Religion and Death

Last night I was writing my blog for religious studies when I found out that Dave Golub died. Dave was a friend of mine and his unexpected passing has made me think about death as one of the fudemental pillars of religious ceremony and belief.

It has occured to me that a constant theme throughout religion is death and the afterlife. Every person wonders what happens after they die and hopes that there is something to look forward to. Religion offers an answer to these questions on the afterlife and provides people with a way to cope with the loss of a loved one. Religion has also helped people deal with death by providing rituals and ceremonies that offer solace to those affected by the a person's passing.

This basic need to understnd and deal with death makes me think of the Indian mounds of Wisconsin. The Native Americans also display this ritualistic and ceremonial way of comprehending death. These great mounds were their way of passing somebody on to the next life in hopes that their efforts have somehow made the journey complete.

It is just amazing to me that this attitude towards death has been so universal among people. From Asia, to Europe, to the Americas, people have all had this spiritual attitude towards death and the afterlife. It is with the death of Dave that I find myself wondering, hoping, and grieving. Death is so uncertain, and religion helps us make sense of it.