The basic idea many religions share is that death is simply a transition to another life, usually in another place, but not always.

It is important to note that when you ask a question about religions in general, the answers are likely to reflect the two largest world religions: Christianity and Islam. On that note: most people who follow a religion believe that life is just part of the journey; that after you die you are judged on your good and bad deeds in life.

The Bible makes it very clear what happens when you die. If more people would open it up and read what it says, then they would have the right understanding. Eccl. 9:5: “The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all.” Ps. 146:4: “His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts [“thoughts,” KJ, 145:4 in Dy; “all his thinking,” NE; “plans,” RS, NAB] do perish.” John 11:11-14: “‘Lazarus our friend has gone to rest, but I am journeying there to awaken him from sleep.’ . . . Jesus said to them outspokenly: ‘Lazarus has died.’” (Also Psalm 13:3)

The only idea that all religions share concerning death is that physical death of the body does occur. After that, well, it's a free for all on which religion believes happens - if anything - after you die.

Most religions actually teach ancient babylonian beliefs concerning death, the bible makes it clear when you are dead you are dead, with the future hope of a phycical ressurection, on earth. So life after death a soul floating about just isn't true but the real bible teaching gives true comfort a real hope of seeing our dead loved ones in the flesh.

Even if we consider the beliefs surrounding the actual moment of death, we find big differences between the major religions of the world, as they have different views of the physical body. To the Judeo-Christian (and I think Islamic) way of thinking, when the body dies, it is a real body that has died. But to classic Buddhism, the body, and, indeed death are only two of many examples of maya or illusion. In some tribal religions such as the traditional Toraja beliefs of central Sulawesi, the body is kept in the house and treated as living until the time of its funeral (which can be a long time later). It is only on the day of the funeral that the family is allowed to begin grieving, as until then, the body is regarded as sleeping. In some of the animist tribes of Papua and New Guinea, the body is smoked and kept in the house to watch over the living, so, in a sense, there is very little separation between the dead and the living. To the Balinese Hindus, the body and spirit are quite separate. Bodies are temporarily buried while the cremations are arranged (this can take years), but the spirits are believed to hang around the burial grounds until released at cremation. The cremation day is seen as joyous, as the spirit is finally sent on its journey. In short, I do not think that many religions share a great deal in common, certainly not a basic idea.