Rainis,+Rebecca


 * How do views on the Afterlife differentiate between Buddhism, Christianity, and Atheism?
 * Introduction:
 * My research question is "How do views on the Afterlife differentiate between Buddhism, Christianity, and Atheism?" For my project, I will be comparing the religion Buddhism, Christianity, and Atheism to find out what their beliefs on what happens to a person after death are. This is relevant to exploring my topic, the Afterlife, because it will open my mind to more religions other than my own, and help me understand the different thoughts of people all around the world.
 * My general message is that there are many people in the world, all of which belong to various religions. People don't take the time to look into other religions enough to realize that not all people believe in the same things that they do, so the point of my project was to explore what afterlife in each religion is like.
 * In the paragraphs below, I will talk about the afterlife of Buddhism, Christianity, and Atheism. I will mention how they all differ and compare.
 * Interpretation & Analysis
 * Christianity: Christian's beliefs of the afterlife are very biased. Christians believe that the amount of good and bad you do in life determines whether you go to Heaven or Hell. Heaven is a place where all Christian's spirits go to be endlessly happy, with God. If you are not born into the Christian religion, you may change over at any time in order to 'save yourself' from going to Hell. An article says that "All that is ugly and vile will be cast with the wicked into hell... where the damned are continuously tormented by evil spirits." There are two types of sins in the Christian religion; mortal and venial. Mortal sins are sins that are not able to be fixed are repaired, while venial sins are sins that can be fixed or repaired.
 * Atheism: Atheism afterlife is very simple to understand. Atheists believe that after a person dies, that person becomes non-existent, without a spirit or conscious. Atheists believe that the Bible, Sutra, and other sacred texts should not be trusted because their beliefs on the afterlife cannot be proved. They also believe that things like ghosts, spirits, or voices of dead people is just a hallucination rather than a special message from God or someone who is dead. Atheists do not believe in Gods of any sort, and there is no leader of their religion. To them, religious beliefs are just superstitions and ways to keep people in line during life; for instance, if you do good, you go to heaven, if you do bad, you go to hell.
 * Buddhism: Buddhist's views on death are very different compared to Christianity or Atheism. Buddhist's believe that death is an extremely important process. They don't look at death as the end of someone's life, but instead, the rebirth. They believe that all people live on after they die, and the importance of death is stressed during the process. Buddhist's think that a dying person's state of mind is a great issue; they must be peaceful and at rest. They make these emotions true by having Monks recite Buddhist scriptures and mantras. During a person's death, they shall be surrounded by friends, families, and monks. Buddhist's feel as though death is an awakening for all; a passage to rebirth.
 * Beliefs on afterlife are different and similar when it comes to Christianity, Atheism and Buddhism. The people who believe in these religions may be able to agree on some things, however they could argue for hours on different topics.
 * Christianity and Atheism do not compare in many ways. Christians and Atheists believe that after death, a body decomposes, but nothing else between these two religions are the same. For instance, Christian's believe that after a person dies, their soul and spirit either goes to Heaven or Hell; Heaven if you lived a good life, Hell if you've made bad choices. Atheist's believe that this idea is preposterous, because there is no proof that Heaven, Hell, or existence of the afterlife exists. Also, Christian's believe in God, an unknown figure who is prayed to, can help you, and watches over your life if you accept him into your heart. Atheist's do not believe in any type of god. They do not praise anyone, or believe that any unknown figure is more important or significant than them. Christian's also believe in sins, some of which can be forgiven, some of which can't. They believe the sins you've committed in your life determine where you end up in the afterlife. Atheist's believe that after death, you do not live on in spirit or soul. You become one with the world, no matter how many bad things you've done in your life.
 * Christianity and Buddhism relate in many more ways than Christianity and Atheism. Christian's and Buddhist's both believe in a supreme god that is praised; God and Buddha. They both have sacred texts that they abide by; the Bible and Sutra. During death, Christian's and Buddhist's believe that the person dying shall be surrounded by loved friends and family, and monks. In the Buddhist religion, Monks recite scriptures and mantras so the person dying can achieve peace. In the Catholic religion, the sacrament "Anointing of the Sick" is when a sick person or sick people are visited by a priest, who recites holy scriptures from the Bible. They both believe in the afterlife, too. The Christian's and Buddhist's believe that the spirit and soul of a person lives on after they die. However, their beliefs on death and what happens to a person after death differs. Christian's believe that death is a sad thing, however it may be a good thing for a person who has not committed many sins, because they can then be eternally happy in Heaven with God. Buddhist's believe that death is a rebirth or awakening. They believe that death is very important and sacred.
 * Atheism and Buddhism do not compare in a lot of ways, similar to Christianity and Atheism. While Atheist's can find a person's death sad and upsetting, they do not believe Buddhist's look at it as rebirth. Atheist's do not believe in sacred texts, while Buddhist's sacred text is the Sutra. Buddhist's believe that all people live on after death, while Atheist's do not believe that to be true. Buddhist's have Monks and Gods that are significant to their religion, but Atheist's do not have any supreme Gods. Although these religions can hardly be compared, Atheist's believe death to be a very depressing occurrence, and when a person is dying, their friends and families are there to surround them with love and say goodbye. While the reasons for dying people being surrounded by friends and families may not be the same, it is still something that is the same between these two religions.
 * When it comes to religions, many themes arise. For instance, different opinions on sacred texts come up all the time. The Bible and Sutra both state different things, while Atheist's don't have a sacred text. Other themes come up also, like life and death. Many religions believe that life exists for different reasons, while they also have different views on death and the afterlife. There are many different things that come up in some religions that other religions don't go by or haven't ever heard of, but that's what makes every religion unique and individual.
 * Final Thoughts, Reflections, & Insights on the Issue
 * In the process of doing this project, I've learned much about different religions. I'm Catholic, so learning about something other than I believe in was very interesting to me. Researching thoughts on afterlife for other religions like Atheism and Buddhism was a great experience for me. I've learned that there are different religions and beliefs in the world, and that religions is part of what makes the world what it is today.
 * I made many connections between different religions. Comparing their views of the afterlife was the main part of my project, which was extremely fascinating to me. It was great for me to be able to compare three completely different religions, as well as discover what their differences are. I made connections when it came to sacred texts, their beliefs and views on life and death, their supreme gods, and the rules that they follow when it comes to their religion.
 * The differences between various religions are very important when it comes to today's world. Many people disagree on religions, and it's a very big part of conflict in today's world. There are arguments defending and supporting some religions, and it sometimes causes problems between people and whole groups of religions. However, each religion is notable and distinctive in it's own way.
 * Bibliography
 * "Afterlife - Roman Catholic." //Mouse Index.// 1995. Web. 02 Dec. 2010. .
 * Paul, Kirkpatrick. "The Roman Catholic View of the Afterlife." N.P.,n.d. Web. 2 Dec 2010. .
 * Walker, Cliff. "What Is The Atheist View Of The Afterlife? Kristen Fraley (FAQ) (5-01)." //Positive Atheism (since 1995) Join the Struggle Against Anti-Atheist Bigotry!// 31 May 2001. Web. 09 Dec. 2010. .
 * "ATHEISM and Life after Death, Heaven Hell Doesnt Exist. What Will Happen to a Atheist after Death?" //Astrology: Insights into Astrology: DEATH.// Web. 09 Dec. 2010. .
 * "Death & Religion : What Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism Say about Death - Astrology & Horoscopes Online. Web 09 Dec. 2010. .