Compare the afterlife in Hinduism and Christianity

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Comparison: After Life In Christianity And Hinduism
Introduction
Death comes to all creatures but humans are unique in the realization of this transition. This Paper shall investigate the comparison between the Christian belief and the Hindu perception of life beyond death.
Many cultures and religions have come up with the believe that there is life after death. The ancient people perceived this as a realm of vastly and diminished existence characterized by shades and ghostly components of bodies. Dating back to before 2000 BC, ancient Egyptians and Indians believed in life after death. The Greeks have Hades and the Hebrews have Sheol.
To say there is life after death means that biological death is not the end of human existence but a transition from one form to another. This holds the view that human life shall continue after the physical death. In philosophy, after life also referred to as life after death is the concept of a realm in which the identity or subconscious aspect of the individual life lives on after the death of the individual's body. It is believed that some elements of the human body such as the soul shall be conferred the characteristics that give that specific individual its identity. This disputes the believe of eternal oblivion after death. There are perceptions that life after death takes place in the spiritual realm or world, with others holding onto the view that there is a re-birth after death. They believe that this marks the beginning of a Lifecycle with the individual under re-birth devoid of memories of their past lives. These beliefs are derived from religion, esotericism and metaphysics.
The Abrahamic religions believe that there is a specific plane of existence after death determined by some divine judgment. This is based on their beliefs and actions while still alive. Contrary to this, the Dharmic religions believe in reincarnations determined by the actions of the individual in its life but not necessarily by a supreme being.
Life after death in Hinduism
The word Hindu is derived from the Persian- Arabic given to the people living in the Indus area. Hinduism is a religion that is not bound by adherence to a certain doctrine or a structured institutional framework. It is an association of individuals with similar beliefs and perceptions about life. They believe that life after death can occur in the form of a good or bad death and transitions itself into other forms such as reincarnation, living in heaven with God or admission into the reality (Firth 1). Hindus are born into different classes or Varna namely Brahmin (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors and kings), Vaishyas (merchants and traders) and Sudras (peasants and laborers). The classes are further subdivided into castes based on the behavior of the individuals’ Dharma.
Related to Dharma is Karma which is a law based on conduct on the individual that binds him to the afterlife. A good Karma means a pleasant afterlife and a bad one means a detestable life after re-birth. Hindus believe in devotion to one God such as Krishna and devotion will result in grace and living with him thereafter. This calls for celibacy among the Hindu. They believe that this will grant the liberty from the cyclic series of re-births. According to Firth (2), the faith Bhagavad Gita believes that Krishna is the supreme God and that there is a soul (Atman) in every living thing that can transform from one form to another even into animal form. Good deaths occur at the right time in old age and at the right place. This happens especially on the banks of the secret Ganges River or at home. This is why a bottle of water is kept at homes to be administered to the one at the risk of death by giving doses of water into the mouth whether alive or dead. Brahmin priests preside over hymns as they prepare the dead for transition into another life. Bad deaths are sudden, unexpected and premature at the wrong places.
Hinduism believes in reincarnation and is the process whereby after death, the soul is set free to another world before coming back to the earth again in another form. The form to reincarnate is determined by the values and conduct while still alive. The soul is set free from an opening in the forehead to join the spiritual realm. They believe the soul travels through two channels, the path of the sun and the path of the moon (Hinduism and Death, para. 2). When a soul takes the path of the sun, it never comes back but returns if alternative path is used.
The fate of a soul upon death depends on:
Previous deeds- Bad deeds will result into suffering and spending life in the lower worlds with evil.
State of mind at the time of death- The destiny of the Jiva or being dependent on the thoughts at the time of death. Thinking about the family will transit to ancestry world and evil thoughts take one of the lower worlds. Thinking about God will enjoin one with Him in the higher worlds.
Activities of the children: It is believed in the Hindu religion that if funeral rites are not performed in accordance with the preset codes, this will delay the passage of the soul from one form to another.
Place and nature e of death: The Hindu believes that the place the person dies and the circumstances surrounding the death of the individual shall determine the nature of transition. Dying in the course of performing spiritual rites is a direct passage to heaven irrespective of the previous deeds.
Grace of God: The Supreme God may choose to intervene and change the destiny of a soul. Cases have been reported of souls being rescued from the brink of doom to the highest heavenly aspects.
The early Vedic religion believed in three worlds, the earth, the moon and the sun. They believed that the gods attained their high status due to their sacrifices and man could also attain the same. The Vedic never believed in the belief of reincarnation and that re-birth was at the discretion of God. This is to portray the fact that the early religions of Vedic believed in the presence of many heavens and hells. The integration of this with the modern believe resulted in the knowledge of re-birth. It is believed that gods have different worlds (Hinduism and Death, para.9).
Hinduism believes that heaven and hell are not meant to be a permanent dwelling place but a temporary resting point before returning to the earth. It is perceived that as soon as personal Karma is exhausted, the individual returns back to the earth, but for liberated souls, they are joined to Brahman. Once a soul is liberated, it is free and detached from impurities even should it choose to return for a re-birth.
In this religion, it is believed that souls exist in many planes and may move from one to another say from heaven to hell and vice versa. In the course of their journeys, the souls gain important lessons for their lives on re-birth. It is believed that those who revere in deities will go and join them after death. The Puranas believe that Vishnu and Siva will rescue their devotees from the god of hell Yamaraj (Hinduism and Death para 20). This calls for devotion and loyalty in the religion. However, it is not evident what duration of time a Jiva spends in the other planes before returning to earth. Either it's not clear what causes the loss in memory of previous lives according to Hinduism and Death (para.20).
Hinduism believes in the existence of spirits and ghosts. These beings are believed to be suspended between the two worlds, the higher and the earth due to certain bad sins as suicide. They believe they are under punishment and would be free afterwards though some may persist in that state. These spirits are of two calibers, the bad and the good.
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