Three Positions of Human Destiny After Death

There are three possible positions that can be taken on human destiny after death.

One position, the outlook of materialism simply denies that there is an afterlife. It holds that the human being consists of organic matter. It regards mind as a byproduct of organic matter, and after death, the the break up of the physical body, all consciousness comes to and end and the life process is completely extinguished.

The second alternative is the view held in Western theistic religions such as Christianity and Islam in their orthodox forms. They believe in an eternal afterlife. According to these religions, we live a single life on Earth and after death we live for eternity in some state of existence determined by our present beliefs and conduct.

And the third view, which prevails in the religions of the East, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Taoism hold the idea of rebirth. According to this view, this present life is only a single link in a chain of lives that extends back into the past and forward into the future. This chain of lives is referred to as samsara.