What awaits us in the afterlife? Followers of Islam, Baha'i and American Indian faiths who think they may have the answer shared their perspectives at the Jackson Interfaith Forum on Sunday afternoon.

The forum, which met in Spring Arbor University's downtown extension building, was founded to build trust and understanding among different religions.

"Death is not a punishment by God, but it is part of reality," said Dr. Soraya Orady, founder and chairman of the Islamic Education and Resources Network in Ann Arbor.

"It is important to remember God's forgiveness and mercy when describing death and the day of judgment, but, of course, a person's deeds are an important factor, too, because there is a high level of accountability to God."

Orady explained that each person is assigned two angels who record the good and bad deeds, thoughts and words of the individual throughout his or her lifetime.

"If a person repents, bad deeds are deleted from the book," she said.

According to Orady, a person's journey consists of four distinct worlds: life before birth, because all souls were created at the time of Adam; the period from birth to death on Earth; life in the grave until the resurrection; and finally the afterlife in either heaven or hell.

Visual artist and poet Andrew Lopez of Jackson is a descendant of the Otomi tribe within the Meijica nation of Mexico.

American Indians believe in duality -- light and dark, man and woman, life and death, Lopez said.

"Death is looked at as the ancient mother who comes to cover you. She's not to be feared, but embraced. If anything, you should be afraid to look her in the face and say you never tried to live," he said.

While beliefs vary by tribe, Lopez said, souls remain ever-present in another dimension of the afterlife. Spirits can appear in dreams, and some believe that a soul can be reborn through a baby.

Prisca Gamble, a school psychologist with the Hillsdale Intermediate School District, practices the Baha'i religion. Gamble described Baha'i as intertwining science and religion.

After death, the body returns to the world of dust, while the soul returns to the worlds of God and continues to progress through all eternity until it attains the presence of God in an unalterable state.

Heaven and hell are considered to be states of being rather than actual places. Heaven is defined as nearness to God. Conversely, hell or "the nethermost fire" is a state of nothingness far from God. It is possible for a soul in hell to work toward a higher station closer to God in the afterlife.

On May 20, representatives from the Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu and Christian faiths and, specifically, the Universalist Unitarian denomination will offer additional insights into the afterlife.

Jackson Interfaith Forum was founded in 2004 by Glenn Yamakawa of Jackson, who teaches a course in comparative religion at Spring Arbor University. For more information, call him at 914-5629.

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