It’s sometimes said that religion originated out of the fear of death. We all face the abyss, and we all grieve when our loved ones pass away. From this utter meaninglessness, the theory goes, myths of meaning arise.
A review of Biblical literature, however, calls this theory into question. Unlike many indigenous and shamanic traditions, unlike other ancient Near Eastern religions, and certainly unlike Christianity, Islam, and later strands of Judaism, the Bible is strikingly uninterested in what happens after we die. Theologians chase after scraps – a mention of Sheol in Genesis 42:38 and Isaiah 14:11, a witch’s séance in 1 Samuel 28:3-25. If “what happens after we die” is so important, why is it not mentioned in any of the core passages of the Bible?
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