“Afterlife-free” religions (Part 3)

It’s more than likely that a number of us will be too tired to envision keeping on living after death, so the next question is “Are they belief systems, philosophies or religions that don’t promise eternal life including hell and heaven, after death to their flock?” In doing some research, it appears that this option is available and here’s what I have found. 

If we first look at Buddhism, we find no eternal soul or heaven or hell in the Abrahamic sense: Buddhism teaches anatta (no permanent self or soul). Rebirth (samsara) occurs based on karma, but the ultimate goal is nirvana—liberation from the cycle of rebirth, not eternal life in a paradise. There might be some exceptions but they’re temporary as some Buddhist traditions acknowledge heavenly and hellish realms, but these are impermanent states within samsara, not eternal destinations. 

There’s also Jainism, one of the three oldest religions in India that I didn’t know anything about, that teaches that the path to enlightenment (moksha), is through nonviolence and minimizing harm to all living things. It emphasizes breaking free from the cycle of rebirth through ethical living and asceticism. There is no eternal heaven; the liberated soul (siddha) exists in a state of pure consciousness, not a physical paradise. 

My favorite is Taoism that focuses on harmony in this life. Classical Taoism is more concerned with living in harmony with the Dao (the Way) than with afterlife and its rewards and punishments. Confucianism stresses moral behavior and social harmony in this life. Ancestor veneration is practiced, but there’s no detailed theology of heaven and hell or eternal life. 

To my surprise was the modern Unitarian Universalism Church that has roots in liberal Christian thought and is primarily a North American tradition, with most congregations located in the United States. It has no dogmatic afterlife beliefs, but encourages individual exploration of meaning and does not impose a unified belief about the afterlife. Some members may reject entirely the concept of heaven and hell. Obviously, ancient Greek & Roman where Stoics emphasized virtue in life, while Epicureans saw death as the end of consciousness. Neither promised eternal rewards or punishments. 

Finally we all know about Humanism, Atheism, and Agnosticism that aren’t religions per se, but reject supernatural afterlife claims, focusing instead on ethical living in the present. In conclusion, many Eastern traditions (Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism) and some modern philosophical currents stay away from the heaven and hell duality, focusing instead on liberation, ethical living, or acceptance of impermanence. 

Meanwhile, secular approaches reject afterlife promises altogether. Now, you have all the information you need to fine-tune, change or adopt your favorite belief system!