The afterlife is a concept present in some major world religions. Two include Christianity and Islam, which are two major world religions. I have always been interested in the relationship of these two religions, and wanted to know more in depth about how they compare. And so after reading Angela Sumegi’s book Understand Death: An Introduction to Ideas of Self and the Afterlife in World Religions, I became fascinated with how the afterlives compared in Christianity and Islam. The afterlife comparison between these two religions show how the relationship is much more complex than first meets the eye. The afterlife is a concept that I find extremely interesting. We do actually not know what goes on because there is no scientific evidence of
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But this class has shown me that there are many aspects about the afterlife I was unfamiliar with. In the Christian belief there is a heaven and a hell, which are the two places that the soul goes after death (Sumegi 119). Heaven is regarded as the part of the afterlife that those who do good in their life and live according to Christian belief go when they pass. While hell is regarded as the part of the afterlife that those who do bad in their life and do not live according to Christian belief go when they pass. Many, including myself wonder what heaven could possibly be like. According to Sumegi’s book “Heaven as a place or state of eternal joy in the presence of God is the focus of Christian hope” (Sumegi 122). This quote can be interpreted to suggest that heaven is the reflection of pure Christian belief and their source of happiness. This goes along with our discussion in class about what heaven is like. We discussed how heaven is a paradise where a person can rejoin their loved ones when they pass, meet with God, be surrounded by all good emotions, last there forever, and have all that you desire. Hell on the other hand is a complete contrast of heaven. According to Sumegi “the idea of hell a place or state of eternal torment for the unrepentant has had a long tradition in Christian thought” (Sumegi 122). This quote explains how hell is an …show more content…
So I did not know much about their religion and I have always wanted to know more about it. Surprising to me, Islamic belief has the same idea of heaven and hell that Christianity does. A quote from Sumegi’s book gives an explanation of what their heaven is like, “Those fortunate ones, clothed in silk and brocade, adorned with silver bracelets, recline on couches under shady trees with hanging clusters of fruit, eating and drinking pure food and drink form silver plates and silver gobblers in a garden that knows neither extreme heat or cold” (Sumegi 150). This quote describing Islamic heaven could also be used to describe Christian heaven and out of context, could be mistaken for a Christian description. This goes along with our class discussion on how the afterlife between Islam and Christianity are very similar in many aspects. These included that a person can rejoin their loved ones when they pass, meet with God, be surrounded by all good emotions, last there forever, and have all that they desire. A big difference that was mentioned in the video we watched in class was that in Islamic culture, one can get to heaven even if they were cast to hell first. This was a big surprise to me because this is not the case in Christian belief. When I reflect upon this idea, it makes me wonder if people in Islamic culture are not as
But this class has shown me that there are many aspects about the afterlife I was unfamiliar with. In the Christian belief there is a heaven and a hell, which are the two places that the soul goes after death (Sumegi 119). Heaven is regarded as the part of the afterlife that those who do good in their life and live according to Christian belief go when they pass. While hell is regarded as the part of the afterlife that those who do bad in their life and do not live according to Christian belief go when they pass. Many, including myself wonder what heaven could possibly be like. According to Sumegi’s book “Heaven as a place or state of eternal joy in the presence of God is the focus of Christian hope” (Sumegi 122). This quote can be interpreted to suggest that heaven is the reflection of pure Christian belief and their source of happiness. This goes along with our discussion in class about what heaven is like. We discussed how heaven is a paradise where a person can rejoin their loved ones when they pass, meet with God, be surrounded by all good emotions, last there forever, and have all that you desire. Hell on the other hand is a complete contrast of heaven. According to Sumegi “the idea of hell a place or state of eternal torment for the unrepentant has had a long tradition in Christian thought” (Sumegi 122). This quote explains how hell is an …show more content…
So I did not know much about their religion and I have always wanted to know more about it. Surprising to me, Islamic belief has the same idea of heaven and hell that Christianity does. A quote from Sumegi’s book gives an explanation of what their heaven is like, “Those fortunate ones, clothed in silk and brocade, adorned with silver bracelets, recline on couches under shady trees with hanging clusters of fruit, eating and drinking pure food and drink form silver plates and silver gobblers in a garden that knows neither extreme heat or cold” (Sumegi 150). This quote describing Islamic heaven could also be used to describe Christian heaven and out of context, could be mistaken for a Christian description. This goes along with our class discussion on how the afterlife between Islam and Christianity are very similar in many aspects. These included that a person can rejoin their loved ones when they pass, meet with God, be surrounded by all good emotions, last there forever, and have all that they desire. A big difference that was mentioned in the video we watched in class was that in Islamic culture, one can get to heaven even if they were cast to hell first. This was a big surprise to me because this is not the case in Christian belief. When I reflect upon this idea, it makes me wonder if people in Islamic culture are not as