Life After Death Term Paper

Introduction

Death is the process through which the normal functioning of the body is terminated. Some of the causes of death include accidents and disease infections. Many societies put a lot of concentrations on the aspect of death. Dead bodies are treated with a lot of respect in many societies. The body is taken care of and disposed as per the traditions.

This is because if the people go against the traditions, the spirit of the dead person will come back and haunt them. In some cases, some people left will before death. The burial ceremony should follow the dead person’s instructions. In some societies killing another person was very bad and people feared committing murder. This is because the spirit of the person came back to the murderer and tortured him.

After death, people join the spiritual world. In the Egyptian Religion, belief in life after death was very strong. Upon the death of Pharaoh, he was buried together with his properties as well as slaves who could continue serving him after death. They believed that death was the beginning of a new life in a new world. The Pharaoh was a mediator between the Egyptians and their God (Haddow 157).

Discussion

The process through which death occurs has for a long time been a major concern of many religions as well as philosophers. For instance, in many traditional religions, death must have a cause. In African traditional religions, the power of magic like sorcery can cause death.

They had traditional witch doctors that had the power to cure illnesses caused by witches and sorcerers. In many religions across the world, people belief in life after death and also being born again in the world after an individual. Some people belief that after people dies, their spirits enter into unborn children and they are born again through that child. In this case, they believe that the new born child will posses the same characteristics like that person.

In many African societies, children are named after their ancestors as an indication that their ancestors are still living and should be remembered. The issue of life after death has been a great debate in the scientific field as scientists have not been in a position to determine whether or not there is life after death. However, religions like Christianity strongly belief in life after death (Haddow 177).

The concept of life after death is defined differently by different people. Different religions also have their own ways of defining the concept. There is a belief that the concept was coined by intelligent people who saw the need of people having something to hope for after death which marks the end of human life. Life after death is the belief in the continuation of life after death. Some people hold the belief that if an individual’s behavior is good and attends church services, then the person will go to heaven.

On the other hand, rude and disobedient people are believed to join hell after death. Life in heaven is full of happiness as people sing to praise the lord. In hell, people are tortured because of their wrong deeds on the world. It is believed that people lament forever in hell. Because of these beliefs nobody likes to be associated with hell. All people wish to lead good lives after death (Haddow 187).

I have a strong belief in the existence of life after death because the world in which we live in is unjust. Job a servant of God asked whether people would live again after death. Many religions have answered his question but in different ways. Many religions belief that life after death is determined be the life we live before we die. Each religion has established rules and regulations which guide people in their relationship with each other.

Observation of these rules and rituals of the religious doctrine leads to a happy life after death. Christians strongly belief in life after death. In the Apostles Creed recited by all Christian denominations whenever the they meet for worship, the statements “the resurrection of the body”, “survival of Saints” and “the communion of Saints” which means a bond between the dead and the living is an evidence that Christians belief in life after death (Dunlap, 157).

The Society of Psychical Research was formed in 1982 by some scientific men who wanted to investigate the concept of life after death in a scientific way. American Psychologist William James Founded another society in America in 1985 with the aim of carrying out that research. The result of their researches was put down in records. F. W. H Myers recorded in finding in his book referred to as “Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death in 1903”.

According to Myers the belief in life after death among Christians is a reality. According to her, information from the dead could be passed to living people. G.N.M. Tyrrell, a leader of the SPR asserted that the existence of life after death is the only way through which the security of people’s life will be achieved. In this new life, people will inherit everything and will be guaranteed of immortal life. There is no death anymore (Dunlap, 160).

Traditional evidence in life after death comes out kin the 19^th century when living people communicated with the dead with, mediums acting as mediators.

In addition to this, People had the power to visit the spiritual world after which they communicated with ancestors. Once they regained their normal, state, they passed the information to other People. The Christian doctrine discourages the practice of mediums as unholy and against the laws of God.

Seeking assistance from the mediums is against the Christian law. In the book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament, the bible clearly prohibits the practice. Between the period of 1901 and 1932, Evidence of survival is shown by the communication between Myers who had died in 1901 and five women who were medium. The information gathered by the five women had many things in common.

Another evidence of life after death is re-incarnation. Buddhism and Hinduism religions believe that the soul of an individual after death is either re-born again in another person or joins the supernatural beings. Christians believed in incarnation in the olden days but modernization has changed the idea. In the traditional setting, ancestors visited people physically in dreams and instructed them what to. They also instructed them of the dangers likely to happen to them like droughts and famine and the measures they should take.

The ancestors passed the information to the living through some people like mediums and priests. Many traditional societies offered sacrifices to the ancestors to appease them so that they do not bring misfortunes to them. The quality of the sacrifices also mattered. They offered the best. Communication between the living and the dead is strong evidence that after death, people go somewhere where they continue with their life (Dunlap, 170).

Plato and Socrates his teacher were strong believers of reincarnation. According to Plato, reincarnation of soul depended on the actions of the person before death. The person’s soul is rewarded for the good deeds and also punished for the bad deeds. He also suggested that some souls could be condemned. The aspect of death and fate of soul were very different according to Socrates. According to him, there was evidence that people lived again after death (Shaw 516).

Conclusion

In the old testament of the bible, evidence of reincarnation is clearly indicated. In the book of Isaiah, the Lord says that he new Jeremiah even before he was formed in his mothers womb. In the book of Ecclesiastes, the lord says that he did not create his people only to let them die.

These verses give Christians hope that they will lead new lives after death. The life in this world is full of hardships and temptations. Life is never smooth in this world. People have to work hard in order to get their daily basic needs. I belief in life after death which, according to me people lead good lives. Evidence in Christian doctrine, reincarnation and traditional evidence in life after death makes it clear that there is life after death (Prasad 30).

Works Cited

Haddow, Angus. Life after Death: PSI Evidence and Religious Belief. The Journal of Religion and Psychical Research, 1.1 (n.d):183-193.

Dunlap, Jeanetta. Reincarnation and survival of Life After Death: Is there Evidence that Past Life Memories suggest reincarnation?. Academy of spirituality and paranormal studies, inc. 1.1 (n.d): 157-170.

Prasad, Ramanuj. The Life After Death. New York: Pustak Mahal, 2005.

Shaw, David. Cryoethics: Seeking life after death. The Journal of Boiethics, 23. 9 (2009): 515–52.