Representatives from several faiths in Wellington, New Zealand are coming together to discuss commonly held and unique beliefs regarding death.
‘Death and Diversity’ discussions are taking place as part of an exhibition at Wellington’s City and Sea Museum this month (June 2012).
Subjects range from death, afterlife, grief and the impact of culture and faith on the way people deal with death.
Representatives come from several faith communities including Presbyterian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jewish and Hindu. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are also taking part in the discussions.
Latter-day Saint Peter Thomson participated in one of the meetings this month.
“There was a lot of discussion on how faith helps us and those around us cope with the grief associated with the death of a loved one,” he said. “The views expressed were well received. We all learnt from each other.”
According to Museums Wellington Director Brett Mason, “Every culture has customs and rituals that are turned to at the time of a death."
"By getting to know these practices, we can get to the sense of identity and belonging of various ethnic community groups and the changes they’ve made since their arrival in New Zealand."
Read about Latter-day Saint beliefs regarding death at www.mormon.org.