Pre and Post-Death Rituals in Christianity: A Phenomenological Analysis

There are different practices in every nation about pre and post death rituals. While Jewish traditions have been an example for the early Christians, there have been some changes in the funeral and the burial services in time. The death and the resurrection of Jesus have regarded as main reason for the reality of afterlife in Christianity. Luther’s doctrine of salvation has also influenced the afterlife approaches and rituals. Some relevant concepts to that such as the perception of death, afterlife, resurrection have been briefly dealt with at the outset of the article. Pre and post-rituals after that constitute the mean frame work of the article. In this context, the preparation given to the person just before the death, funeral and memorial services, burial practices have been dealt with. I have also mentioned my observations and some conclusions from my dialogues with the priests during my research in Indiana, USA