Harcher,+Shelby

__**Islam, Christianity, Judaism and the Afterlife**__

 * Shelby Harcher**

=
Have you ever asked yourself, “What’s going to happen to me when I die?” Well of course you have, everyone at one point in his or her life asks this question. Well no one knows, exactly, what the answer is. Different people have different beliefs on this topic: the afterlife. Religion can sometimes influence the beliefs people have in life. Three of the most common religions, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, all have different ideas and opinions on the afterlife.=====

=
The Qur’an, one of many holy books, elaborates on the Islamic beliefs of the afterlife; explaining the differences between Paradise and Hell. Paradise is a place where people will “…enjoy spiritual and physical pleasures forever…” Hell, being the opposite, is the place where people will suffer torment for eternity.=====

=
Muslims believe in "The Last Day", which can also be known as "The Day of Separation", "The Encompassing Day", and many other names. On this day, “… the world will be destroyed and Allah will raise all people and jinn from the dead to be judged.” Jinn are creatures that Allah had created from fire. They are similar to humans because they both have a sense of understanding and can choose between the way of good and the way of evil. However, the jinn live in a separate world and “…are hidden from the world of humans.”=====

=
Before the Last Day arrives, the deceased remain in their graves. The treatment of the souls in the graves depends on where they are bound to go. “Those bound for hell will suffer in their graves, while those bound for heaven will be in peace until that time.” When the Last Day arrives, Allah will re-created decayed bodies and resurrect all humans and jinn. Allah will gather the resurrected humans and jinn and they will have to cross “…over Hell on a narrow bridge in order to enter Paradise.” However, it’s not that simple. The humans and jinn will be weighted by their bad deeds. So this means that the more bad deeds that someone has, the harder it will be for them to keep their balance on the bridge. The people and jinn, who fall, will remain in Hell, and for those who cross the bridge successfully, they will be given admission to Paradise.=====

=
Just because someone is Muslim, doesn’t mean they are automatically going to Paradise. However, once you’re in Hell there is a chance you can get out. Muslims believe that Allah is “…merciful and compassionate…” and that he will choose people who can leave Hell and enter Paradise. Muslims look at Hell as a place where souls are forced to make progress until they meet the requirements necessary to get into Paradise. This leads some to believe Hell is the equivalent to prison**//.//** =====

=
The crossing of the bridge applies to all humans and jinn besides soldiers who fought for Allah and “enemies of Islam.” Enemies of Islam include those who don’t believe in Islam and those who are against Muslims. Soldiers will be taken to Allah’s presence immediately and those against Islam will be sent to Hell upon death and can never be allowed to leave Hell or get admission to Paradise.=====

=
The Bible is another holy book, like the Qur’an, but elaborates on Christianity beliefs. Particularly, The Gospel Of Matthew, which explains Heaven and Hell. Heaven and Hell are the equivalents of Paradise and Hell in the Islamic beliefs. Heaven is believed to be a place for those who have a companionship with God. Hell is for those who have turned their back on God. Like in the Islamic beliefs, eternal suffering takes place in Hell. Heaven and Hell’s physical features are not explained in the Bible. Some Christians believe that they have physical locations, others just simply believe “… heaven and hell concerns a person’s relationship with God.”=====

=
Unlike Muslims, most Christians believe in Purgatory. Purgatory is a place where people go after death to “… repent their sins…” so they can go to Heaven. They believe that Purgatory is only a place for those bound to go to Heaven. However, Orthodox Christians are one of the denominations of Christianity who does not believe in Purgatory.=====

=
Instead of the deceased’s souls staying in their graves after they die, Christians believe that as soon as you die, your soul will either go straight to Hell, Heaven, or Purgatory, depending on the denomination. Once a soul is entered into Hell, it is there for eternity.=====

=
The Catholic Church and other denominations believe that “…heaven is only for those who accept Jesus Christ as their savior.” However, other Christians choose to believe that if you are kind and have a good heart and “…live a life full of intentions…” you will be accepted into Heaven. Heaven is the ultimate reward for Christians. It is the reason why Christians believe they should be good people.=====

=
The Torah is also a holy book like the Bible and Qur’an. However, the Torah elaborates on Judaism beliefs rather than Christianity or Islam’s. Unlike the Qur’an and the Bible, the Torah “…has no clear reference to afterlife at all.” Some Jews believe the Torah doesn’t mention afterlife because they didn’t want their religion to become obsessed with death like the Egyptians.=====

=
Judaism is focused on “…life here and now rather than on the afterlife...” This allows Jews have their own personal opinion about the afterlife. Some Jews believe in an afterlife similar to what the Christians believe, while others may not even believe that anything may happen, when they die their body will remain in it’s grave. Some Jews may believe that they will be “…reincarnated through many lifetimes…” or, believe they will have to “…simply wait until the coming of the messiah…” to be resurrected.=====

=
While doing research and writing this essay, I learned that Judaism doesn’t expect Jews to all believe the same thing for the afterlife. Instead of telling Jews what happens, they leave it up to the individuals to decide for themselves. A connection that I noticed was that Islam’s beliefs are similar to Christianity’s because Paradise and Heaven are both the same idea, same goes for Hell.=====

=
Religious beliefs on the afterlife are important in today’s world because Christians and Muslims see Paradise and Heaven as the ultimate reward. If Muslims and Christians didn’t have this belief, they would have a reason to do good things. Some beliefs on the afterlife help out the world today because people will want to be good and love their God and others while on earth to get into Heaven or Paradise. Even though Judaism doesn’t talk about the afterlife, that still helps out the world today just as much as Islam and Christianity’s beliefs. If Jews don’t believe in an afterlife, then they can learn to appreciate their life while they’re here instead of taking it for granted.=====