[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]

An interfaith panel highlighted the differences and similarities between Christian, Jewish and Muslim beliefs in an afterlife in front of a group of about 40 students and faculty at the University of Wisconsin Thursday.

Laurie Zimmerman, a representative of the Congregation Shaarei Shamayim; Brent Christianson, director of the Lutheran Campus Center; and Mamoon Syed, a representative of the Madison Muslim community, presented the basic tenets of their respective religions and answered questions between each speech.

All three presenters said it is not possible to make generalizations about their religions because there are so many different sects and interpretations about holy texts.

However, Syed and Christianson said Islam and Christianity generally believe in a life for the soul after death and a judgment by God, while Zimmerman said Judaism has a more earth-centered approach to the afterlife.

?We live on in peoples? memories. We live on in good deeds, and we live on in the legacies that we leave,? Zimmerman said.

Christianson said the Christian attitude toward an afterlife is linked to their view of Jesus Christ?s resurrection.

?All Christians believe that Jesus was raised from the dead,? Christianson said. ?Most Christians would say that the resurrection of Christ is like reading ahead to the end of a mystery novel because you can?t wait. So we sort of know what the end is like.?

According to Syed, the Islamic faith believes almost as strongly in the afterlife as it believes in God. He said one?s life is supposed to be spent doing good to prepare for their judgment day.

He also joked with one student who asked him if Muslims believe there are 72 virgins waiting for those who martyr themselves.

?I don?t want to motivate you, you know,? Syed said, laughing. ?I don?t want you to go strap on a bomb and do something.?

The discussion was the latest in the series of talks hosted by Dialogue International, an organization devoted to creating religious tolerance by bringing representatives of different religions together to peacefully share their beliefs.

Syed said he has participated in multiple discussion panels for DI in the past, which have mostly stressed the commonalities of the three religions.

?This may be the first time that I think we?ve got extremely contrasting views, about the nature of the resurrection and afterlife,? Syed added.

UW sophomore Eric Salitsky said interfaith dialogue is very important for understanding other group?s faiths as well as one?s own faith.

?I think that religious dialogue is one of the most important things that our society needs today,? Salitsky said. ?Especially with seeing the polarization of religion, seeing how much fundamentalism has affected society and how everyone seems to be more scared of each other than willing to cooperate.?