LIFE AFTER DEATH
Is there life after death? Examine the majority of the world’s religions and some kind of afterlife is almost always, universally affirmed. Archeologist, paleontologist and humanist scholar, the late Loren Eiseley, affirms that in his studies there is strong evidence for people believing in life after death. Even back to the grave of the earliest humans, artifacts are found that were supposed to aid the deceased in the afterlife.
Egyptian belief in life after death is well known. People were buried with utensils for afterlife usage. Boats for sailing the seas of immortality were sometimes placed in tombs.
Some years ago in China, we went to Xian. And there we saw the famous terra cotta soldiers discovered just a few years ago. Many are left in the ground where they were uncovered. And what was the purpose of the terra cotta soldiers? In the second century B. C. they were placed there by the Chinese Emperor so they could serve him in the afterlife.
Biblical notions of life after death are well known. The Jewish Pharisees believed in a resurrection of the dead. Islam affirms a paradise after death. And, of course, resurrection and life after death are major tenets of the Christian faith.
Therefore, the so-called near-death experiences of people like Dr. Neal Alexander fascinate us. They seem to affirm what the majority of humans have believed for centuries.
However, critics are not too sure. Neuroscientist Sam Harris (a newcomer to the field of neuroscience) thinks Dr. Alexander’s account is “alarmingly unscientific.” Harris goes on to say that neurologist Alexander “doesn’t know anything about the relevant brain science.” (Quite a stunning claim to make about a neurologist who had studied the brain and conducted many brain surgeries over the years.)
Neurologist Olive Sacks thinks Dr. Alexander’s account is not only unscientific, but antiscientific. Sachs thinks his near death experience occurred as the brain was returning to its full function. No supernatural explanation is needed, says Sacks. (from litlovers.com)
And so the debate goes on. But one thing seems to be common to the near death experiences. They change the lives of those who have experienced them. Dr. Alexander has become a sincere believer in God, to replace his earlier skepticism and doubt. And he wants to devote his life to the study of the mind and consciousness “beyond the brain.”
After the near death experience, others became more confident, see a new meaning and purpose to their lives and strive to comfort others who might fear death. Of course, most humans and religion would welcome that behavior.
What do you think? Are the majority of humans and religions wrong in their assertion of life after death? Do you think so-called scientific answers are adequate to discount near death experiences and the almost universal belief in life after death?
