Discussion Questions: Death and Afterlife

Discussion Question 1

The main difference between Eastern and Western traditions is that Eastern religions believe in a decentralized god where different gods control different aspects of life whereas, in Western religions, they believe in a monotheistic God who is responsible for creating the world as well as controlling everything in it. In Christianity, the Bible is used as the ultimate guide to heaven while in Buddhism, one has to follow a certain path in order to reach the ultimate goal which is nirvana (Wong et al., 2015) . Christians believe that there is eternal life after death and that they will directly go into the kingdom of God. Hinduism, on the other hand, believes in the reincarnation and rebirth of souls where after death, the soul reassembles and returns on each to continue its journey. Hinduism and other Eastern traditions believe that death is temporary. Christians hold the belief that the suffering we experience is a way of God testing our faith, and it is viewed as a necessary path to eternal life. Buddhists believe in following the eight noble paths in order to alleviate their suffering while in Christianity, people are expected to repent their sins, follow the commandments as well as believe in Jesus Christ and the word of God, and after death, one will end up in heaven (Wong et al., 2015) .

I resonate more with Western religions. I am a Christian, and I believe that once life is over here on earth, I will transcend into a spirit and either go to heaven or hell based on how I have lived. Just like the Buddhists have the eight noble paths to follow, Christians also have guidelines that they follow in order to have a good life as well as to attain eternal life as promised in the Bible.

Discussion Question 2

Regardless of the religion that we belong to, death is an inevitable part of human life. For a very long time, the fear of death has been present in most world cultures. The Bible and the Quran promise life after death where believers will go to heaven and live a life that is free from suffering, sin and death (Wong et al., 2015) . Losing a dear friend or a family member is a difficult task for anyone to cope with. Religion helps in understanding the unknown tenets of death and how to cope up with the loss that we have experienced. Christianity promises an everlasting life that someday we will be able to meet with our loved ones. The belief in the afterlife provides acceptance, reassurance and peace in death as well as acts as a support and comfort system that helps in coping and understanding death.

Religion may act as a hindrance in understanding and coping with grief because many at times people ask themselves if really there is a God, why does He let misfortunes befall us? Sometimes our suffering lets us the question the existence of God especially when the wicked prosper and the righteous continue to suffer which brings out the question which makes believers question the role that God plays in our lives (Wong et al., 2015) .

American popular culture is fascinated with death as the dying or the dead regularly portrayed in various entertainment and informational media. The media in America has become the primary source of information on death for most Americans (Gire, 2014) . There is a concern about the number of violent deaths seen on American television. Death occupies a prominent place in American society, and this acts as coping mechanisms that the American society can rely on in dealing with death (Gire, 2014) . The enjoyment of themes, however, requires some form of detachment on the part of the person watching.

References

Gire, J. (2014). How Death Imitates Life: Cultural Influences on Conceptions of Death and Dying. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture , 6(2). https://doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1120

Wong, L., Fung, H., & Jiang, D. (2015). Associations between religiosity and death attitudes: Different between Christians and Buddhists? Psychology of Religion and Spirituality , 7(1), 70-79. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037993