Survival After Death

There are a number of religious and spiritual beliefs based around the concept of survivalism, commonly known as life after death. While beliefs may differ between religions and even within religions in many cases, survivalism basically refers to a belief in the survival of the conscious self after the death of the physical body has taken place. Life after death is also commonly referred to as the afterlife, and is referenced in many religious texts, spiritual treaties, and metaphysical doctrines. Typical beliefs in the afterlife can either be based on direct observation through paranormal research or based on religious faith, with the majority of belief systems falling into the second category. While they may be very different in essence, all of the major religions of the world have some form of belief in the afterlife.

The five major religions of the world are Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. While many other belief systems do exist, it is these five that have the largest number of followers around the globe. The three religions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are commonly referred to as the Abrahamic religions, and they all share beliefs based on a form of spiritual life after death. While the details vary widely, all of these three religions believe that a person’s soul is maintained after the physical death of the body, where it is reunited with loved ones in the presence of the creator. As well as a heaven or paradise state after death, some versions of these three religions also refer to a state of hell, and sometimes also to a number of unique levels that lie between divine paradise and absolute damnation.

In contrast to the three western Abrahamic faiths, Buddhism and Hinduism have very different views on the afterlife. Reincarnation is one of the most important beliefs associated with Hinduism, and is a concept also found in Buddhism and new age spirituality. The basic belief in reincarnation is that spiritual development continues after death, through another earthly life in the physical world. While the continued succession of a soul can lead to the eventual liberation from physical existence, it is this belief in continued physical reincarnation that is one of the basic distinguishing factors between western and eastern religion. Survival after death is a common belief all around the world, and is one of the defining factors of most religious and spiritual belief systems.