Death is the end of life. Death is either an event or a condition. Many factors can cause or contribute to a person's Death, including predation, disease, habitat destruction, malnutrition and accidents or physical injury. The knowledge of Death is central to human culture. This article will try to illustrate some Death views in different faiths.
Judaism
Judaism firmly believes that Death is not the end of human existence. Judaism is primarily focused on life here than on afterlife, Judaism leaves it for personal opinion. So God is seen as ultimately just, the seeming injustice on Earth has propelled many traditional Jewish thinkers into seeing the afterlife as a way to reflect the ultimate justice of human existence.
Traditional thinkers gave the name Gehenna to the place where souls were punished. Judaism does not believe that people who are Gentiles will automatically go to Hell or that Jews will automatically go to Heaven on their basis of their belonging to the faith. Rather, individual ethical behavior is what is most important.
Christianity
For Christians whose lives are guided by the Bible, the reality of Death is acknowledged as part of the current human condition. There is "a time to be born and a time to die" (Ecclesiastes 3:2). Although eternal life is a gift that is granted to all who accept salvation through Jesus Christ, faithful Christians await the second coming of Jesus for complete realization of their immortality (John 3:36; Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54). While waiting for Jesus to come again, Christians may be called upon to care for the dying and to face personally their own Death.
The core of Christian belief about the afterlife is that there is an afterlife that conducts on earth how we behave and will determine where you will eventually end up . Catholic theology also states that sinners can confess their sins to Catholic priests and those sins are forgiven for ever. It does not matter how grave the sins might be even if it is genocide. If the sinner truly repents, he will be forgiven.
Islam
When person died, the eye lids are to be closed, the body should be covered, and the preparation for burial takes place as soon as possible. Muslims gather as a prayer is performed for the dead. The body is buried soon after the prayer. The family of the dead has a responsibility to fulfill any debts he had as soon as possible. They have the commitment to maintain contacts and courteous relationships with close relatives and close friends.
The close family and friends try to support and comfort the family of the dead person. According to the tenets of the Muslim faith, Death is the complete end of physical life and the beginning of a period of rest until the day of resurrection ; when Allah judges the living and the dead. Everyone is judged according to his deeds in life.
Hinduism
Hinduism believes in the rebirth and reincarnation of souls. Death is therefore not a great calamity, but a natural process in the existence of soul as a separate entity, adjusts its course and returns again to the earth to continue its journey. Hinduism believes in the existence of not one hell and one heaven but in the existence of many sun filled worlds and many dark worlds.
After Death, Hindus are not buried, but cremated. The idea is that the human is made up of five elements of which four belong to the body and come from this world; namely fire, earth, water, air while the ether (fifth element) belongs to the domain of the subtle body and comes from the higher worlds. By cremating the body, the elements are rightfully returned to their respective spheres, while the subtle body along with soul returns to the worlds beyond for the continuation of its afterlife.
Buddhism
A Buddhist looks at Death as a breaking apart of the material of which we are composed. However, Buddhism does not look at Death as a continuation of the soul but as an awakening. Dying and rebirth have been compared by some Buddhist as a candle flame. When the flame of one lit candle is touched to the wick of an unlighted candle, the light passes from one candle to another. The actual flame of the first candle does not pass over but is responsible for lighting the second candle.
At death, the person can be surrounded by friends, family and monks who recite Buddhists scriptures and mantras to help the person achieve a peaceful state of mind. Buddhism asserts that all being live beyond the various fluctuations of this life. Death is merely a passage to rebirth in another world, a pure land or the flowering of the ultimate nature of the mind.
Last, I would like to say that this information is collected from different References. Only it was a try to give different views about the end of life. So if you are one who believes in this faith and you have seen in what had written misunderstood, you are welcome to give us more illustration about your faith.
By Nouran Radwan
References
http://www.findyourfate.com
http://dying.about.com
http://www.near-Death.com/