Bartholomew,+Tucker

In what ways does a religions’ views on afterlife affect the way people live? I picked this question because I believe that it is very relevant to how people see religion. A significant part of belief in a religion has to do with the afterlife; domestic conditions and cultures are often based off religions as well. The message of this paper is to clarify how Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam all influence people of their religion in regards to how they live. The afterlife has always been an interest to religious people and non-religious people. Humans by nature like to look forward to a better life, so I will be studying these three religions and their ideas on the afterlife.
 * Introduction: **

** Christianity: ** Christianity has the belief in heaven, which is where all believers go after they die. They believe that it is by faith they have been saved, and not by their works. For this reason, Christians do not need to fear death. Psalm 23 is a well-known verse that talks about fear in Christianity. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; your rod and staff they comfort me,” Psalm 23:4. This verse talks about fear in the sense that Christians have no need for it, because the Lord is always with them. Christians believe that there will be a final day, which will mark the return of the Messiah, or Jesus Christ. The lifestyle of a Christian can vary. Since there are many types of Christianity, there are many different interpretations of the text. There are many verses however that gives a sense of how Christians should act. One of the most common verses is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. **5** It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. **6**Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. **7** It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” It’s obvious that the verse is talking about love, however love in this sense is being expressed in actions; this verse is an example of how to act. Christians are supposed to love, in every sense of the word.

** Islam: ** Islam has a lot of similarities to Christianity in regards to heaven. Muslims believe that there will be a Day of Judgment as well, however they believe that it is their actions that decide if they can get to heaven. Before you can go to heaven, you will have had to repent of all your sins. They also believe that a non-believer can achieve paradise as well if they have acted accordingly. Muslims also believe that there is no need for an earthly leader, they believe that if Islam is followed properly that people will be able to govern themselves. In Islam, the journey to heaven is literally described as a journey. Terrible events will mark the end of the world. For heaven, there is a bridge crossing from one life to another. For the believers, and the people who have tried to follow the teachings of the Koran to the best of their ability the journey will be an easy crossing. For the people who have not followed the teachings, the journey will be difficult. As they sit before Allah waiting to be judged, it is said that Allah will place a book of all your intentions and deeds in your hand. If it is placed in your right hand, then you are destined for eternal bliss. If it is placed in your left hand then you are destined for eternal flame.

**Hinduism:** Hinduism is very different from both Islam and Christianity. Hinduism for one thing, does not believe in monotheism. They have more than one god in their religion. They don’t have an actual afterlife in the same why Islam and Christianity do. They believe that after you have passed, your spirit comes back in somewhat of a reincarnation belief, and the only way to escape that from happening again and again is to get rid of all joy and sorrow which is also called getting rid of true karma. There is an example in the Gita where a human named Nachiketas asked the god of death Yama what happened humans after death. Yama answered that the only way to understand that, is to understand the true nature of ones self. I believe Yama was saying that it depends on the person, and how they have lived. Hindu's live normally very quiet lives if they are strict followers of their beliefs. This is because they believe in getting rid of karma, which means that they try to not do harm to people or bring harm to people indirectly. This is the only way that they will be able to be at true peace after dying.

Although Islam and Christianity have some similar beliefs about heaven, they are actually very different because of how the believe they get to heaven. Christian’s belief in God is very different from an Islamic view of Allah. Christianity is a personal religion with the person and God. In Islam your actions decide your fate, sometimes other peoples actions can even decide your fate. An example of that is the belief that if a daughter is kept untouched before marriage, then it will help her parents get into heaven.
 * Similarities and Differences:**

Christianity is also very different from Hinduism not only because it believes in a heaven, but also because Christians are expected to want heaven. Hinduism says that you have to put off all emotion in life, while Christianity says joy and sorrow is very important to experience. Islam is similar in their differences with Hinduism. They believe in one life as well as Christians, and they believe in Heaven. Hinduism has the belief where in order to put off karma, you have to get rid of all emotion, which is different from Islam. Islam says that you need to repent of your sense and then Allah will judge you based on your life’s actions and intentions. The main difference between Hinduism and Christianity and Islam, is that Hinduism believes in Karma, and Christianity and Islam do not.

The similarities have a lot to do with actions as well though. Christians are told to love everyone. Love your neighbor as yourself is a quote that children grow up with a lot. When love is done right, peace, mercy, and a lot of good things come out from it. The Bible says that no Christian is better than another, so no one has the right to judge one another. Islam and Hinduism are religions built off of peace as a main theme as well. The Koran has many passages that stress a sense of peace within the religion, and outside of it. Islam is meant to be the real government of a person. It is meant to stop strife from breaking out within the people. Hinduism is similar in the fact that they are a peaceful religion. It's interesting how these three different religions, with three different ideas of how they can achieve paradise all have similar a re-occurring theme of peace.

Over the course of this project, I have found out a lot about two other religions. I’ve grown up in a Presbyterian Church, so I knew a lot about Christianity from what I’ve been taught. However, I’ve still learned a great deal more about the essential beliefs of Christianity. I’ve also learned more than I ever thought I would about Islam and Hinduism. It opened my eyes a lot to how similar yet how different Christianity is to them. It’s been a very informing topic. I’ve had a lot of questions on details of acceptance to heaven in Islam. I also would like to understand more about the reincarnation in Hinduism. I wonder how a human could put off true karma by getting rid of joy and sorrow, because in my up-bringing I’ve been told that that is what makes us human. Looking back on this project, I realize now that I'm very thankful for it. I've learned a lot about Islam, and Hinduism, and Christianity despite my knowledge of the subject already.
 * Reflection:**


 * Bibliography:**

"Islam Afterlife and Salvation." //Islam Beliefs// n. pag. Web. 1 Dec 2010. .

"What does the Bible say about Heaven?." //about.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec 2010. .

"Hinduism, Life After Death." //hinduwebsite//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec 2010. .

// Bible Gateway //. Web. .