Every religion preaches certain teachings about the death and the life thereafter to its followers. The most common thing that one can observe in all those teachings is the existence of the concept of the death. There is not much debate between the religions that whether or not the death is to take place. Religions preach a certain code of conduct to pass the life. Usually, this lays the basis of reward or punishment system in the life after death. If the followers act accordingly to the teachings, a reward is supposed to be awarded to them in afterwards life or a punishment otherwise.
While there is a lot of mutual agreement on the existence of the death, the concepts of what and how after death vary drastically. This continues to be a debatable topic as the one experience it cannot share its experience. Existence of death however, can be answered by utilizing common sense as well. Most of the religions agree on a proposition that when a person dies, the soul leaves the physical body. It starts another debate that where does the soul go? Some religions believe that it goes into a separate dimension of existence that is a movement from this world to the other.
Another point of debate is the death experience. Not to mention that it is not pleasant at all. It is even painful to watch a person experiencing such a pain. This brings to the debate the experience of death as portrayed by different religions. All the religions mentioning the death experience quote it as a painful experience. However, there seems to be a bit relaxation for the followers and believers.
Near Death Experiences (NDE) are a practical example of what it is like to experience the pain. Near Death Experience refers to a person to have been dead clinically but not biologically. A person is clinically dead in case of zero heart beat and no pulse. However, these conditions are sometimes reversed to save the person. If these reversion process is done successfully within a very narrow time window, biological death can be denied in some cases. A person being clinically dead and later rescued passes through a near death experience. The persons having passed through such experiences have been reported to have radical changes in their lives and behaviors later on. Having experienced the greatest fear and surviving, their perception about small fears changes a lot. So this confirms something super natural about death and the phase after it. (Zukeran, P. 2016)
Next thing to talk is the life after death. Every religion preaches its own teachings. Even different civilizations or school of thoughts have different beliefs even belonging to the same religion. Most of the religions tell us about a life after death. You reap what you sowed in your previous life in one form or other. Some religions have the concept of heaven and hell while others guide you that you will take a new life in the same world in any other person or even creature. This will depend on the person deeds or in some religions last deed before death. But some of the religions or some civilizations belonging to a certain religion tend to totally disagree. They are of the view that only this life is real and there is nothing after it. But still they do have a concept of reward and punishment. According to them, one’s deeds are payed back in this very same world. A successful person is a successful person due to his good deeds and vice versa.
The religions preaching the concept of heaven and hell also tell their believers how is their afterwards life going to be. Heaven is portrayed as a luxury that this world has not seen. What will a person do in heaven? Well, just enjoy his life with every blessing he can imagine. On the other hand, hell is portrayed as a really painful experience. Probably even worse than the experience of death. Hell is for non-believers and non- followers. It will have fire and boiling water and the non-believers will be thrown inside it. Just like the heaven, its intensity is also stated to be not comparable with the pains of the world.
The common thing that all religions mutually share is that they teach their followers to be ethical and good to others. Religious practices and their importance varies from religion to religion though. All the religions lay good emphasis on being a good person in the life at present. They teach their followers that this life is a test and next life is a result.
In a conclusion, a lot of things do differ from religion to religion. That is what it makes them different from each other. But they do share a common back bone somehow. The concept of death is the most common thing to be observed. Plus, a certain code of conduct is advised to be followed. This code of conduct usually comprises of some ethical and moral values to certain religious practices to be followed. All the religions convey a positive message to live in a society and refrain from negativity. They also emphasize to conduct the religious activities and certain other code of conducts. Following this code of conduct leads to rewards and not obeying them leads to punishment in this life or after this life.
NDE