How Different Religions View Death and Afterlife

"The first edition of How Different Religions View Death and Afterlife earned widespread acclaim for its objective, thoughtful and practical explanation of the often confusing and troublesome subjects of death and afterlife. In the same tradition as the first, this new third edition presents a clear, concise and comparative overview of the teachings and the death beliefs of the largest and fastest-growing religions in North America.

This new third edition—fully revised, updated and expanded with four new chapters—will be of enormous value to all readers who would like to obtain a better understanding of the various ways in which different faiths understand death and what happens afterward. Unlike many books on the subject of religious beliefs, the discourse here is refreshingly objective and nonproselytizing. Furthermore, each chapter is written by a different expert or scholar who is internationally recognized as an authority on a particular faith.

This book is of enormous value to Hospice workers, Palliative Care personnel, Funeral Home Directors, Clergy, Social Workers, Counselors and Gerontologists.

Readers who are seeking a better comprehension of the beliefs of their own religion and those who want to investigate the belief systems of other religions will be able to obtain all the information they need.

Teachers and students of comparative religion will appreciate that this book not only offers objective and information, placing it into a logical and comparative format that is easy to comprehend.

Health professionals who work with the terminally ill and the dying will find practical information that will help them offer greater understanding and sensitivity to their patients of different faiths.

Again, pastoral, gerontological and grief counselors, clergy and chaplains will be able to obtain information about the death practices and beliefs of these faiths in one book.

Funeral directors will find thoroughly practical and specific direction about the funeral, burial and grieving practices of each religion.

The contributing authors present their information objectively and without an overbearing amount of theological language. Because beliefs about death and afterlife have wide implications for life, this book encourages a search for greater understanding of these subjects."