In the wake of a loved one’s death, we have an overwhelming urge to reach out to them, and this urge often comes at the very same time when many people turn to religion to understand the meaning of life and their place in the universe. Religions provide answers that soothe and comfort the bereaved. They usually describe a place where the deceased now resides (Heaven, the Buddhist Pure Lands, the Underworld across the River Styx) and a time when we will see them again (Día de los Muertos, the Japanese Obon festival, Judgment Day).
