How does what you learned about others’ interpretation of the afterlife, connect with your previous understanding as well as what we have watched, seen and read?
I found out that a lot more people have similar view points to my own than I thought there would be. There are so many different view points of religion and Hell in Voodoo, Scientology, Rastafariansim, Zoroatrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Judaism, Native American beliefs, and Islam, that it is hard to say what is correct. Each has similarities and differences in the facets of thier beliefs, however we cannot say which one is correct. Being a Christian, I would love to say that all of my family and loved ones will go to heaven with me, but I can't be certain. However, there are many religions that don't believe in the literal hell, like I don't, so it helps to fortify that belief.
I have enjoyed learning a lot about these religions, along with the beliefs of my peers in this section.
After watching everyone’s presentations my mind has been opened up to so many new concepts and beliefs of the afterlife. I find it funny that almost all of the religions we learned about believe that the nonbelievers of their religion will suffer in the afterlife. So in the end it sounds like everyone is going to hell unless one defined religion is reveled on our “Judgment Day”. I still believe that all of these religions are society’s way of hoping for a better life after reality. I think it’s amazing that so many people believe so strongly in their religion that they base their life around it and have so much hope in getting to a better future. Also so many people live better lives because of their beliefs which in the end will only help the world out. Overall all of these presentations haven’t changed my view of the afterlife.
A lot of what people have said in class are similar to what I believe. Some things people have said I didn't ever think about but agree with and believe in. There were also a lot of things said that I don't agree with and don't believe in but I like how there are a lot of different view points on this topic. I think it was Shelly that said she believed in heaven but not in hell and that was something I haden't ever thought of. I always thought that people either believed in both or in neither but not in just one. How she described it, it made a lot of sense. I don't necessarily agree or disagree with it but it was something to think about.
I learned that in one way or another, most religions have similar interpretations of the afterlife. Whether it be everything has a spirit or your creator will decide your fate, most religions have some definite ideals about the afterlife. But more than that, I learned that to some religions, like Islam, it is not in their nature to be accepting to other religions like Christianity even though the two are strikingly similar. As for my personal beliefs, I believe that it is in the nature of a Christian to be accepting of other's religions and that if their beliefs differ from that of Christianity. And because I haven't experienced it personally, I can't honestly say what happens to us when we die.
Talking about religion has really helped me figure out exactly what I believe. I do not agree what many people in class believe. I do like to hear everyone's different view point and learn about all the different religions. One thing that I disagree with a lot of people on is that if you do not believe in the correct religion, you are going to Hell, or you will suffer. I believe that if everyone tries hard to live a good life and do the right thing that God will not damn them for all eternity. God will either let them into Heaven or will put them in purgatory (the place in between Heaven and Hell) to allow them to prepare themselves to meet Him face to face.
What I found most interesting about the afterlife presentations, was not how many religion's afterlives are more or less the same, but the religion's acceptance of other beliefs. Many said that even if you don't believe, you still go to heaven, and that we will all be united in harmony come judgment day.
The only thing that remains true about the afterlife to me is that nobody can agree on all it entails. As is with religion, no one solid belief is agreed upon by all people. Then again, rather than finding this ambiguousness stressful, I see it as a positive attribute that people are truly able to be free to practice what they believe. Prior to this my knowledge barely skimmed the surface of the afterlife, only recognizing terms such as heaven, hell and reincarnation. I realize now that I truly knew little about what all of these things entail to different people. Not only this, I had never even heard of some religions such as Shintoism and Zoroatrianism. I feel as though now I understand a broader spectrum of heaven, hell and the afterlife beyond just a good place and a bad place. There may be no fire, but sadness, no pearly white gates in the clouds, but an eternal satisfaction or everlasting life. Though their only similarity may be in differences, all religions have some belief in the afterlife, even if they believe in not believing. The most important thing is looking forward to life after death, whatever that may be.
I have noticed that all these religions seem to at least have the hope of an afterlife, whether or not they are sure what it exactly is. With my views of it being nearly impossible that there could be an afterlife, I can't say that this has changed my views on the subject. But it was very interesting to see all the different interpretations on the subject.
The different religions presented have alot of similaries that were noted. However, their views of the afterlife were sometimes very different. These differences I think are what really set religions apart, as well as why people don't always get along. Differenciating hells that people believe in that cause people to judge who is and is not going to hell if it does indeed exist. Honestly its hard to connect it to thinks we read or watched because we really didnt do anything of the sort.
Hearing all about the different religions was very interesting to see their own ways that they believe and their thoughts and beliefs on heaven and hell and the after life. It was interesting to see that many religions don’t actually believe in hell. I have always believed in heaven and I think that this just shows that maybe hell doesn’t exist I really don’t know. Will brings up a very interesting idea that I have never thought t of before and that is that heaven and hell were made up as a scare tactic and has really made me think about that idea and is very interesting. It was also very interesting to see how closely related all the religions are and that they are just sister religions of Christianity.
I really enjoyed doing the presentations and learning about the other religions. I did not honestly know much about the afterlifes of other religions besides my own. I realized that not one is exactly the same and as Kim kind of mention I really agree that this is an area of controversy between many people. People try to say that others will go to hell or condemn them when I really think that only God can judge that. Although my views did not change, I think it is always good to learn about other religions and how they work. I believe that exploring is necessary to confirm ones faith and beliefs.
I was super surprised by people's responses during out first blog and our discussion. I'm really strong in what I believe so that didn't really change but I have my reasons, same as everyone else their reasons for what they believe. It was definitely an exciting project though just because I was able to hear people's opinions about something that I had been studying recently. I REALLY liked the projects as well just because I find it encouraging that most people in the world don't really believe in an eternal hell. The reason this is encouraging is because to me it says that even though people don't really get along all the time in this life, nobody really dislikes anyone enough to want them to suffer eternally.
I also wanted to say I really liked how open our class was and that I felt like everyone was able to share their thoughts pretty freely. Way to go guys! It's gonna be a good semester!
What i learned from everyones presentations showed me two things really. One of them is how much the people who practice those relgions believe in them. Case and point is the Voodoo video that we had the oppurtunity to see. With what ever happened in the video, the villagers had firm beliefs that what they believed to be taking place was infact taking place. It really shows how powerful ideas and beliefs are. Th other thing that i noticed, wich is mostly my formulated opinon, is that from the variety of religions there are, they all have constants and guidlines. What i take away from this is that religion is an oppuruntity for people to come together an have common ideas. There beleifs dont have to be true, others dont have to believe in them, and the dont have to be proved, all that is needed is a group to support them.
It was interesting to me even with all the diversity found between different cultures that their religions would even have remotely similar interpretations of the afterlife. None of the religions were exactly the same as the others. They each had their own definition of what heaven and hell meant and appeared. However, they all still had some element that was the same or similar to the other religions. The thought that came to mind was something that was said in class about making the religion fit your own belief. To me that seems like each religion really is they have their differences but ultimately they all have a common belief in a higher power and an explanation of what happens after death.
These presentations reinforced the fact (for me) that everyone is searching for a deeper meaning to life as well as to their own individuals lives. One of the most common themes throughout each religion is that the afterlife is unclear. No matter if you believe there is a heaven or hell or if you believe something else, the specifics are always vague, and sometimes even the big picture is hard to make out. It was cool to learn about other religions and their beliefs, although my own beliefs remain unchanged.
I agree with what Katie O. said. I thought it was very interesting that a lot of the religions mentioned that we would all be living in unity on judgment day. I found that very interesting because of all of the religious conflict in the world. I don't really understand why there is so much religious intolerance if this is a common belief between many religions. Many of the religions connected with my belief that something happens to you when you die. I haven't quite decided whether I believe more in reincarnation or in heaven though.
Other's interpretations were surprisingly close to mine, and I was surprised to have not found very many people with strict, devout, traditional beliefs. I think this is reflective of how the students at this school learn. If you were to ask a freshman the same question, they may give you a cut and dry response. I would expect that most of them would have changed their beliefs to something similar to the responses from this class by the time they are seniors.
I really think the afterlife discussion was just like a random bowl ideas of. People were just talking out of their butts. No one knows what the after life is. I suprisingly did not raise my hand because I cant really answer a question I do not have an opinion or knowledge of the afterlife. The question should have been do you believe in what not what it looks like and stuff.
I thought it was really interesting to learn about what other cultures believed and what the similarities and differences were. A lot of religions were similar because they had places like heaven and hell, punishment and rewards. Differences were that some religions determined where someone would go after death by their actions, while others were based on faith.
I learned that the major religions of the world have some idea of an after life, they are all differet but they each have their own understanding of what happens after death. Some religions have more details than others in their ideas of the after life and they all varied. I think that openig your eyes to other faiths helps a person to see what they truley believe and what they feel is true. Although no person really knows what happens in the after life, each person in each religion has their own personal opinion in what they believe will happen to them after they die.
I felt that listening to all of the religions helped with what I believe. I think that the more you learn about other religions, the better understanding you will have about your own beliefs. All of the religions seemed to have at least one thing in common with a different religion which shows that basically everyone has some common belief. If you can listen to what other people think and learn from that, I think you can strengthen your own beliefs.
I noticed that most of the common religions are very similar in their beliefs. They believe in an afterlife but none of them are detailed on the interpretation of afterlife. I also noticed that the smaller not as common religions don't believe in an afterlife but more of a spiritual journey. Most of the religions have a small contradiction but most have a general common perception of afterlife on regards to there is a bad place and a good place to go. Most of these religions are pretty much the same just worded differently which leads to different interpretations.
It seems as though there are many religions that share the same viewpoints as well as ideas, theories and philosophies about the afterlife. On the opposite end of the spectrum the fact that many of the religions contradictions are prevalent throughout. I find it very fascinating that there are so many options, and that human nature is to organize ourselves, to associate with others that believe similar aspects of the same thing.
I believe that the truth lies in perspective and learning each new perspective is very interesting and i truly loved learning about these religions.
I see so many similarities and wonder how there is so much disagreement. I also see that in many ways, people are doing what is best for them which is understandable however, some parts of life need to be approached on a larger scale. What's best for everyone? Even if people "serve others" to earn an enjoyable afterlife, whatever it may be, they are still doing something for themselves. It seems we can do both simultaneously and still reach a peaceful state in the end. So how do we judge ourselves? How do we measure up to each other? All the different cultures and religions have different interpretations and that seems to be our biggest difference.
Seeing what so many other religions believe has opened my mind. I had my opinions of the afterlife earlier and in all of our discussions I've seen all the other possibilities. These presentations made me think the most because there are so many opinions that I can't understand or see as probable, and yet people believe them! That is what surprises me the most. So many religions to me are foreign and their ideas of the after life seem somewhat barbaric. As much as I would like to keep my original beliefs these presentations have made me see that others share some of my main beliefs and some of the religions have made my hidden ponderings become more real.
Studying the aspects of religions which make them similar is always a fascinating practice. Archetypes which are not only cultural but also spiritual in nature are simply so fascinating due to the nature of so many cultures having such similar ideas. I like to look at all these presentations and consider how connected the world is, not how different its various peoples can be. Learning them from fellow students is also a great experience, because i get some insight into their own views and how they view others.
26 comments:
I found out that a lot more people have similar view points to my own than I thought there would be. There are so many different view points of religion and Hell in Voodoo, Scientology, Rastafariansim, Zoroatrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Judaism, Native American beliefs, and Islam, that it is hard to say what is correct. Each has similarities and differences in the facets of thier beliefs, however we cannot say which one is correct. Being a Christian, I would love to say that all of my family and loved ones will go to heaven with me, but I can't be certain. However, there are many religions that don't believe in the literal hell, like I don't, so it helps to fortify that belief.
I have enjoyed learning a lot about these religions, along with the beliefs of my peers in this section.
After watching everyone’s presentations my mind has been opened up to so many new concepts and beliefs of the afterlife. I find it funny that almost all of the religions we learned about believe that the nonbelievers of their religion will suffer in the afterlife. So in the end it sounds like everyone is going to hell unless one defined religion is reveled on our “Judgment Day”. I still believe that all of these religions are society’s way of hoping for a better life after reality. I think it’s amazing that so many people believe so strongly in their religion that they base their life around it and have so much hope in getting to a better future. Also so many people live better lives because of their beliefs which in the end will only help the world out. Overall all of these presentations haven’t changed my view of the afterlife.
A lot of what people have said in class are similar to what I believe. Some things people have said I didn't ever think about but agree with and believe in. There were also a lot of things said that I don't agree with and don't believe in but I like how there are a lot of different view points on this topic. I think it was Shelly that said she believed in heaven but not in hell and that was something I haden't ever thought of. I always thought that people either believed in both or in neither but not in just one. How she described it, it made a lot of sense. I don't necessarily agree or disagree with it but it was something to think about.
I learned that in one way or another, most religions have similar interpretations of the afterlife. Whether it be everything has a spirit or your creator will decide your fate, most religions have some definite ideals about the afterlife. But more than that, I learned that to some religions, like Islam, it is not in their nature to be accepting to other religions like Christianity even though the two are strikingly similar.
As for my personal beliefs, I believe that it is in the nature of a Christian to be accepting of other's religions and that if their beliefs differ from that of Christianity. And because I haven't experienced it personally, I can't honestly say what happens to us when we die.
Talking about religion has really helped me figure out exactly what I believe. I do not agree what many people in class believe. I do like to hear everyone's different view point and learn about all the different religions. One thing that I disagree with a lot of people on is that if you do not believe in the correct religion, you are going to Hell, or you will suffer. I believe that if everyone tries hard to live a good life and do the right thing that God will not damn them for all eternity. God will either let them into Heaven or will put them in purgatory (the place in between Heaven and Hell) to allow them to prepare themselves to meet Him face to face.
What I found most interesting about the afterlife presentations, was not how many religion's afterlives are more or less the same, but the religion's acceptance of other beliefs. Many said that even if you don't believe, you still go to heaven, and that we will all be united in harmony come judgment day.
The only thing that remains true about the afterlife to me is that nobody can agree on all it entails. As is with religion, no one solid belief is agreed upon by all people. Then again, rather than finding this ambiguousness stressful, I see it as a positive attribute that people are truly able to be free to practice what they believe. Prior to this my knowledge barely skimmed the surface of the afterlife, only recognizing terms such as heaven, hell and reincarnation. I realize now that I truly knew little about what all of these things entail to different people. Not only this, I had never even heard of some religions such as Shintoism and Zoroatrianism. I feel as though now I understand a broader spectrum of heaven, hell and the afterlife beyond just a good place and a bad place. There may be no fire, but sadness, no pearly white gates in the clouds, but an eternal satisfaction or everlasting life. Though their only similarity may be in differences, all religions have some belief in the afterlife, even if they believe in not believing. The most important thing is looking forward to life after death, whatever that may be.
I have noticed that all these religions seem to at least have the hope of an afterlife, whether or not they are sure what it exactly is. With my views of it being nearly impossible that there could be an afterlife, I can't say that this has changed my views on the subject. But it was very interesting to see all the different interpretations on the subject.
The different religions presented have alot of similaries that were noted. However, their views of the afterlife were sometimes very different. These differences I think are what really set religions apart, as well as why people don't always get along. Differenciating hells that people believe in that cause people to judge who is and is not going to hell if it does indeed exist. Honestly its hard to connect it to thinks we read or watched because we really didnt do anything of the sort.
Hearing all about the different religions was very interesting to see their own ways that they believe and their thoughts and beliefs on heaven and hell and the after life. It was interesting to see that many religions don’t actually believe in hell. I have always believed in heaven and I think that this just shows that maybe hell doesn’t exist I really don’t know. Will brings up a very interesting idea that I have never thought t of before and that is that heaven and hell were made up as a scare tactic and has really made me think about that idea and is very interesting. It was also very interesting to see how closely related all the religions are and that they are just sister religions of Christianity.
I really enjoyed doing the presentations and learning about the other religions. I did not honestly know much about the afterlifes of other religions besides my own. I realized that not one is exactly the same and as Kim kind of mention I really agree that this is an area of controversy between many people. People try to say that others will go to hell or condemn them when I really think that only God can judge that. Although my views did not change, I think it is always good to learn about other religions and how they work. I believe that exploring is necessary to confirm ones faith and beliefs.
I was super surprised by people's responses during out first blog and our discussion. I'm really strong in what I believe so that didn't really change but I have my reasons, same as everyone else their reasons for what they believe. It was definitely an exciting project though just because I was able to hear people's opinions about something that I had been studying recently. I REALLY liked the projects as well just because I find it encouraging that most people in the world don't really believe in an eternal hell. The reason this is encouraging is because to me it says that even though people don't really get along all the time in this life, nobody really dislikes anyone enough to want them to suffer eternally.
I also wanted to say I really liked how open our class was and that I felt like everyone was able to share their thoughts pretty freely. Way to go guys! It's gonna be a good semester!
What i learned from everyones presentations showed me two things really. One of them is how much the people who practice those relgions believe in them. Case and point is the Voodoo video that we had the oppurtunity to see. With what ever happened in the video, the villagers had firm beliefs that what they believed to be taking place was infact taking place. It really shows how powerful ideas and beliefs are. Th other thing that i noticed, wich is mostly my formulated opinon, is that from the variety of religions there are, they all have constants and guidlines. What i take away from this is that religion is an oppuruntity for people to come together an have common ideas. There beleifs dont have to be true, others dont have to believe in them, and the dont have to be proved, all that is needed is a group to support them.
It was interesting to me even with all the diversity found between different cultures that their religions would even have remotely similar interpretations of the afterlife. None of the religions were exactly the same as the others. They each had their own definition of what heaven and hell meant and appeared. However, they all still had some element that was the same or similar to the other religions. The thought that came to mind was something that was said in class about making the religion fit your own belief. To me that seems like each religion really is they have their differences but ultimately they all have a common belief in a higher power and an explanation of what happens after death.
These presentations reinforced the fact (for me) that everyone is searching for a deeper meaning to life as well as to their own individuals lives.
One of the most common themes throughout each religion is that the afterlife is unclear. No matter if you believe there is a heaven or hell or if you believe something else, the specifics are always vague, and sometimes even the big picture is hard to make out.
It was cool to learn about other religions and their beliefs, although my own beliefs remain unchanged.
I agree with what Katie O. said. I thought it was very interesting that a lot of the religions mentioned that we would all be living in unity on judgment day. I found that very interesting because of all of the religious conflict in the world. I don't really understand why there is so much religious intolerance if this is a common belief between many religions.
Many of the religions connected with my belief that something happens to you when you die. I haven't quite decided whether I believe more in reincarnation or in heaven though.
Other's interpretations were surprisingly close to mine, and I was surprised to have not found very many people with strict, devout, traditional beliefs. I think this is reflective of how the students at this school learn. If you were to ask a freshman the same question, they may give you a cut and dry response. I would expect that most of them would have changed their beliefs to something similar to the responses from this class by the time they are seniors.
I really think the afterlife discussion was just like a random bowl ideas of. People were just talking out of their butts. No one knows what the after life is. I suprisingly did not raise my hand because I cant really answer a question I do not have an opinion or knowledge of the afterlife. The question should have been do you believe in what not what it looks like and stuff.
I thought it was really interesting to learn about what other cultures believed and what the similarities and differences were. A lot of religions were similar because they had places like heaven and hell, punishment and rewards. Differences were that some religions determined where someone would go after death by their actions, while others were based on faith.
I learned that the major religions of the world have some idea of an after life, they are all differet but they each have their own understanding of what happens after death. Some religions have more details than others in their ideas of the after life and they all varied. I think that openig your eyes to other faiths helps a person to see what they truley believe and what they feel is true. Although no person really knows what happens in the after life, each person in each religion has their own personal opinion in what they believe will happen to them after they die.
I felt that listening to all of the religions helped with what I believe. I think that the more you learn about other religions, the better understanding you will have about your own beliefs. All of the religions seemed to have at least one thing in common with a different religion which shows that basically everyone has some common belief. If you can listen to what other people think and learn from that, I think you can strengthen your own beliefs.
I noticed that most of the common religions are very similar in their beliefs. They believe in an afterlife but none of them are detailed on the interpretation of afterlife. I also noticed that the smaller not as common religions don't believe in an afterlife but more of a spiritual journey. Most of the religions have a small contradiction but most have a general common perception of afterlife on regards to there is a bad place and a good place to go. Most of these religions are pretty much the same just worded differently which leads to different interpretations.
It seems as though there are many religions that share the same viewpoints as well as ideas, theories and philosophies about the afterlife. On the opposite end of the spectrum the fact that many of the religions contradictions are prevalent throughout. I find it very fascinating that there are so many options, and that human nature is to organize ourselves, to associate with others that believe similar aspects of the same thing.
I believe that the truth lies in perspective and learning each new perspective is very interesting and i truly loved learning about these religions.
I see so many similarities and wonder how there is so much disagreement. I also see that in many ways, people are doing what is best for them which is understandable however, some parts of life need to be approached on a larger scale. What's best for everyone? Even if people "serve others" to earn an enjoyable afterlife, whatever it may be, they are still doing something for themselves. It seems we can do both simultaneously and still reach a peaceful state in the end. So how do we judge ourselves? How do we measure up to each other? All the different cultures and religions have different interpretations and that seems to be our biggest difference.
Seeing what so many other religions believe has opened my mind. I had my opinions of the afterlife earlier and in all of our discussions I've seen all the other possibilities. These presentations made me think the most because there are so many opinions that I can't understand or see as probable, and yet people believe them! That is what surprises me the most. So many religions to me are foreign and their ideas of the after life seem somewhat barbaric. As much as I would like to keep my original beliefs these presentations have made me see that others share some of my main beliefs and some of the religions have made my hidden ponderings become more real.
Studying the aspects of religions which make them similar is always a fascinating practice. Archetypes which are not only cultural but also spiritual in nature are simply so fascinating due to the nature of so many cultures having such similar ideas. I like to look at all these presentations and consider how connected the world is, not how different its various peoples can be. Learning them from fellow students is also a great experience, because i get some insight into their own views and how they view others.
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