Judaism
- According to “Halakha” a child is not Jewish if the child’s mother is not Jewish (Deuteronomy 7:1-5, Leviticus 24:10, Ezra 10:2-3)
- Branches of Conservative and Orthodox Judaism strongly believe in this, while the Reform movement supports that a child can be Jewish is one of his/her parents is Jewish and he/she has experienced Jewish rites of passage
- All groups are open to sincere converts
- Life is valued above almost all else – Talmud: all people are descended from a single person; taking a single life is akin to destroying an entire word, like how saving a single life is saving an entire world
- Of the 613 commandments mentioned in the Torah, only murder, idolatry, incest, and adultery are so important that they cannot be violated to save a life
- Death is not a tragedy – natural process, part of G-d’s plan
- Afterlife
- Mourning practices:
o Not an expression of fear or distaste for death
o Two purposes: to show respect for the dead (kavod ha-met) and to comfort the living (nihum avelim)
- Shiva:
o For 7 days beginning the day of the burial to the morning of the 7th day
o Mirrors are covered
o Minyan – prayer service with 10 people
- Yahrzeit
o Every year on the anniversary of the death
o Recite Kaddish
o Take an aliyah
o Light candle that burns for 24 hours
- Yizkor
o Say prayer on Yom Kippur,
o Shemini Azeret
o Last day of Passover
o Shavu’ot
- Instead of losing faith in G-d after death, Judaism forces one to reaffirm faith in G-d to insure the merit of deceased in G-d’s eyes because the deceased must have been a very good parent to raise a child who could express such faith in the face of personal loss
- Tombstones
o Unveiled after 12-month mourning period – the dead will not be forgotten when he is being mourned every day
o When visiting, one leaves stones instead of flowers – “calling card” for the deceased, rocks are permanent and cannot get blown away
Christianity
Funerals
o Follow pattern throughout the service of shifting from death to life
§ In hopes of seeing that their loved one is not really gone, but with Jesus Christ for all eternity
§ Resurrection
§ If the deceased is a child who has been baptized but has not reached the age of reason, funerals are joyous affairs – it is assumed that G-d will be merciful and he or she will go to heaven
§ Adult who has been baptized – feelings more mixed à hopeful and confident, but not certain that loved one will go to heaven
§ If person wasn’t baptized, they cannot have a Catholic funeral
§ If person was baptized but later rejected the faith, they can have a Catholic funeral
§ Wakes
Islam
- Death very emotional and painful time, one that may be filled with hope and mercy
- Death is a departure from the life of this world, but not the end of a person’s existence
- Eternal life is yet to come
- Observe 3-day mourning period
o Increased devotion, avoiding decorative clothing and jewelry
- Everything in the earthly life is left behind; no more opportunities to perform acts of righteousness except 3 things:
o Charity given during life which continues to help others
o Knowledge from which people to continue to benefit
o Righteous child who prays for him or her
