Religion and Perspectives on Life's Ultimate Purpose

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Religion is a controversial topic when it is presented in any social gathering, but one thing that all religions have in agreement is that life has a fulfilling ultimate purpose. Believing in something can be beneficial and satisfying when we have nowhere else to turn. Christian is a label created for those who follow Christ and they believe that those who earn the love of God will be compensated with eternal life. Ancient Mesopotamia has evolved their death ritual practices and beliefs through a series of stories like the Epic of Gilgamesh where we can see what happens to the dead. Ancient Egyptians believed that the dead are guided by Anubis to the Hall of Two Truths to be judged. Therefore, an argument can be made that the three following …show more content…

The story begins with the deity named Gilgamesh who was a cruel ruler in Uruk. As a form of punishment the Gods decide to send down Enkidu to kill him. After an intense battle between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, Gilgamesh comes out as the victor. He gains respect for Enkidu since he came very close to his defeat. Moreover, the Goddess of Love and War named Ishtar runs into Gilgamesh and she immediately falls in love. Gilgamesh was not willing to get married and Ishtar decided to seek revenge by telling her father Anu. The bull of heaven is sent down to kill Gilgamesh and Enkidu, but they defeat it without any effort. As a punishment Enkidu is slowly killed by a disease as a result of their mischievous actions. Gilgamesh plans to make it his personal quest to challenge death and he even seeks out the last surviving immortal from the flood. He is only given two options to stay awake for six days and seven nights or gather the immortal plant, but he fails with both. Ultimately, after his death he goes straight to the underworld where he is crowned king (Death is a Problem: Gilgamesh, The Death of Gilgamesh). When the Gods created man they made sure that death was an essential part of their lives. However, that did not necessarily mean it will be the end. It is clear that life does not immediately end after the death for the ancient

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