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Abstract

Content

Introduction

In modern society there is a tendency to displace the death of the collective consciousness, when the society behaves as if no one dies at all, and the death of an individual does not break any gaps in the structure of society. In most societies of the West rationalized death of man is furnished so that it becomes a matter of only professionals: doctors and businessmen engaged in the funeral business. The same trends are observed in Ukraine. In fact, man, who are prepared to die, see the death like a natural way of life ending, but not hopeless failure. This conclusion is now coming in many countries. You hear more voices on the need for psychological training from an early age, developing a special science - thanatology, a number of courses on death and dying are included in the plans for universities, not only on the faculties of medicine and psychology, philosophy and law.

1. Theme urgency

Death - one of the fundamental parameters of the collective consciousness, and since the latter does not remain fixed in the course of history, then these changes expressed in the relation of man to death. The study of attitudes towards death may shed light on the attitude of people in relation to life and its basic values. Therefore, the perception of death, the afterlife, relationships between the living and the dead - the theme, the discussion of which could significantly improve understanding of social and cultural historians of the reality of past eras, and, more importantly, our time. Master's thesis deals with the problem of death in modern society, which inherent in a break with tradition in the understanding of the finiteness of human existence. Raises issues related to the controversial explanation for the phenomenon of death in the science and religious teachings that have made fundamental changes in the lifestyle of modern man.

2. Goal and tasks of the research

The aim of the study is to compare thanatological exercises in the Abrahamic religions.

Main tasks of the research:

  1. Identify the basic concepts of research methodology and the degree of development thanatological issues in religious studies, philosophy and theology;

  2. Investigate differences in attitudes to death in the religions of revelation, as a factor in determining the meaning of the life of believers;

  3. Identify the mechanism of the influence of religious teachings on thanatological practice of modern man.

Research object: attitudes to death in Judaism, Islam and Christianity as a factor in determining religious doctrine, religious and everyday practice.

Research subject: beliefs and traditions associated with death in Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

3. The differences in religious views of life as a result of differences in religious ideas about death

Fear of death laid in human nature itself, in the very mystery of life. However, in a particular era, through the prism of certain spiritual values that fear transformed on different forms. So they are reflected in the resistant religious and practical settings. A comparison of world religions, distant cultures that have formed around them, shows that the line between life and death of people perceive in different ways. In addition, the manner in which religious traditions treat the problem of death, directly affects how people are of value and meaning of life, values in this life. Understanding a death determines the vision of all other fundamental questions of life, forms the morals, is the source of a particular behavior. One of the founders of Experimental Pathology, who has spearheaded the thanatology, the famous Frenchman Claude Bernard in "Lectures on the Experimental Pathology" wrote: "... to know how to live animals and humans, we need to see how a lot of them die, because the mechanisms of life can be opened and found only with a knowledge of the mechanisms of death " [25]. This statement can be used not only in the understanding of man as a biological organism. After explaining how a person's death is, we can explain what is life mean for him. As examples of such a relationship we can see three monotheistic religions, as they are called revealed religion: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which have the same roots but different in content teachings. 

At the core of Judaism - a contract that is both a legal agreement and the "marriage" of the love between Yahweh and his chosen peopleJudaism is based on relationships and promises concerning this life and, therefore, from the Jewish point of view, death and dying are part of life. Only in the earthly life of man can do good, or, conversely, evil deeds, correct the evil caused, repent. [24, c. 4]. When death comes, we have nothing we can do about it: we can not atone to someone, do not have time to apologize for abuse or error. Therefore, such an attitude to death, a willingness to ensure that it can occur at any time, makes appreciate each passing day, like the last one. In contrast, the prospect of posthumous paradise is the foundation of religious life in the practice of Christianity and Islam, so that the exclusion of beliefs associated with death and "life" after death would have meant exclusion of the very essence of these faiths. 

The immortality of the individual as a holistic being is conceivable in Christianity, but only after resurrection. The path to it opened the redemptive sacrifice of Christ through the cross and resurrection. The mortality of man - a punish for man for original sin, which removes with the advent of death. Earthly life is as a dream, an empty dream, a bubble, without realizing that the purpose of it is the human deification and his moving on to eternal life. In fact, the earthly life is but a preparation for eternal life, which is around the corner for everyone, and those actions which we allow ourselves in this life, will speak for us in the afterlife, to determine what kind of eternal life will wait us. [14 , c. 26]. 

Close to the Christian interpretation of death Muslim representation in the sense that earthly life is defined as the ghostly and temporal. Like the human body, a world that surrounds us is full of flaws. We were granted a short worldly life, as well as our bodies given to us for temporary use and possession by Allah. Eternal life and perfection of creation is possible only in the hereafter. Belief in the afterlife - one of the basic conditions mentioned in the Koran. The Scripture says that faith in the unseen world beyond is the greatest proof of the depth and sincerity of the believer. If a person believes in the afterlife, he wholeheartedly believes in Allah, his messenger and the Scripture [9], c. 64-65]. Fear of death in this tradition is replaced by fear of divine retribution. All the daily practice focused on the Muslim observance of regulations in the violation of which the believer expect terrible suffering of hell.

So, religious teachings placing the emphasis between life and death form a particular world view, define the mentality. Differently treating problem of death, makes understanding of life itself , its value as such, and values in life variable.That is why is it so difficult to understand and accept the view that emerged in the context of a particular religious tradition and culture, which is constructed around it. And although we are now experiencing the processes of globalization, although scientific knowledge seek to achieve universal humanity philosophy and mutual understanding between cultures, the differences in fundamental matters of life and death which are laid a long time, give a not faint echo in everyday life.

Conclusion

Life and death - eternal themes of the spiritual culture of humanity in all its divisions. Prophets and founders of religions, philosophers and moralists, artists and litterateurs, teachers and doctors speculated about it. As a result of the work study found that in secularized worldview of modern man has undergone significant changes in ideas about death. At the present stage of humanity is faced with many problems associated with the opposite understanding of problem of death in the interpretation of religion and science. In this regard, the phenomenon of death is studied by specialists in different fields of knowledge, death is seen from different angles, forming a science, designed to cover the entire body of knowledge about death. Many authors in their studies are coming to the conclusion that the attitude to death has a direct impact on the valuation of life, its meaning and purpose. However, it is clearly underutilized potential is used accumulated by mankind for millennia, and which found its expression in the traditional teachings for address the many bioethical issues: cloning, euthanasia, capital punishment, abortion, organ transplants, and others"Biblical religion" as they are called, namely, Judaism, Islam and Christianity contain a doctrine of death as one of the major issues around which further teaching unfoldsIn fact attitude toward death defines ontology, epistemology, ethics, aesthetics and other fields of human knowledge and activity, which in turn are prescribed in the holy scriptures and reflected in the activities of religious institutions. Current understanding of death, which formed with scientific worldview, is at odds with the religious interpretation of the problems prevailing in the minds of mankind for centuries with forming the morals and ethics of human society, from which the front man of our time raises many vital questions and problems. Claiming the unprecedented power of large scales, the science is still not ready to respond to the challenge of these and other problems occurring for thousands of years in the competence of philosophy and religion.

This master's work is not completed yet. Final completion: January 2013. The full text of the work and materials on the topic can be obtained from the author or his head after this date.

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