Essay About Fear Of Death And Common Themes

The Fear Of Death In Society
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The fear of death in society is a true and inevitable fear. People all know that death is a
part of life, and in order to live, you must know you are going to die. When you are living your
life, you need to live it to the fullest and not fear what is to come.
In society, many people use symbols and religion as ways to ease their fears of death and
“guarantee” where they will spend their eternal lives. In the following, you will find examples of
three major religions and the symbols they use to “guarantee” how they will spend eternity.
In Christianity, the Christian cross is frequently used on graves, and is meant to call to
mind the crucifixion of Jesus. Some Christians also erect temporary crosses along public
highways as memorials for those who died in accidents. Christians also tend to use Christian
burial grounds (cemeteries) as their eternal resting place.
Only baptized persons have a claim to Christian burial and the rites of the Church cannot
lawfully be performed over those who are not baptized. Christians believe in heaven and hell and
if you devote your life to the church and live by gods word their will be a spot in heaven for you
in your eternal life.
In Judaism, some of the common themes that appear on many Jewish tombstones are as
follows. 1.) Two hands with outspread fingers indicated that the dead man was descended from
priestly stock (Kohanim) who blessed the people in this fashion and 2) a jug is carved on the
tombstones of the Levites as an emblem of those who washed the priests hands before he
pronounced the blessing.
Some gravestones show a tree with branches either outspread or broken off, symbolizing
the death of a young man or an old man respectively; or they have a cluster of grapes as an
emblem of Israel. The Star of David (Magen David) also occurs frequently.
With the Muslims, the star and crescent is commonly regarded as a symbol of Islam. It is
featured prominently on the flags of many countries in the Islamic world, notably Turkey,
Malaysia, and Pakistan.