The prospects of thanatology are widely associated with helping people dealing with grief or death. However, it isn’t limited to just one aspect which could be physical, medical, or social that might be affecting a person with grief. Thanatology has its roots in various fields and one of the fields is associated with the role of religion.
Thanatologists analyze the ways to help people based on the reason why people are in a particular state of grieving. But, it would be wrong to say that a particular approach of thanatologists can be applied to all people who are grieving because of certain religious aspects as each religion has its norms and beliefs to perceive death, and the afterlife, and even has different rituals to perform that can significantly affect the state of a person’s mind.
The role of thanatology varies for every person from different religions, thus, firstly, a thanatologist must understand the beliefs and ways of perceiving death according to distinct religions to provide people with the necessary support of thanatology.
How Do Different Religions Perceive Death and the Afterlife?
Religions are different and so does their rituals and perceptions about death. Every religion perceives death differently, and there are distinct beliefs regarding birth, death, and the afterlife. While some beliefs may have an intersection point where the perceptions about death seem the same even in different religions others have significantly different premises. So, it is crucial to know about the death and afterlife perceptions and beliefs for different people to provide thanatological care.
Christianity
While Christians do not bother about many theories regarding death, they specifically believe that death is the separation of the body from the soul. Some believers take death as a journey to the afterlife. Good and righteous people go to heaven while bad ones or sinners go to hell is the basic perception of death in Christianity. However, there are Christians who also believe in the journey to the abyss and the afterlife is the phase of purification before going to heaven.
Death is associated with fear in Christianity. However, as an eternal truth, they believe that there is a time to birth and die, but it’s not easy to accept the vulnerability of death that human beings feel during the end-stage. In short, everybody wants to have a peaceful dying experience that can be make easier with the help of thanatological care.
Islam
Islamic people believe in the afterlife transition after death. They believe in Paradise and Hell, which is known as Jannat and Jahannum respectively in Islam. Jannat (Paradise) is rewarded to those who have been righteous throughout their life and have done good deeds whereas wicked ones are punished in Jahannum (Hell).
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Also, there is a strong belief in prophets in Islam, which can significantly influence the perceptions about death among Islamic people. Since prophets are known to be the interpreters of Allah in Islam, their verdicts highly affect the mental and emotional states of mind distinctly.
It becomes a little difficult to influence or divert the minds of hardcore believers for a particular thing, thus, thanatologists need to have a deeper knowledge to support people with specific mindsets.
Hinduism
Hindus believe death is a part of the reincarnation cycle. There is a belief in the afterlife and death is associated with the new beginning, which means that it’s not the soul that dies but the body and soul is eternal that wear another body and reincarnate (birth). This cycle of reincarnation continues until a soul detaches itself from the customs of Earth. The ultimate goal of the cycle is liberation (moksha).
The existence of the afterlife and the cycle of reincarnation are integral parts of Hindu perceptions regarding death. A god named “Yama” in Hindu mythology is the god of death. After death, one has to pay for their sins to purify the soul, and to do this, the souls are sent to Narkha (Hell). Once the souls get enough punishment or pass the journey of purification, Yama is the one who decides the next life or afterlife for a deceased soul.
It becomes easier to help people with thanatology in the religions that share similar beliefs as the majority of beliefs lead you to the path of acceptance, hence end-life care becomes easier with the help of thanatology.
Buddhism
Buddhism shares almost the same beliefs as Hinduism as they believe in an afterlife and reincarnation based on karma. The goal of this cycle is to obtain enlightenment (nirvana) and be free from the cycle of reincarnation or rebirth.
While there is a belief in the afterlife and the cycle of rebirth, attaining peace of mind or happiness must be the primary goal of a human being and believing in the afterlife. According to Buddhism, the destination of a soul is to find liberation, which can only be done once you free your mind from everything surrounding you.
Indigenous Religions
Despite the cultural diversity of indigenous faiths, perceptions of death differ significantly across the traditions. Some people believe in life after death, in spirits or in ancestors who watch over the living to guide or in the converse while others think that death is the return to nature or the continuity in a different state.
Many religions exist in the world, while some of them are the major religions, some tribes, and indigenous people follow a different culture or religion, about which many people do not know due to the lack of information and evidence. However, different culture significantly affects the perceptions about death and the afterlife.
While different beliefs create different mindsets and realities that people believe based on their religion and its teachings, supporting people with thanatology isn’t easy without having proper knowledge about the beliefs of different religions as if you support a people of a different religion with the teachings of other religion, it can be hurtful and raging for them and conditions can worsen.