Life has various stages in an individual, starting from birth as the first stage until death as the last stage in life. Death can be defined as the point at which a person’s vital organs cease to function, and the person no longer responds to any natural stimuli. The aspect of death and dying has been a major issue for most religions as it involves the separation of a loved one from their families and friends. After death, there are so many controversies that do exist and to which try to explain what happens after the death of a person. Some people claim that after the death of a person, that becomes an end of their life. Still, there are do exist others who claim that even after death, people continue to live in changed form, and that is in the form of spirits, an aspect commonly referred to as the afterlife. The afterlife is an essential part of both the traditional and modern religions as they seem to have a common belief of what transpires after the death of a person. In this paper, I shall compare and contrast the concept of death, dying, and the afterlife in the African religion, especially from the Ancient Egyptian beliefs and that of Christianity based on Catholicism. Both Ancient Egyptian religion and Catholicism have a lot of similarities, such as the immortal soul as well as differences that result from the preparation of the dead for the afterlife.
The Egyptian religion and culture are rooted in the concept of the afterlife, and this can be easily depicted from the various complex rituals surrounding the ancient Egyptian culture. Religion is an important social practice that tends to bound all the Egyptians and, therefore, a major contributor to the afterlife. The Egyptian religious doctrines included three ideologies of the afterlife, which include eternal life, the underworld as well as the rebirth of the soul. The underworld is also known as Duat and is believed to have only a single entrance, which could only be accessed by travelling through the tomb of the dead. Upon entering this realm, the initial image of the soul was presented with a corridor lined with an array of fascinating statutes that included the various forms of Horus, the popular hawk-headed god.
Despite death being the same, the path taken by the common people was different from that taken by the kings, and this was significant due to social class. After entry into the underworld, the spirits were presented to Osiris, another prominent god who determined the virtue of the deceased’s soul and granted those deemed deserving a peaceful afterlife. Based on this, it is evident that the Egyptian concept of an afterlife was based on the judgement of the soul by a supreme being who weighed the deeds of the deceased when they were alive to determine whether they were worth to be granted a peaceful afterlife. Besides, the Egyptian concept of the afterlife was often perceived as being reborn indefinitely, meaning that souls that were granted a peaceful afterlife by Osiris were reborn again.
The Egyptians believed that before the death of an individual, many practices were required to help achieve an ideal afterlife. Some of the practices that an individual was required to observe included acting justly and following the beliefs of the Egyptian creed. Furthermore, the Egyptian religion emphasized the rituals be completed after the death of an individual, and this was mainly performed to cleanse the dead. Based on this, it can be perceived that it was the responsibility of the living to carry out the final traditions that were required for the dead to have a complete cleansing to meet their final fate. Maintaining higher religious morals by both the living and the dead was perceived to be a guarantee to a smoother transition into the underworld. Also, complying with the various traditions of the Egyptian culture could as well reinforce a smooth transition to the afterlife.
In the ancient Egyptian religion, several funeral practices were required to be performed to the dead so that they could enter their final stages of the afterlife. The living could only perform most of these funeral practices since the deceased could not perform any task. With the support of the living, the dead had access to the protection and knowledge that was essential for them to be reborn in the underworld. One of the funeral practices associated with the Egyptian afterlife was the preparation of the tombs. The design and scale of the burial sites varied from period to period, but the primary function remained the same. In the Egyptian religion, most tombs, especially those of the kings and other dignitaries, were built during the lifetime of a specific individual. Still, they were only constructed to house the body of the dead. Besides, the tombs served to transmit the soul to the underworld. Most of what was found in the tomb depended on the status of the individual buried in it, for example, that of the kings were buried with servants and other essentials to help them in the afterlife. However, to help the dead, most of the burial sites were decorated with afterlife texts that were meant to guide the dead’s soul to the afterlife, and this was attainable to all.
The coffins were another major funeral practice in the Egyptian religion in preparation for the afterlife. The Egyptian culture of coffins dates back to the Old Kingdom when coffins were made relatively simple and had minor details that included three openings, two that represented the eyes and one that Ka was intended to pass. The coffins and their structures evolved as time went by as in the New Kingdom, coffins become more popular, and they were even distributed for sale. The coffin represented the deceased body as it held the same shape and was decorated with features that resembled the dead body from inside. Due to the belief in the afterlife, the deceased were buried in white clothes, an indication of purity after it had passed through judgement. The orientation of the dead was also significant in that the body had to be laid properly on their side with their head facing to the south. However, in later days, the body orientation changed with the body lying on its back, and the head facing to the north.
In the Ancient Egyptian religion, mummification was one of the necessary practices in the afterlife, due to the belief that the body needed to be preserved for the dead to be reborn in the afterlife. Also, funeral offerings were made to finalize the funeral practices. The tomb was perceived as the home for the dead, and therefore, it was customary to leave offerings near the body of the dead. The Egyptians believed that even after death, the spirits of the person would continue to exist as their life force was a separate entity from the body, and thus after death, they could detach, allowing the spirits to continue living. Based on this, the Egyptians believed in the immortal soul.
Catholicism, on the other hand, lays its foundation of the afterlife base on the Christian beliefs of the resurrection of Jess Christ. Death and dying are also a significant stage in the Catholic religion, and therefore, the perception of death is unique. Catholicism provides its followers with the belief of life after death, and therefore, just like the traditional Egyptian religion, they do believe in the afterlife. However, the main differences between the two arise on the underlying concepts regarding why people die, how death occurs, and what followers are required to do when one of their family members die. The concept of the afterlife can be seen in the original God’s plan for humans to live eternally with Him. However, in the Garden of Eden, the nature of humans was wounded for disobeying God when they eat the forbidden fruit. According to the Catholic faith, it is because of human disobedience to God that humans must suffer and die as a punishment from God. Also, it is due to this original sin that humans will continue facing the burden of death, even if it wasn’t God’s original plan. To Catholicism, part of the burden is to fear death and keep wondering what will happen when people die.
Just like the traditional Egyptian religion, Catholics also believe that human beings are made up of two components, and that is, the body and the soul. A combination of the two makes an individual whole, and according to Catholicism, the body of a person cannot live without the soul, as the two are profoundly joined together. The difference between the body and the soul is that the soul is immortal while the body is mortal, implying that even after death, the soul will continue to exist. According to Catholicism, it is, therefore, the soul that heads to the afterlife. Knowing that the soul doesn’t die is a crucial aspect of the Catholic religion as it helps in the preparation of the body after the death of a person. As a Catholic believer approaches death, they prepare for death by acts of love, prayer, and confession. During this time, the Catholic priest offers last rites in a day or two before the death is expected. The catholic family members, along with the caregivers, strive to help the dying person to cope with the suffering at the end of life. Since suffering is part of human nature as a consequence of the original sin, Catholics do continue to encourage their followers to find meaning in suffering. Based on this, the followers are required to connect spiritually with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The meaning stems from the belief that God’s love follows an individual through life, suffering, and death, and this also represents the catholic teaching that life is eternal and that death doesn’t have the final word.
Just like the Egyptian religion, Catholicism also does honor the dead. Catholicism, for example, marks 40 days after the death of a person as the crucial time of prayer and honoring the dead. Also, most of the catholic funerals feature a wake or a rosary service, and it is in these services that the family and friends gather to recite the rosary prayers, after which the traditional Catholic mass is conducted in the church, followed by the blessing of the casket with holy water and the recitation of various blessings. Praying for the dead is similar to the Egyptian way of sanctifying the dead and preparing them for the afterlife. Besides, Catholicism beliefs in purgatory, where souls purge their sins before being allowed entrance to heaven. Catholics believe that God will reward the souls deemed worthy of going to heaven, while those deemed sinful will be punished and cast to hell.
In conclusion, death, dying, and the afterlife is an important part of the human religion as the Ancient Egyptian religion and Catholicism depict it. A comparison of the two religions reveals that the afterlife only occurs to the soul as the body ceases the moment of death. Also, both religions believe that the living must prepare the dead for the afterlife. However, the primary difference arises in the concept of what happens after death. Catholicism believes that the soul is either cast in hell or sent to heaven, while Egyptians believe in rebirth in the underworld. Based on this, the two religions have a lot in common regarding death and the afterlife and also differ in some aspects.