When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden they brought sin into the world. This meant that from then on all people would be born with original sin (the sin of Adam and Eve) and would be more likely to do wrong than right. It also meant than human beings would not be immortal and would eventually die. There was no suggestion that they would go to heaven. Christianity developed from Judaism. This religion believed originally that when people died they went to a dark place under the earth called Sheol. Later, Jews began to believe that they might share some sort of eternal life with God after death. When Jesus died on the cross he was giving up his life for other people's sins and demonstrating the love of God. When Jesus rose again he proved that it was possible to overcome death and live with God for all eternity. Christians were freed from the burden of original sin if they followed Jesus' teaching and example and believed in him as the Son of God. Jesus said, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies’ - John 11:25-26. Many Christians believe that one day Jesus will return to earth. This second coming of Jesus is called the Parousia. At the Parousia God will judge everyone and decide whether they will be given eternal life with God or whether they are to be punished in hell.
Many Christians have different ideas about heaven and hell. Some follow a very traditional belief that heaven is a wonderful garden paradise where they will live for ever with God and Jesus. These people often believe that hell is a real place where people will suffer eternal torment and punishment. Other people believe that heaven and hell are really states of mind of happiness and unhappiness. Heaven is the condition of being permanently united with God and hell a condition where you are permanently unhappy and unable to be with God. Roman Catholics believe that, as well as heaven and hell, there is an intermediate place called purgatory. When people die most will go to purgatory where they will receive some punishment for their sins. Then, when they are forgiven, they will go to heaven. Because none of us can ever know what will happen when we die, Christianity provides a very real hope to people that, after death, they will live on in God's presence and will be with their friends and family again.
In some ways all religions can be seen as an attempt to explain what will happen to us when we die. It is the one major event in our lives which we can know nothing about. From the very beginning of human life, people have asked questions about what would happen after they died and each religion offers an answer to this question. Although some people claim to have had 'near-death' experiences, and whilst others say that they can talk to the dead or have seen ghosts, none of these can be proved. No scientific proof has ever appeared to show that anything happens to people after death. It is possible therefore that when people die they simply stop living and that there is nothing beyond life. Personally, I don’t believe in God, and therefore I do not believe in Heaven, Hell, Reincarnation, or any sort of after-life. However, I do feel that, at this moment in life, religions give the bereaved a way of coming to terms with what has happened, and bring them comfort in the thought that the one who has died has gone to a better place. I feel that when someone has lost someone they loved or were close to, it is important for them to be with family and friends who can support them and help them through the difficult times. I think it is important not to let the grief take over one’s life, but that one should only think of all the good the deceased brought into the world and all the happy memories that they have left behind.
