Editing Afterlife (section)

==Others==
===Confucianism===
[[Confucius]] did not directly discuss the afterlife. Nonetheless, [[Chinese folk religion]] has had a strong influence on [[Confucianism]], so adherents believe that their ancestors become deified spirits after death.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lemmon |first=Cheyenne |date=12 February 2023 |title=Hachiman, Japanese God of War {{!}} History & Symbol |url=https://study.com/academy/lesson/hachiman-japanese-god-war-mythology-symbol.html |website=Study.com |access-date=30 October 2023 |archive-date=30 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030140229/https://study.com/academy/lesson/hachiman-japanese-god-war-mythology-symbol.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Ancestor veneration in China]] is widespread.

===Gnosticism===
In [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] teachings humans contain a [[divine spark]] within them said to have been trapped in their bodies by the creator of the material universe known as the [[Demiurge#Gnosticism|Demiurge]]. It was believed that this spark could be released from the material world and enter into the heavenly spiritual world beyond it if special knowledge or [[Gnosis#Gnosticism|gnosis]] was attained.<ref>{{cite book|first=Stefan|last=Rossbach|title=Gnostic Wars|origyear=1999|date=August 7, 2019|publisher=[[Edinburgh University Press]]|page=49|isbn=9781474472180}}</ref> The [[Catharism|Cathars]], for example, viewed [[reincarnation]] as a trap made by [[Satan]], who tricked [[angel]]s from the heavenly realm into entering the physical bodies of humans. They viewed the purpose of life as a way to escape the constant cycle of spiritual incarnations by letting go of worldly attachments.<ref>{{cite web|first=Joshua|last=J. Mark|title=Cathars|url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Cathars/|publisher=[[World History Encyclopedia]]|date=April 2, 2019|access-date=2022-09-23|archive-date=23 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923052100/https://www.worldhistory.org/Cathars/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Shinto===
{{further|Shinto#Cosmology and afterlife}}
It is common for families to participate in ceremonies for children at a shrine, yet have a [[Japanese funeral|Buddhist funeral]] at the time of death. In old Japanese legends, it is often claimed that the dead go to a place called ''[[yomi]]'' (黄泉), a gloomy underground realm with a river separating the living from the dead mentioned in the legend of Izanami and Izanagi. This ''yomi'' very closely resembles the Greek [[Greek underworld|Hades]]; however, later myths include notions of resurrection and even [[Elysium]]-like descriptions such as in the legend of [[Ōkuninushi]] and [[Susanoo-no-Mikoto|Susanoo]]. Shinto tends to hold negative views on death and corpses as a source of pollution called ''kegare''. However, death is also viewed as a path towards [[apotheosis]] in Shintoism as can be evidenced by how legendary individuals become enshrined after death. Perhaps the most famous would be [[Emperor Ōjin]] who was enshrined as [[Hachiman]] the God of War after his death.<ref>{{Cite web |last=says |first=Ōmiya Hachiman-Schrein{{!}} Ways to Japan |date=2015-07-16 |title=Ōmiya Hachiman-Shrine (大宮八幡宮) (Engl.) |url=https://thomasgittel.wordpress.com/2015/07/16/omiya-hachiman-shrine-%e5%a4%a7%e5%ae%ae%e5%85%ab%e5%b9%a1%e5%ae%ae-engl/ |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=Ways to Japan |language=en |archive-date=30 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030140230/https://thomasgittel.wordpress.com/2015/07/16/omiya-hachiman-shrine-%E5%A4%A7%E5%AE%AE%E5%85%AB%E5%B9%A1%E5%AE%AE-engl/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Spiritualism===
The [[Spirit world (Spiritualism)|spirit world]], according to [[Spiritualism (beliefs)|spiritualism]], is the world or realm inhabited by [[Non-physical entity|spirits]], both good or evil of various spiritual manifestations. This spirit world is regarded as an external environment for spirits.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hill |first=J. Arthur |title=Spiritualism - Its History, Phenomena, And Doctrine |publisher=Cassell and Company, Ltd. |year=1918 |isbn=1-4067-0162-9 |location=London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne |page=211}}</ref> The Spiritualism religious [[Social movement|movement]] in the [[Long nineteenth century|nineteenth century]] espoused a belief in an afterlife where individual's awareness persists beyond [[death]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofoc0002unse_h4m2/page/1463/mode/1up |title=Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology |publisher=Gale Group |year=2001 |isbn=0810394898 |editor-last=Melton |editor-first=J. Gordon |editor-link=J. Gordon Melton |edition=5th |volume=2 |location=US |pages=1463}}</ref>

===Taoism===
[[Taoism]] views life as an illusion and death as a transformation into immortality. Taoists believe that immortality of the soul can be achieved by living a virtuous life in harmony with the [[Tao]]. They are taught not to fear death, as it is simply part of nature.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wong |first1=Eva |title=The Shambhala guide to Taoism |date=1997 |publisher=Shambhala |location=Boston |isbn=1570621691 |edition=First}}</ref>

===Traditional African religions===
[[Traditional African religion]]s are diverse in their beliefs in an afterlife. [[Hunter-gatherer]] societies such as the [[Hadza people|Hadza]] have no particular belief in an afterlife, and the death of an individual is a straightforward end to their existence.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bond|first1=George C.|editor1-last=Obayashi|editor1-first=Hiroshi|title=Death and Afterlife: Perspectives of World Religions|date=1992|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-313-27906-5|pages=3–18|chapter=Living with Spirits: Death and Afterlife in African Religions|quote=The entire process of death and burial is simple, without elaborate rituals and beliefs in an afterlife. The social and spiritual existence of the person ends with the burial of the corpse.}}</ref> [[Veneration of the dead|Ancestor cults]] are found throughout [[Sub-Saharan Africa]], including cultures like the [[Yombe people|Yombe]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bond|first1=George C.|editor1-last=Obayashi|editor1-first=Hiroshi|title=Death and Afterlife: Perspectives of World Religions|date=1992|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-313-27906-5|pages=3–18|chapter=Living with Spirits: Death and Afterlife in African Religions|quote=The belief in the ancestors remains a strong and active spiritual and moral force in the daily lives of the Yombe; the ancestors are thought to intervene in the affairs of the living.... The afterlife is this world.}}</ref> [[List of Mandé peoples of Africa|Beng]],<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Gottlieb|first1=Alma|last2=Graham|first2=Philip|last3=Gottlieb-Graham|first3=Nathaniel|s2cid=154032549|title=Infants, Ancestors, and the Afterlife: Fieldwork's Family Values in Rural West Africa|journal=Anthropology and Humanism|date=1998|volume=23|issue=2|page=121|doi=10.1525/ahu.1998.23.2.121|quote=But Kokora Kouassi, an old friend and respected Master of the Earth in the village of Asagbé, came to our compound early one morning to describe the dream he had just had: he had been visited by the revered and ancient founder of his matriclan, Denju, who confided that Nathaniel was his reincarnation and so should be given his name. The following morning a small ritual was held, and Nathaniel was officially announced to the world not only as Denju but as N'zri Denju—Grandfather Denju—an honorific that came to be used even by Nathaniel's closest playing companions.|url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a12b/7183cff1ee6eba57710ad30325152762e481.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218175427/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a12b/7183cff1ee6eba57710ad30325152762e481.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-02-18}}</ref> [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] and [[Ewe people|Ewe]], "[T]he belief that the dead come back into life and are reborn into their families is given concrete expression in the personal names that are given to children....What is reincarnated are some of the dominant characteristics of the ancestor and not his soul. For each soul remains distinct and each birth represents a new soul."<ref name="Opoku">{{cite book|last1=Opoku|first1=Kofi Asare|editor1-last=Badham|editor1-first=Paul|editor2-last=Badham|editor2-first=Linda|title=Death and Immortality in the Religions of the World|date=1987|publisher=Paragon House|location=New York|isbn=978-0-913757-54-3|pages=9–23|chapter=Death and Immortality in the African Religious Heritage|ol=25695134M}}</ref> The Yoruba, [[Dogon people|Dogon]] and LoDagoa have eschatological ideas similar to Abrahamic religions, "but in most African societies, there is a marked absence of such clear-cut notions of heaven and hell, although there are notions of God judging the soul after death."<ref name="Opoku" /> In some societies like the [[Mende people|Mende]], multiple beliefs coexist. The Mende believe that people die twice: once during the process of joining the [[Mende people#Secret societies|secret society]], and again during biological death after which they become ancestors. However, some Mende also believe that after people are created by God they live ten consecutive lives, each in progressively descending worlds.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bond|first1=George C.|editor1-last=Obayashi|editor1-first=Hiroshi|title=Death and Afterlife: Perspectives of World Religions|date=1992|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-313-27906-5|pages=3–18|chapter=Living with Spirits: Death and Afterlife in African Religions|quote=The process of being born, dying, and moving to a lower level of earth continues through ten lives.}}</ref> One cross-cultural theme is that the ancestors are part of the world of the living, interacting with it regularly.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bond|first1=George C.|editor1-last=Obayashi|editor1-first=Hiroshi|title=Death and Afterlife: Perspectives of World Religions|date=1992|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-313-27906-5|pages=3–18|chapter=Living with Spirits: Death and Afterlife in African Religions|quote=The ancestors are of people, whereas God is external to creation. They are of this world and close to the living. The Yombe believe that the afterlife of the ancestors lies in this world and that they are a spiritual and moral force within it.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Bond|first1=George C.|editor1-last=Obayashi|editor1-first=Hiroshi|title=Death and Afterlife: Perspectives of World Religions|date=1992|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-313-27906-5|pages=3–18|chapter=Living with Spirits: Death and Afterlife in African Religions|quote=Death represents a transition from corporeal to incorporeal life in the religious heritage of Africa and the incorporeal life is taken to be as real as the corporeal.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Ephirim-Donkor|first1=Anthony|title=African Religion Defined a Systematic Study of Ancestor Worship among the Akan.|date=2012|publisher=University Press of America|location=Lanham|isbn=978-0-7618-6058-7|page=26|edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ndxOAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA26}}</ref>

===Unitarian Universalism===
Some [[Unitarian Universalist]]s believe in [[universalism]]: that all souls will ultimately be saved and that there are no torments of hell.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bond |first1=Jon |url=http://en.allexperts.com/q/Unitarians-945/unitarian-view-afterlife.htm |title=Unitarians: unitarian view of afterlife, unitarian universalist association uua, unitarian universalist association |publisher=En.allexperts.com |date=13 June 2004 |access-date=8 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106125811/http://en.allexperts.com/q/Unitarians-945/unitarian-view-afterlife.htm |archive-date=6 November 2015 }}</ref> Unitarian Universalists differ widely in their theology hence there is no exact same stance on the issue.<ref>Mark W. Harris (2009). ''The A to Z of Unitarian Universalism''. p. 147</ref> Although Unitarians historically believed in a literal hell, and Universalists historically believed that everyone goes to heaven, modern Unitarian Universalists can be categorized into those believing in a heaven, reincarnation and oblivion. Most Unitarian Universalists believe that heaven and hell are symbolic places of consciousness and the faith is largely focused on the worldly life rather than any possible afterlife.<ref>Robyn E. Lebron (2012). ''Searching for Spiritual Unity&nbsp;... Can There Be Common Ground?'' p. 582,</ref>

===Wicca===
The Wiccan afterlife is most commonly described as [[The Summerland]]. Here, souls rest, recuperate from life, and reflect on the experiences they had during their lives. After a period of rest, the souls are reincarnated, and the memory of their previous lives is erased. Many Wiccans see The Summerland as a place to reflect on their life actions. It is not a place of reward, but rather the end of a life journey at an end point of incarnations.<ref>''Solitary Wicca For Life: Complete Guide to Mastering the Craft on Your Own'' p. 162, Arin Murphy-Hiscock (2005)</ref>

===Zoroastrianism===
{{main|Frashokereti}}Zoroastrianism states that the ''urvan'', the disembodied spirit, lingers on earth for three days before departing downward to the kingdom of the dead that is ruled by Yima.<ref>{{Citation |last=Hintze |first=Almut |title=Zoroastrian afterlife beliefs and funerary practices |date=2017-05-18 |work=The Routledge Companion to Death and Dying |pages=86–97 |editor-last=Moreman |editor-first=Christopher M. |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781317528883/chapters/10.4324/9781315723747-10 |access-date=2024-10-25 |edition=1 |publisher=Routledge |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781315723747-10 |isbn=978-1-315-72374-7}}</ref> For the three days that it rests on Earth, righteous souls sit at the head of their body, chanting the [[Gathas|Ustavaiti Gathas]] with joy, while a wicked person sits at the feet of the corpse, wails and recites the [[Yasna]]. Zoroastrianism states that for the righteous souls, a beautiful maiden, which is the personification of the soul's good thoughts, words and deeds, appears. For a wicked person, a very old, ugly, naked hag appears. After three nights, the soul of the wicked is taken by the demon [[Vizaresa]] (Vīzarəša), to Chinvat bridge, and is made to go to darkness ([[hell]]).

[[Jamshid|Yima]] is believed to have been the first king on earth to rule, as well as the first man to die. Inside of Yima's realm, the spirits live a shadowy existence, and are dependent on their own descendants which are still living on Earth. Their descendants are to satisfy their hunger and clothe them, through rituals done on earth.

Rituals which are done on the first three days are vital and important, as they protect the soul from evil powers and give it strength to reach the underworld. After three days, the soul crosses [[Chinvat bridge]] which is the [[Final Judgment]] of the soul. Rashnu and [[Sraosha]] are present at the final judgment. The list is expanded sometimes, and include [[Bahman|Vahman]] and [[Ahura Mazda|Ormazd]]. [[Rashnu]] is the [[yazata]] who holds the scales of justice. If the good deeds of the person outweigh the bad, the soul is worthy of paradise. If the bad deeds outweigh the good, the bridge narrows down to the width of a blade-edge, and a horrid hag pulls the soul in her arms, and takes it down to hell with her.

Misvan Gatu is the "place of the mixed ones" where the souls lead a gray existence, lacking both joy and sorrow. A soul goes here if his/her good deeds and bad deeds are equal, and Rashnu's scale is equal.