Eternal Echoes
Heaven Could Be a Place on Earth:
Exploring Different Religious Aspects
The quest for immortality has been at the forefront of human minds since the first cave drawings. In our minds, death has always been inevitable, which has caused people to place an extra amount of sacredness onto our daily lives and to turn to faith as an explanation of where we end up next. All humans grieve, it is a part of the life cycle, but the way people grieve can vary from religious perspectives. Traditional practices of working towards the afterlife are being disrupted and modified due to digital resurrection. Some look at this form of grieving as an extension of their practices, while others believes it directly contradicts their beleifs.
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"The rituals we do are done to comfort the living."
-Lynda Siegel, Member of the Ohavi Zedek Synagogue
Christianity
Through digital resurrection, people's thoughts and experiences can be taken to represent humans and the image of God accurately. Based on Catholic beliefs, there is a doctrine that states that humans are made in the image of God. This embodies the representation of God within each one of us and brings on a heavy debate about what this means for the avatars and replicas created after the deceased. However, based on a reading from Genesis One, "it is in the creation of a community that humanity gains a status of personhood" (Paulus).
Mormonism
Their beliefs are based on the Doctrine of Theosis, which encompasses the idea of becoming like God in terms of holiness and godliness. They have the mindset of working towards transhumanism and enhancing human abilities. Cryonics is the technology they have been working on to help overcome aging and immortality to ultimately resurrect Heaven on Earth so humanity can be among them. They would be more likely to partake in digital resurrection because it directly aligns with their beliefs.
Judiasm
When grieving, the religion is very strongly based on the memories that they hold with this person. They have a seven day period known as Sitting Shiva, where they take seven days to mourn and to sit with this new change in their lives. They find simplicity in this process and continually set aside time to mourn, pray and celebrate their death. For example, a year after one's passing, they have an unveiling of their headstone as a reminder and celebration of their life. They are already partaking in rituals that are reminiscent on the memories they hold with their late loved ones.
Buddhism
Buddhist beliefs revolve around the four noble truths: the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering and the path that leads to the end of suffering. They tend to look at things in regards of how much suffering it may cause to someone. They look at life as a package deal and with life, comes death. Impermanence is prominent in their beliefs, that nothing lasts forever, therefore digital resurrection directly contradicts this.
Islamic
Islam teaches about the sacredness of bodies after we pass away. They hold the belief that they should be treated with respect. Digital Resurrection could be seen as a violation of one's body and identity. After death, they believe the deceased goes to Jannah, which is a paradise that no longer has to deal with the suffering of the world. This could disrupt or interrupt this process of going to the afterlife paradise.