I will attempt to discuss the broad form of and the need for the notion of life after death in two Middle Eastern (Christianity and Islam) and two Far Eastern (Hinduism and Buddhism) religions.

All religions require followers. Followers require incentives. At an abstract and sanitized level, all religions teach people to be good and kind.

The real world is unfair. Evolution provides the framework for the long-range emergence of cooperative and altruistic behaviour, but in the short-term there is very little to prevent freeloaders and crooks from taking advantage of the system. This is true of all animals. Now add humans with a (mostly devious) brain and the attendant abilities to plan and conspire, and things suddenly look really good for the cheats, the bad guys.

So religions have this nasty little problem on their hands. Good guys do not always get rewarded; in fact they often get badly punished. Likewise, bad guys seem to be having a pretty good time. Now, unless religions did some fast-talking to maintain the faith of their followers, there was going to be a mass exodus of the faithful flock.

Hence life after death. Here is what religions claim. You may think that you can cheat all your life and get away with it, but there is that guy-in-the-sky watching you. Keeping track of everything. And don't think that death is the end of everything. You will live on in your eternal soul and reap what you sow. So much is common between the Middle East and the Far East.

Christianity and Islam have the notion of an eternal soul, a single lifetime, and eternal bliss or damnation. In Buddhism and Hindu Your eternal soul keeps being reborn innumerable times and the sins of the previous birth are punished. Breaking out of the cycle of birth is the goal of all Buddhism and Hindu believers

In conclusion Buddhism and Hindu are fairer religions because they believe in a second chance un-like Christianity and Islam who only give you one chance to live a good live.

By

Josh Buckle 9I