Monday, August 3, 2015

After Death

Many religions provide unprovable details on what happened after one died.

Chinese Pure Land Buddhism
Upon death, most people's consciousness will be in a limbo state for an indefinite period of no more than forty-nine days. In this state the consciousness experiences a floating sequence of scenes without the power to choose. Every seven days during this period the consciousness will experience a dying process. This period ends when the consciousness is drawn by its karma and takes rebirth in one of the six realms. According to this view, death may be considered as a gate through which the consciousness departs from one life and begins the journey to a new life. Buddhists believed in  超度 (deliverance or liberation ritual) which help the dead to reborn.

Below is a quote from Welcome to World Jenchen Buddhism on rebirth:
After a person dies, approximately how many days does it take for him to be reborn?
After a person dies, before he is reborn, he becomes a 中阴身. (Chung-ying-shen: It is an intermediate existence between death and rebirth to the next life. When ordinary people die, they are not immediately reborn. Between death and their next birth, there is a short period of one to 49 days, during which the soul is of a dank gaseous form. It is invisible to the ordinary people at large, and is a mind-consciousness without a physical body.) There is a 49-day period for rebirth. Although it is stated to be 49 days, it is not necessary that rebirth takes place only on the 49th day. A person who has great virtuous roots and has performed great virtuous deeds ascends immediately to the heavens as soon as he dies. If he had been a great sinner in his lifetime, he immediately descends to hell. During the 49-day period, the conditions for rebirth are not predetermined for the average person who neither was virtuous nor evil in his lifetime. Such a person will search for the condition for his rebirth within the 49 days. The 49-day period is divided into terms of 7 days. If the condition for rebirth arises during any of these 7-day terms, he can be reborn into one of the 6 realms, depending on his conduct during his lifetime. If all seven 7-day terms expire but he still finds no condition for rebirth, then he naturally enters into the realm of ghosts.

Roman Catholics
Roman Catholics do not believed that Christ's atonement alone is sufficient for the average believers. Thus after death, they would end up in a temporary place called Purgatory, which will purged them of the rest of their sins through suffering. However, they also believed that the saints have more than enough merit for their salvation. These merits are deposited with the Church, which have the authority to release them to those suffering in Purgatory, to meet the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven and cut short their suffering. To do so, the Church also commends alms giving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead.

Bible
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8 KJV)

... The rich man also died and was buried. While being tormented in the place of the dead, he looked up and saw Abraham at a distance with Lazarus at his side. (Luke 16:22-23 CEB)

The Bible tells us that the soul of a believer goes immediately to the presence of God and the soul of an unbeliever goes immediately into conscious torment. Does the Bible give a lot of details on what happen after death? Surprisingly, the Bible gives minimal detail about what happen after death. Why?

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:11-13 KJV)

Many people do not believe in what the Bible says about provable things on earth. How will one believe if the Bible tells of unprovable things after death?

No one has gone up to heaven except Jesus who came down from heaven. No one has come back from the dead, except Jesus. Yet many people rather believe in those who do not come from heaven and who never come back from the dead. They claimed that they are somebody and had been beyond death but unlike Jesus, there are no witnesses or documentary proof. These are the people that provide many details and which cannot be proven.

No comments: