Introduction
For the past three years, I have taught Scripture to our ninth grade religious education classes. Reading the Old Testament, there appeared to be a belief in an afterlife, but what those beliefs are was not clear to me at all. They used terms like “the world to come” and “going to be with our fathers”. There are several passages where people appear to be taken up without dying, like Elijah and Enoch, but it doesn't say where they went. In __________________, it talks about people going to the netherworld. I couldn't help but wonder - if Jewish people believe in an afterlife, why is the Torah so vague and how did their beliefs develop?
The Jewish faith has lacked a central authority that governs doctrine since the disappearance of the Sanhedrin. Therefore, one can not talk about Jewish belief in absolute terms. Jewish theology varies greatly between different groups. For this discussion, the beliefs of the Jewish people will be analyzed through the lens of twenty-first century Catholic doctrine. Thus, it may be prudent to briefly outline the teachings of the Catholic Church with regard to the afterlife.
The Apostle's Creed, which is the oldest profession of Christian belief, declares that Jesus “ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.” It also states that “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.” The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, which dates from the fourth century C.E., states these points similarly but with slightly more detail. It states that Jesus “will come again in glory to ju...
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...ture: New Interactive Edition Resource Manual. Allen, TX: Tabor Publishing, 1995.
Rich, Tracey R. “Olam Ha-Ba: The Afterlife.” Judaism 101. 1999. Web. 21 July 2010.
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Telushkin, Joseph. “Afterlife.” Jewish Virtual Library. 1991. Web. 21 July 2010. .
The New American Bible. Wichita: Devore & Sons, Inc., 1987.
Berenbaum, Michael. "Pittsburgh Platform." Encyclopaedia Judaica. Eds. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. Vol. 16. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. 190-191. 22 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. ST LEO UNIV. 17 Aug. 2010
First let's examine more specifically the belief of afterlife and how it impacts internalized beliefs of the soul. When people think of death, there is a sense of depression and sadness of this idea of “the end” to their lives. This in turn, causes an imbalance in their internal milieu, leading to anxiety and fear of death. To keep the homeostasis of the internal milieu, there is another force that must counterbalance this fear, by replacing it with comfort. This comfort is founded on the belief in “eternity” of the soul in an afterlife. Whereby, life of the soul continues to live beyond the death of the physical body, thus relieving the anxiety of death, and bringing back the homeostasis of the internal mil...
The fundamental ideals behind the afterlife have vastly changed between Grecco-Roman Tartarus and Christian afterlife; specifically pertaining to the idea of hell and punishment. While there are also essential commonalities between the two afterlife views, the adaptation that has occurred over time contrasts the two views harmoniously. Fear is the underlying theme that eventually connects yet juxtaposes the ideas of life after death.
Judaism is more than just a religion; it is a culture and can even be considered an ethnicity. The faith, beliefs, traditions, and even holidays recognized by the Jewish people all have a strong foundation in reconnecting with history and the ancestors of the past. Isaac Kalimi writes in Jewish Bible Theology: Perspectives and Case Studies, that The Bible is widely recognized as central to Judaism. It is to a book, the Book, that we owe our survival” (Kalimi 13). In order to even begin to understand Judaism, one must explore the biblical history of the religion. The natural starting point for this exploration would need to begin with Abraham.
I am a very spiritual person and am always interested in learning about other religions, especially the three monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I feel I have an adequate knowledge of Christianity and Islam, but I do not know much about Judaism. This paper will focus on the questions I have about Judaism. I have always wanted to know the fundamental beliefs of Judaism. I want to know how many Jews there are in the United States and in the world. I often see Orthodox Jewish men wearing yarmulkes and prayer shawls, and I wonder what is the purpose of wearing these. And finally, I wanted to know what is the role of women in Judaism.
I believe that the Jews had most of the things right in how they believed because they were so disciplined, we have watered down religion today trying to make everyone feel a certain way instead of just telling the truth. I believe without the truth we are going to continue to put man over God instead of like the Jews in Judaism put God over everything.
The religion of Roman Catholicism draws a prominent image of life after death. To begin, the Roman Catholic Church believes in the grant of eternal life among their believers. The death of a person simply puts an end to their mortal life; the soul itself is eternal. Everlasting life is determined by the person, through their acceptance or refusal of the Lord’s divine grace (Catholic Church 1021). Although the Church mainly speaks of the Final Judgment, Christ’s second coming, the...
Throughout history there has been one common denominator in Christian congregations worldwide. The single most important aspect that is universal of each Christian denomination is the belief that God and Jesus are one. As defined by the Trinity, The father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit make up God. The truth of the unification of Jesus and the Father is manifested in multiple ways. God has the sole power to create in the universe and in the Bible it says that through Jesus all things were created. The union of God and Jesus is also shown in the Forgiveness of Sins. According to the Old Testament forgiveness of sins is a power reserved exclusively for God the Father and in the New Testament it very clearly displays Jesus as one who was sent to forgive us of our sins. The Nicene Creed is right in saying that Jesus and God are one because creation and forgiveness of sins are actions reserved for God that Jesus also carry outs. Since Jesus possesses the ability to do things that God has left for himself, it is apparent that Jesus and God are one.
On the other hand, Christians believe that after you die you go into a period of dormancy and until the second coming of Jesus will you be woken up and decide your fate whether you go to heaven or hell according to how you have lived your life. Christianity teaches salvation from sin through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Through Him, the gift of eternal life is also attained. Christianity started as a missionary religion and has now become the world's most widespread faith. It focuses on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
In this paper, I will discuss the Final Argument in Plato’s Phaedo. In this argument Socrates concludes, “Then, Cebes, beyond question, the soul is immortal and imperishable, and our souls will truly exist in another world (Plato, 1689).” This argument may be the most convincing of his arguments about the afterlife, but the way in which he comes to his conclusion that the soul is immortal and indestructible is flawed, and because of this, I find that Plato’s final argument is not sound and lacking validity. I feel this argument is an unsound, deductive argument. In order to show evidence of this, I will examine how Plato reached his conclusion.
There are multiple views on death and the afterlife and each view is different depending on the religion or belief that someone practices. Some religions believe in a heaven but not a hell, some believe in both and others do not believe in either. The religions that are practiced today were created by our ancient ancestors who had the ability to think beyond themselves. Practicing a religion and having an idea of death and an afterlife back in ancient times laid a foundation on how religion is seen and practiced today. Mesopotamians, Egyptians and Hindu’s created the concept of death and life after death through what they believed and practiced in ancient times.
It has been observed that Christianity and Judaism have several similarities which come from the fact that they share a common origin. Nevertheless, they differ greatly in their concept of God, salvation, marriage, rules followed, rituals and their belief about final judgment and having one’s name written in the book of life.
The Egyptians believed very much in life after death. As Taylor states in Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, “It is often observed that they appear to have devoted greater efforts and resources to preparing for the afterlife than to creating a convenient environment for living” (Taylor, 2001:12). The Egyptians viewed life on earth as one stage and death as the beginning of another. They believed that, “human existence did not end with death and that survival of the body played a part in the new life” (Taylor, 2001:12). One of the key elements in the Egyptian culture and religion was the preservation of the body. The body was the most important aspect because it was like a portal through which an individual could continue to live after death (Taylor, 2001:46). The Egyptians began building tombs for these bodies to keep them from decaying.
Most cultures generally share a universal belief that there is some form of an afterlife. In the gospel of Matthew, the idea of life after death is shown through the teachings of Jesus. Since Jesus is considered to be the Son of God, he preaches that once the body of a human has died, their soul continues to live on. Although they are physically dead on Earth, the spirit of the person moves on to the next life. Jesus says to his followers “I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29). His Father’s kingdom refers to the notion of heaven, where all souls gather after their death on Earth. The Christian belief in the gospel of where the soul goes after death is very different from the Greek view portrayed by Homer.
Therefore, it is through the principle beliefs of Judaism that Hassidic and Reform Jews arrive at divergent interpretations. The belief of a monotheistic faith, the establishment of the Covenant and the concept of divinely inspired moral law, results in different practices being implemented in the everyday life of an adherent. Despite not all Jewish adherents agreeing on the practices of the beliefs, the stimulus supports the connotation that Judaism is a religion that values and engages in the vast opinions promoted and the influences it has on an individual’s life.
Rosen, Jeremy. Understanding Judaism. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic, 2003. Print. This Book Describes the Theology and Practice from Judaism's Biblical Origins to the Present Day. Rosen Is a Rabbi. The Book Is Written as an Academic Textbook. The Theology Section of the Book Gives a Overview of Jewish Beliefs of Life after Death.