well as food, jewelry, and 'curses'.

In Zoroastrianism, the Pahlavi text Dadestan-i Denig ("Religious Decisions") from about 900 CE, describes the particular judgement of the soul three days after death, with each soul sent to heaven, hell, or a neutral place (hamistagan) to await Judgement Day.

Answer 2

According to Christianity, you go to Hell. Otherwise, if you are not a Christian than you would presumably be given the funeral rites of what ever beliefs you follow. Those who lack a faith are usually buried or cremated or such as dictated either in their last will and testament or as per the wishes of the executor of their estate.

Answer 3

There are as many answers as there are non-Christian religions. For example, Jews, Muslims and Zoroastrians go to heaven. The followers of some eastern religions are reincarnated, and in some cases, the eventual reward is to become an immortal in heaven.
Of course, atheists know that there is no life after death, and that they will not leave the grave.