The living and the dead

In Mexican culture, the Day of the Dead is one space for the interaction between the living of the dead. And this is not unusual in religious worlds across the global and throughout human history. Death is not seen as total separation between the living and dead in most religious worldviews. If it were, there would not be need to assist the dead or ask them for their assistance in through ritual actions of humanity.

Using the Day of the Dead as a starting point and thinking about the various readings on world religions  (Buddhism, Judaism, Catholic Christianity, Protestant Christianities, African American religions, Hinduism, etc.), write a short paper comparing and contrasting the ways some of these traditions deal with their continuing relationship to the dead.

• How do they care for the dead? How do they interact with them?
• How do the living receive help from them?
• Do all of these religions believe in the interactions between the living and the dead to the same degree? Are there any that neglect this type of relationship?
• How do these relationship affect the way the cultures view death and dying?