The after-life in Christianity and Jainism

The after-life in Christianity and Jainism You might be reborn to start all over again or suffer the eight hells. The eight hells are not eternal but are similar to a Catholic purgatory until you’re ready to move on. What happens after death is the challenging question that has confronted humankind since time immemorial. Is death the terminating point or the beginning of another life process? Do the bodies just decompose like any other matter? The answer to these questions depends upon the faith (religion) to which one belongs. The concept of pre-existence was advocated by Origen, a Church Father, somewhere between the second and third century AD. He articulated that the human soul was created by God at the appropriate time before conception. God is the creator of all souls and as such he knows about the good and bad inclinations of all the souls. He overruled the position that God loves or hates a soul based on its predisposition toward good or evil before the soul actually commits a good or evil act. According to Jainism, the universe is without beginning or end and it is everlasting. The constituents of the universe are six fundamental elements known as dravya. They constantly undergo innumerable changes known as pralaya. In such transformation, nothing is lost or destroyed and the Reality is imperishable. Soul and matter are eternal and since no one has created them, no one can destroy them. Jains do not believe that there is a supernatural power. Self-effort and self-initiative are the hallmarks of Jainism and each individual is the creator of one’s own destiny. Christianity owns different denominations as such no universal belief system as for afterlife is prevalent in this religion. The discussion about afterlife begins with what is contained in the Book of Mathew which mentions about two worlds in the afterlife which are heaven and hell.&.