RLST 4460 - Death and Concepts of Afterlife

Examines how the major religious traditions approach the issue of death. Where the Egyptians were fascinated by death, their Mesopotamian and Hebrew neighbors saw no kind of experience continuing after death. Concepts of the Final Judgment Day and the end of the world follow in Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam, while Indian religions developed a sophisticated theory of reincarnation and the “art of dying.” Finally, we will turn to Chinese belief in ancestral spirits. Cross-listed with RLST 5460. Semester Hours: 3 to 3