The afterlife and the apocalypse are significant components of these sacred stories. Although, some of these tales differ, other aspects of these tales share common themes. Features like scare tactics, stratifications, and communities are features that make these religions part of the same shared narrative.
Scare tactics are the first feature that show unity amongst the scared stories. Scare tactics are the forms of punishment described in these tales of afterlife and apocalypse that are meant to frighten people into obedience and morality. Scare tactics are also a form of peer pressure used for recruitment and subscription to the religion. In the Acts of Thomas, a Woman is given a tour of gruesome chasms that contain punishments for immorality. …show more content…
Stratifications are the sectioning of heaven to different members of the afterlife based on earthly morality. An example of a stratification is the Acherusian Lake described in the Apocalypse of Paul. In this apocrypha, an angel answers one of Paul’s many questions during his tour of the afterlife: “This is the Acherusian Lake where is the City of Christ, but not every man is permitted to enter that city; for this is the journey which leads to God, and if anyone is a fornicator and impious, and is converted and shall repent and bear fruits worthy of repentance…” (196). The angel tells Paul that not every man is permitted to enter the City of Christ, even though a man may be permitted to heaven. This scene indicates a type of exclusivity even within heaven. This same exclusivity and stratification is found in Muhammad’s Night Journey, “the Garden becomes a place of reward where there are gradations and types of punishments. The afterworld had stratifications in the same way that this world does. It is no longer sufficient to be a good Muslim to reach the Garden; one had to be an exemplary one to reach the highest level” (31). Muhammad discovers through his journey, much like Paul, that the Garden has exclusivity meant to create hierarchy amongst Muslims. These stratifications within the afterlife of
Scare tactics are the first feature that show unity amongst the scared stories. Scare tactics are the forms of punishment described in these tales of afterlife and apocalypse that are meant to frighten people into obedience and morality. Scare tactics are also a form of peer pressure used for recruitment and subscription to the religion. In the Acts of Thomas, a Woman is given a tour of gruesome chasms that contain punishments for immorality. …show more content…
Stratifications are the sectioning of heaven to different members of the afterlife based on earthly morality. An example of a stratification is the Acherusian Lake described in the Apocalypse of Paul. In this apocrypha, an angel answers one of Paul’s many questions during his tour of the afterlife: “This is the Acherusian Lake where is the City of Christ, but not every man is permitted to enter that city; for this is the journey which leads to God, and if anyone is a fornicator and impious, and is converted and shall repent and bear fruits worthy of repentance…” (196). The angel tells Paul that not every man is permitted to enter the City of Christ, even though a man may be permitted to heaven. This scene indicates a type of exclusivity even within heaven. This same exclusivity and stratification is found in Muhammad’s Night Journey, “the Garden becomes a place of reward where there are gradations and types of punishments. The afterworld had stratifications in the same way that this world does. It is no longer sufficient to be a good Muslim to reach the Garden; one had to be an exemplary one to reach the highest level” (31). Muhammad discovers through his journey, much like Paul, that the Garden has exclusivity meant to create hierarchy amongst Muslims. These stratifications within the afterlife of