Soteriology

The concept of salvation presupposes a problem in the human condition which it is possible to ameliorate, whether through the individual's own efforts or as a result of a saving God. Different religions have defined this problem in different ways - for example ignorance or avidya in Hindu and Buddhist thought, original sin in the Judaic and Christian traditions, giving rise to the endless cycle of birth and death in the former and separation from God in the latter cases. The character of salvation is also different in different schools of thought. It may be that salvation is achieved in this life (for example, jivanmukti) or after death, or having worked through a series of situations (heavens and hells, as in Buddhism; purgatory, as in Catholicism). A utopian blessed state for all in this life is the hope not only of some religions but of secular movements as well, when practical goals such as a classless socio-economic system (Marxism) may emphasize community as opposed to individual salvation.