People at all times have been looking for an answer about what awaits them after death: are there heaven and hell, is there a soul, do we die completely or can we be reborn? Currently, there are 4 main religions on Earth: Christianity (Catholic and Orthodox), Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, and hundreds of religious movements, as well as many small and large sects. And each promises the righteous life in paradise, and unspeakable hellish torments for sinners.
What heaven looks like for Christians
According to Christian canons, the afterlife is divided into two stages: until the second coming of Jesus, souls are in heaven and hell, each according to its earthly deeds. And after the advent, sinners will remain in the same place, and the righteous will return from heaven to a changed and blessed Earth. Paradise is described rather sparingly in both Orthodox and Catholic books. The most complete picture can be learned from the "Revelations of John the Theologian", which tells about a city of pure gold and precious stones, along the streets of which "saved peoples" walk, and where there is never night. About what the human soul will do, almost nothingsaid, but the line from the Bible: "… for in the resurrection neither marry nor are given in marriage" suggests the impossibility of any sexual relations in the afterlife.
What does Muslim paradise look like
In Islam, a blissful afterlife is provided for all righteous men and women. In the view of Muslims, the faithful after death will fall into a wonderful oasis, with rivers full of milk and honey, green gardens and pure innocent houris. And besides, all believers will reunite with their loved ones: wives with husbands, parents with children.
What heaven looks like for the Jews
In Judaism, very little is said about paradise: there is such a thing as Eden, in which the righteous souls are waiting to return to Earth, where they will find eternal life. Sinners await nothingness.
What does Buddhist paradise look like
Buddhism differs sharply from other world religions in that it does not define "good" and "bad" deeds. This belief teaches to understand the connection between cause and effect, when a person is his own judge, and future rebirth will depend only on the awareness of his current life. Therefore, Buddhists do not have heaven and hell, and eternal existence is presented as an endless chain of reincarnations. There is such a thing as "nirvana", but this is not a place, but rather a state of mind.
Paradise in mythology
Ancient peoples also imagined existence after death in different ways:
- among the Slavs: Bird and Serpent Iry (respectively - heaven and hell). To Bird Iriy every autumnbirds fly away, from there they bring the souls of newborns;
- among the Scandinavians: glorious Valhalla, where the souls of warriors go and where there is an endless feast;
- the ancient Greeks meant only torment for sinners, for everyone else - a disembodied silent existence on the fields of sorrow.
Undoubtedly, the descriptions of paradise in many religions have something in common, there are only slight differences in the details. But the question "is there really a paradise" everyone must answer for himself - this knowledge cannot be obtained scientifically, you can only believe or not believe.
