Death, Heaven and Hell in Hinduism and Christianity

Introduction

In this current day, humans have based their moral and ethical ideas on various belief systems. The process of beliefs that occur after death can be divided into two primary groups: those who believe you live only once and those who believe it’s possible to live multiple lives. A representation of this using current religions are, in fact, Hinduism, with its cyclical view of birth and rebirth, and Christianity, which holds that once born, your destiny is to only fulfill that one life, and shortly after will enter the afterlife, heaven, and hell.

Death, Heaven, and Hell in Hinduism

In Hinduism, death can be seen simply as a transitional process, as an end to a new life. A cyclical view of existence is personified through three primary processes: Karma, Moksha, and Samsara. In the Hindu view, Karma is seen as a way of recognizing the good and bad deeds committed in one’s life, allowing you to live a happy life or vice versa depending on your previous decisions. These may not be recognized immediately in the next life; they may be visited on a soul through the reincarnation process in future lives. Furthermore, luck that may have been experienced in a present existence may lead from excellent or poor behavior in a past life. It has been said that good Karma can contribute to reincarnation as a human being and that poor Karma can shift into the reincarnation of an animal or other non-human types in the future. In the portrayal of a God, Hindus maintain a powerful theistic perception of Karma, this may be Vishnu and Shiva as they are accountable for administering karma according to their behavior in the last lives.

The next step to understanding the cyclical view of the Hindu religion is Moksha, which is the beginning of the process of birth and rebirth; it is classified as the ultimate objective of one’s lifetime achievement. Moksha can only be reached throughout one's lifespan by supervising natural ignorance and desires. “Two ways to attain Moksha, Switch on your Divinity OR Switch off your desires.” - Tamanna. Moksha is achieved by both in the current life and in the next. The entire process of reincarnation in the Hindu religion is called Samsara. This is a constant loop; according to the law of action and reaction, the human soul is reborn again and again. Hindus believe that after death, the soul will be transported into a new physical body that can be human or non-human form depending on the previous actions that occurred in the last life. Within Samsara, there are various processes that occur that have importance in this cycle of reincarnation, both Moksha and Karma.

Death, Heaven, and Hell in Christianity

Within the Christian faith, there is a belief in resurrection after death. With this, the soul of a person is then seen as “immortal” and proceeds after death. This event is dependent when the person faces judgment, which happens after death. This is when the individual is judged by God himself. People that have been faithful throughout their life by taking part in various religious activities such as prayer and good deeds. This judgment that is then made by God will determine whether a person’s soul will spend the rest of eternity in either heaven or hell. “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:12-20). Based on the Christian teachings, they believe that heaven is seen as a place of tranquility, luxury, and eternal life. Words from Jesus himself on the cross say that “Today you will be with me in paradise.” This quote supports the idea that one will enter heaven after judgment. It must be understood that “Eternal life” in the Christian sense is not identical with “immortality of the soul”; rather, it can be understood in allegiance with the expectation of the resurrection.

Hell is also recognized as the end result of the process of judgment. Hell is traditionally seen as a place of extreme agony and suffering. This can be seen as one's refusal to accept God; it is known as a place for sinners to be punished. The Christian anticipation of the end-time is aimed not only at the church's destiny but also at the individual believer's destiny. It involves clear conceptions of existence after death's private continuance. Many young Christians baptized were persuaded that they would not die at all but would still feel Christ's arrival in their lives at some point. The Christian belief is that they think that Jesus Christ's resurrection depends on the existence after birth, that his mortality and rebirth are separate from God's scheme for mankind. “The best and sweetest flowers of Paradise God gives to his people when they are upon their knees. Prayer is the gate of heaven, a key to let us into Paradise,” “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the order of things has passed away.” These direct quotes explain that heaven is, in fact, a location for the people that have shown their good deeds and teachings with Jesus.

Comparison of Afterlife Beliefs

As it comes to the differences that both Christianity and Hinduism have with the afterlife and the processes included, they both differ significantly. The process of death is seen as one of the most fateful things that a human can experience. Life after death in Hinduism is seen as a continuous cycle that occurs over and over again with the birth and rebirth of the human being, into either a human or non-human form. This is achieved with the cycle of Samsara. Karma and Moksha will affect the next life that the person will fulfill. Death for Christians is inevitable and is a time of judgment that is made from their decisions in their current life. In Christianity, you’ll only fulfill one life, and depending on beliefs and decisions, judgment will decide whether you go to heaven or hell based on the deeds that that human took part in during their lifetime.

Conclusion

A major similarity that both religions have in common is Karma and Judgment. In Christianity, your soul will be judged by God himself, and depending on your life actions, you will be chosen to move to heaven or hell. Hinduism includes Karma; Karma carries over to the next life, and depending on if it is seen as good Karma or bad, you will either live a good life or live a bad life after death. These may not be recognized immediately in the next life; they may be visited on a soul through the reincarnation process in future lives. Furthermore, luck that may have been experienced in a present existence may lead from excellent or poor behavior in a past life. Both religions offer a comprehensive view of life after death, providing followers with a framework to understand the consequences of their earthly actions.

References

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