I think the role of a priest when helping bereaved relatives is to be comforting and to talk and answer any questions that they may have. Priest Hillary explained that many people ask “why Her?” Hillary tries t explains that God doesn’t select illness for individuals and that these are natural laws that govern things. She also says that she runs quite services once a month so people can just come and talk and get some reassurance and help.
It is important that Muslims hears the Adhan before they die, as these are the first words they hear when they come into the world. They believe that Adhan should be the last words they hear as they pass on into the beginning next life.
“There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger”
These words are very important to Muslims as they sum up the religion.
It is important for Muslims to have their own burial grounds, as most burial grounds are Christian. Muslim funerals and the way in which they treat the body is different to Christians. Muslims try to bury the person as fast as possible within 24 hours. Also as they bury the body facing Makkah. Muslims also set the graves differently to Christians they have there graves raised above ground level so people do not walk on them large tombstones and decorations are discouraged.
Sheol is a Jewish belief. In the first Jewish scriptures it was written that everyone would go to a place called sheol where the dead lived a shadows. It was believed to be dark and damp and your soul would stay there for eternity. However Jews know believe that afterlife is spent in heaven or hell. They believe that god will judge them and he will send them to the place in which they deserved to go. Jews believe that the body and soul stay together after death and that heaven and hell are open to Jews and non-Jews.
There are three different types of Jews orthodox liberal and reform. They all have their own opinion on life after death. The main differences in the beliefs are the way in which the dead body is treated.
Orthodox Jews believe that the physical body will be resurrected at the end of the Messianic age. The messianic age is when the messiah comes to earth Jews do not believe that Jesus was the messier. Therefore that the body should not be cut after death and cremation is forbidden. The Jewish cemetery is also known as the house of life.
Liberal Jews believe that the body is just a shell for the soul and god will judge the soul they believe in cremation as the soul leaves the body quicker that way.
Reform Jews are more interested in the earthly life and a phrase is “ what can we know of death, we who can not understand life.
I think the word taboo is something, which people do not like to talk about. I agree very strongly that ‘ Death is our deepest mystery and our greatest taboo’ I think people don’t like talking about death because it is such a mystery and some people are scared about what happens when we die. Humans do like discussing their fears. Other taboos are things like disease, people hate talking about diseases and most do not like to be thought as, as weird or ‘not normal’ most people would not sit down and say ‘oh I’ve got nits’ or ‘I’ve got scabies’ for a very simple reason, they are scared of other peoples reactions towards them.
Before I started this project my opinion was that there was nothing after life and once you died you just rotted in the ground. However after looking at all the different explanations of life after death I have changed my mind. I am not a religious person and there for do not believe in heaven and hell or reincarnation. However I do feel that the soul lasts forever and stays with the body so if you are cremated your body and soul are in the ashes I would like my ashes to be scattered as you are then part of the world as you will be in the soil and in the soil the plants and trees grow and without these there would be no life. I also believe that when you buried and you rot you are part of the earth in the soil.
