![Hindu hell](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Hindu_hell.jpg)
Judgement in an
afterlife
The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving ess ...
, in which ones deeds and characteristics in life determine either punishment or reward, is a central theme of many religions. Almost all religions are greatly devoted to the afterlife, emphasizing that what you do in your current life affects what happens to you after death.
Ancient religions
Ancient Egypt
In Ancient Egypt, it was believed that upon death, one's fate in the afterlife was determined by the weighing of one's heart. One's heart was kept within the body during mummification so that it can travel with the deceased into the afterlife. Upon death, one entered the underworld (
Duat
The Duat ( egy, dwꜣt, Egyptological pronunciation "do-aht", cop, ⲧⲏ, also appearing as ''Tuat'', ''Tuaut'' or ''Akert'', ''Amenthes'', ''Amenti'', or ''Neter-khertet'') is the realm of the dead in ancient Egyptian mythology. It has been ...
), where
Anubis
Anubis (; grc, Ἄνουβις), also known as Inpu, Inpw, Jnpw, or Anpu in Ancient Egyptian () is the god of death, mummification, embalming, the afterlife, cemeteries, tombs, and the Underworld, in ancient Egyptian religion, usually depict ...
, the God of the dead, weighed the person's heart on a scale against the feather of
Ma’at
Maat or Maʽat (Egyptian:
mꜣꜥt /ˈmuʀʕat/, Coptic: ⲙⲉⲓ) refers to the ancient Egyptian concepts of truth, balance, order, harmony, law, morality, and justice. Ma'at was also the goddess who personified these concepts, and regulate ...
, the goddess of order, truth, and righteousness. If the heart weighed more than the feather, meaning that the person was more wicked than good, then the heart would be devoured by
Ammit
Ammit (; egy, ꜥm-mwt, "devourer of the dead";Erman, Adolf; Grapow, Hermann (1926-1961) ''Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache'', Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, volume 1, page 184.9 also rendered Ammut or Ahemait) was a goddess in ancient Egyptian ...
, a demon with the head of a crocodile, the front half of the body of a leopards, and the back half of a hippopotamus, but with goat arms. If a person's heart was devoured by Ammit, then he would die a second death and be completely annihilated from existence.
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greeks believed that upon death, an individual would enter the realm of
Hades
Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...
, the Greek underworld, and be judged by
King Minos
In Greek mythology, Minos (; grc-gre, Μίνως, ) was a King of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. Every nine years, he made King Aegeus pick seven young boys and seven young girls to be sent to Daedalus's creation, the labyrinth, to be eaten ...
,
Aeacus
Aeacus (; also spelled Eacus; Ancient Greek: Αἰακός) was a mythological king of the island of Aegina in the Saronic Gulf. He was a son of Zeus and the nymph Aegina, and the father of the heroes Peleus and Telamon. According to legend, ...
, and
Radamanthus. Depending on one's actions in life, an individual would be sent to one of three different planes:
Elysium
Elysium (, ), otherwise known as the Elysian Fields ( grc, Ἠλύσιον πεδίον, ''Ēlýsion pedíon'') or Elysian Plains, is a conception of the afterlife that developed over time and was maintained by some Greek religious and philos ...
, the
Asphodel Fields
The Asphodel Meadows is a section of the ancient Greek underworld where ordinary souls are sent to live after death.
Later depictions
The Asphodel Meadows is most probably where the souls of people who lived mediocre lives remain. Its relationshi ...
, or
Tartarus
In Greek mythology, Tartarus (; grc, , }) is the deep abyss that is used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked and as the prison for the Titans. Tartarus is the place where, according to Plato's ''Gorgias'' (), souls are judg ...
. Elysium is for those who were righteous in life and is reserved for good people and legendary heroes. In Elysium people relax and enjoy a life of everlasting joy in a beautiful and comfortable field with trees and sun. The Asphodel Fields is the land of neutrality, where those who were either neutral, or whose good and bad deeds are about equal reside. It is a bland place symbolizing their lack of notability in life. The final realm, Tartarus, is the realm of the wicked. It is the deepest realm of Hades, and those who have performed wicked deeds are punished here for eternity. Punishment here reflects the wicked deeds committed in one's life (e.g.,
Tantalus
Tantalus ( grc, Τάνταλος ) was a Greek mythological figure, most famous for his punishment in Tartarus: he was made to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches, with the fruit ever eluding his grasp, and the wate ...
killed and fed his son to the Gods, so he was punished by being made to stand in a pool surrounded by trees with fruit, but can partake of neither water nor fruit.). Mortals shared this realm with non-mortals.
Indian religions
Indian religions were extremely influential, with aspects and gods from Hinduism and Buddhism being borrowed into other religions not only in India, but also in China, Korea, and Japan. As such, many of the Asian religions have similarities in myths, deities, and concepts.
Hinduism
In Hinduism, people are judged by
Yama
Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion, belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities ...
, the God of Death, in accordance with
Karma
Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
. Depending on whether or not and how closely one adhered to one's duties in life, as well as one's deeds, they would be either punished or rewarded in their next life after reincarnation. Those who performed their duties and performed good deeds would spend some time between lives in bliss in heaven, whereas those who did not follow the rules of their duties and performed bad deeds in life were either reincarnated or sent to
Naraka
Naraka ( sa, नरक) is the realm of hell in Indian religions. According to some schools of Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism, ''Naraka'' is a place of torment. The word ''Neraka'' (modification of ''Naraka'') in Indonesian and Malaysia ...
(the equivalent of Hell) and tortured by various means between lives. There are several layers to Naraka, and people are sent to different ones for different punishments based on the severity and nature of their misdeeds in life. With the exception of Hindu philosopher
Madhva
Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the '' Dvaita'' (dualism) sch ...
, time in Hell is not regarded as eternal
damnation
Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment and torment in an afterlife for actions that were committed, or in some cases, not committed on Earth.
In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, citizens would recite th ...
within Hinduism.
Helmuth von Glasenapp Helmuth is both a masculine German given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name;
*Helmuth Theodor Bossert (1889–1961), German art historian, philologist and archaeologist
*Helmuth Duckadam (born 1959), Romanian forme ...
: Der Hinduismus. Religion und Gesellschaft im heutigen Indien, Hildesheim 1978, p. 248.
Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
applies the principles of Karma and reincarnation much the same way that Hinduism does. There are several differing versions. In some there is no God that passes down judgement on individuals to either determine their future life or to reward or punish them for their current one. In such cases, humans, as well as all other beings except for the
buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...
s who have reached Nirvana, simply follow the cycle of reincarnation based on Karma until they can reach Nirvana. In some other versions of Buddhism, Yama, as well as conceptions of Naraka and punishment, are adopted from Hinduism.
Influence on Chinese religions
Chinese religion borrows heavily from Hinduism and Buddhism, including Yama and Naraka (
Diyu
Diyu () is the realm of the dead or " hell" in Chinese mythology. It is loosely based on a combination of the Buddhist concept of Naraka, traditional Chinese beliefs about the afterlife, and a variety of popular expansions and reinterpretations ...
). However, Karma and the Caste system is not employed; thus reincarnation, as well as rewards and punishment between lives and in Diyu, are based solely on good or bad deeds in life. The wicked are tortured in Diyu, which contains different levels with different punishments, just like in Hinduism, and are reincarnated either into humans with bad luck and conditions or into animals. Those who are righteous and good are either reincarnated into humans with good fortune and status or are accepted into heaven
Abrahamic religions
Judaism
In
Rabbinic Judaism
Rabbinic Judaism ( he, יהדות רבנית, Yahadut Rabanit), also called Rabbinism, Rabbinicism, or Judaism espoused by the Rabbanites, has been the mainstream form of Judaism since the 6th century CE, after the codification of the Babylonian ...
, judgement by
God
In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
occurs during the transition from the current earthly world (''Olam Ha-Zeh'') to the world to come (''
Olam Ha-Ba
Jewish eschatology is the area of Jewish theology concerned with events that will happen in the end of days and related concepts. This includes the ingathering of the exiled diaspora, the coming of a Jewish Messiah, afterlife, and the reviva ...
'').
According to the
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...
, any non-Jew who lives according to the
Seven Laws of Noah
In Judaism, the Seven Laws of Noah ( he, שבע מצוות בני נח, ''Sheva Mitzvot B'nei Noach''), otherwise referred to as the Noahide Laws or the Noachian Laws (from the Hebrew pronunciation of "Noah"), are a set of universal moral law ...
is regarded as a ''
Ger toshav
''Ger toshav'' ( he, גר תושב, ''ger'': "foreigner" or "alien" + ''toshav'': "resident", lit. "resident alien") is a halakhic term used in Judaism to designate the legal status of a Gentile (non-Jew) living in the Land of Israel who does ...
'' (righteous gentile), and is assured of a place in the world to come, the final reward of the righteous.
Those who did not obey the rules would spend time in
Gehenna
The Valley of Hinnom ( he, , lit=Valley of the son of Hinnom, translit=Gēʾ ḇen-Hīnnōm) is a historic valley surrounding Ancient Jerusalem, Ancient Jerusalem from the west and southwest. The valley is also known by the name Gehinnom ( ...
for spiritual purification. Gehenna was a fiery place similar to common conceptions of Hell, where the wicked would be tortured for a maximum of one year's time in order to purify them for ''Olam Ha-Ba''. Those who were too wicked would instead be completely destroyed after being tortured in Gehenna.
Christianity
The Catholic Church
Catholics believe that all men, women, and children whether just or unjust will be resurrected, and shall come to The Day of Judgment both in body and soul. Humans are judged according to their deeds. Those found pure are saved and welcomed into the kingdom, and those found wanting enter everlasting damnation. Catholics believe that while salvation is by and through the grace of God, that human cooperation with grace is necessary as evidenced by the Parable of The Talents. They believe that the works done to merit salvation are not merited in virtue of the human's own being, who is a sinner, but as a servant and friend who acts well with the graces given them freely; thus faith without works is deemed Solo Fides and is rejected by Catholics, but so too works without Faith is rejected as Pelagianism by Catholics. Judgment Day is thus considered to require both Faith as a gift from above, but also the works of the human are judged, just as a branch of a vine is judged by its fruits. Catholics also believe in Purgatory, but as a place that is pre-Judgment Day, a purifying locale for those preparing for The Day of Judgment. If souls are purified before Judgment Day they are released where they join the Saints who are spirits without bodies, enjoying an intellectual vision of The Father who is without body, known as The Beatific Vision. There the Saints await The Day of Judgment knowing they will be resurrected to receive their bodies and will be judged pure by The Trinity, confirmed by the Apostles and Patriarchs. Not only are humans judged on That Day, but so too are other creatures like angels,.
Protestantism
Protestants believe that the deceased leave their bodies and their spirit faces judgement for sin by God. Since all humans sin, the only way into Heaven is faith in Jesus Christ, who is both God's Son and God in human form. Good deeds in this life store up treasures in heaven – entering into Heaven (the true life) is worth far more than earthly riches and honor. However, salvation is through grace-alone. All others go to Hell. Once in Hell, people will suffer to varying degrees depending on their deeds in life. This punishment is eternal. When the world ends all of the dead will come back to life for their permanent judgement and placed in a new Heaven, Earth and Hell. Protestantism differs from other World beliefs in that while it allows a distinct avenue for judgement by a Higher Power, passage into a comfortable eternal life cannot be earned, but happens due to the self-sacrifice of that Higher Power by Solo Fides.
Islam
In
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, there are two general stages after death: the minor Judgement (''al-Qiyama al-Sughra'') which begins for every individual the moment they die, and the major Judgement (''al-
Qiyamah
In Islam, "the promise and threat" () of Judgment Day ( ar, یوم القيامة, Yawm al-qiyāmah, Day of Resurrection or ar, یوم الدین, italic=no, Yawm ad-din, Day of Judgement),
when "all bodies will be resurrected" from the dead, an ...
al-Kubra'') which is a set event for all the creation.
The minor Judgement, also referred to in the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
as the barrier (''
Barzakh
Barzakh (Arabic: برزخ, from Persian ''Barzakh'', "limbo, barrier, partition") is an Arabic word meaning "obstacle", "hindrance", "separation", or "barrier". In Islam, it denotes a place separating the living from the hereafter or a phase/"st ...
''), is where all the souls remain inside the grave where they were buried waiting for ''
Yawm ad-Din'' (the Day of Judgement). Every soul spends its time in the ''Barzakh'' in either pleasure or torment, and get a glimpse of its final destination through a window. Those who had many sins may face some punishment in the grave that would reduce or expiate their punishment on the Day of Judgement.
When the Day of Judgement begins, all creation is destroyed, then a new universe is created. All the creation will be resurrected in body and soul in their original form, naked and uncircumcised. The
Throne of God
The Throne of God is the reigning centre of God in the Abrahamic religions: primarily Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The throne is said by various holy books to reside beyond the Seventh Heaven which is called ''Araboth'' ( ''‘ărāḇōṯ' ...
(
Allah
Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...
is the Arabic word for God) will be brought forth onto the new earth, carried by eight enormous angels. God will call every person into Judgement individually, speak to them directly without a translator, and weigh their deeds on the scale. The paths after Judgement are two: the first is ''
Jannah
In Islam, Jannah ( ar, جَنّة, janna, pl. ''jannāt'',lit. "paradise, garden", is the final abode of the righteous. According to one count, the word appears 147 times in the Quran. Belief in the afterlife is one of the six articles of f ...
'' (Arabic for Gardens), roughly the equivalent of paradise, and the second is ''
Jahannam
In Islam, the place of punishment for unbelievers and other sin in Islam, evildoers in the afterlife, or hell, is an "integral part of Islamic theology",#ETISN2009, Thomassen, "Islamic Hell", Numen, 56, 2009: p.401 and has "occupied an important p ...
'', the equivalent to Hell. One's assignment to ''Jannah'' or ''Jahannam'' are determined by two things: their monotheistic belief in God without partners, and one's deeds in life. Those who believe in God and perform good deeds will be admitted into ''Jannah'', whereas those who do not believe in God are punished in ''Jahannam'' eternally. Those who believe in God but had many sins will be sent to ''Jahannam'' until their sins are cleansed, then they are revived and admitted into ''Jannah''.
Jannah is described in the Quran as a garden of perpetual bliss with rivers flowing underneath; it is bigger than the heavens and the earth of the current life. It is in the shape of a hill, with the center of it as the highest rank, where the Prophets will reside, right underneath the Throne of God, and where the springs of all the rivers of Jannah flow. The inhabitants live in a state of happiness and satisfaction with no worries or problems. The People of Jannah live in beautiful conditions in which they get everything they desire: beautiful spouses, clothes, servants, surroundings, food, etc.; all of the things indicative of a perfect life in the current world. In addition, they are brought close to God. Meanwhile, those in Jahannam are tortured, primarily by methods relating to scolding fire or freezing ice, for eternity, or until
Allah
Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...
wills for some of them to be saved.
The
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
explicitly states that Jannah is not an exclusive abode for followers of Muhammad. Rather, all monotheistic believers in God in all eras, such as Jews who followed Moses and the Christians who followed Jesus, will enter Jannah if they believed in God and did good deeds. Also, Muslims are not guaranteed Jannah. Rather they must be cautious not to die upon an act of polytheism that would lead them to the Hellfire eternally.
See also
*
Karma
Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
*
Last Judgment
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
*
Weighing of the Heart
Ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs were centered around a variety of complex rituals that were influenced by many aspects of Egyptian culture. Religion was a major contributor, since it was an important social practice that bound all Egyptians t ...
References
Bibliography
* ''Illustrated Dictionary of Mythology: Heroes, heroines, gods, and goddesses from around the world'', Philip Wilkinson, DK Publishing
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Religion and death
Religious belief and doctrine
Judgment in Christianity
Judgment in Islam