Do You Believe in Life After Life?

[nelson]

LIFE AFTER LIFE.

The concept of "Life after life" would mean some sort of continuation beyond eventual physical death-from religious doctrines of eternal afterlives, reincarnations, or spiritual continuances to philosophical speculations on the persistence of consciousness.

Basically, the question of life after death has stuck within the realm of human thought mainly because it does raise into our minds heavy existential questions pertaining to the purpose, meaning, and nature of consciousness.

 

The following are more detailed looks at some of these perspectives:

Religious Perspectives

Christianity: The very pivot of the Christian faith is eternal life. According to Christians, after the death of a person, his or her soul goes to God, who sends those souls to either heaven-a place of eternal happiness and communion with God-or to hell-a place wherein the soul stays separated from God. The theory of purgatory also exists in some Christian concepts, which says the soul stays in a state of purification before it reaches heaven.

Islam: Another fundame­ntal tenet of the afterlife is embraced in the religion of Islam. Muslims believe in a Day of Judgment wherein all souls are resurrected to be judged by their actions during one's life span. The righteous go through the pearly gates to paradise known as Jannah, and the vilest go on to the agony of hell which is Jahannam. As with Christianity, the message held is one of moral accountability wherein all human beings are responsible for the eternal outcome of their earthly actions.

Hinduism: The concept of samsara in Hinduism upholds the circle of birth, death, and rebirth. The soul, Atman, reincarnates many times, and each successive life is predetermined by karma-the sum of what a person has done in his past life. The ultimate objective is to achieve moksha, a state of liberation from the circle of samsara whereby one unites with the divine or abides in eternal bliss.

Buddhism: While Buddhism, like Hinduism, believes in rebirth, the emphasis is on attempting to be liberated from duhkha. Through the Eightfold Path among other spiritual disciplines, Buddhists attempt to realize a state of deliverance known as nirvana, where the round of rebirths ceases and the self is eventually snuffed out. The self, in this interpretation, is conceived not as an immortal soul but as a cluster of aggregates-skandhas-which are themselves dissipated at enlightenment.

Judaism: The views are immense on the afterlife in Judaism. Though the Torah is generally silent about specific afterlife scenarios, in later Jewish texts and traditions, resurrection-as in the Messianic Age-or the existence of Olam Ha-Ba, the World to Come-is introduced. Some Jews do believe in some sort of judgment after death, while others put more emphasis on living the righteous life without emphasizing what afterward comes.

Spiritualism and New Age Beliefs: Most spiritual and New Age movements of the modern era subscribe to some form of afterlife theory, be it reincarnation or moving on into a higher spiritual plane. Often enough, the emphasis is placed on personal development, soul evolution, or even how the soul merges with a universal energy or divine source upon one's death.

 

Philosophical and Metaphysical Views

Dualism: This theory has, as one of its proponents, René Descartes. Dualists support the separation of the mind or soul from the body. If the soul cannot take the form of matter, then it should theoretically survive the death of the body. This now opens up numerous variants of an afterlife via reincarnation, the spiritual realm, and/or the immortal existence of the soul.

Materialism: The theory of materialism states that consciousness is brought about or is a by-product of some physical process in the brain. When the functions of the brain come to an end, consciousness will cease to exist. The other implication of materialism is that death would be the end; there is no more continuation of personal experience beyond it, and the self-ceases to exist.

Philosophical Skepticism: Some philosophers, much like David Hume, have stated that because humankind has never experienced anything like life after death, no valid conclusions concerning the subject can ever be made. Hume was rather skeptical about religious dogma and said that human fears and wants-typically based on the fear of dying-could explain belief in an afterlife rather than any such evidence or reason.

Near-Death Experiences: Any discussion of NDEs always alludes to the question about life after death. Many people report dramatic experiences when clinically dead or near death: tranquility, out-of-body experiences, tunnels of light, and visitation by the dead. While such experiences are profound for their protagonists, scientific explanation attributes them to no more than the action of a highly stressed or oxygen-deprived brain rather than as evidence of an afterlife. However, NDEs have nonetheless proven to be of interest and a source of research for many.

 

Science Explanation

The scientific perspective has remained very skeptical about any theories concerning the afterlife, thanks to a lack of empirical evidence which would support such a hypothesis. On the other hand, studies concerning the brain activity have also shown that the consciousness appears to be inextricably linked to the neural processes. Once those processes cease-such as when the neurons in the brain die either from a lack of oxygen or from trauma-there is no scientific mechanism to account for how personal identity or experience could continue.

Meanwhile, most scientists remain open to the possibility that there could be things about the consciousness or the universe not yet acquainted. For instance, quantum mechanics has, as a result of this, given rise to speculations regarding non-material aspects of reality; these speculations are far from providing any conclusive answer.

 

Existential and Psychological Views

Existentialism: Probably its most famous exponents were Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. Implied here is the realization that, since there are no afters and no cosmic purpose, it becomes an incumbent duty of humanity to carve out meaning in life. The finitude of life is not something to be feared; rather, it is an opportunity for living authentically, embracing freedom in finding personal significance within what often seems to be an indifferent universe.

Therein Lies Some Comforting Psychological Reason: The belief in some sort of afterlife comforts a lot of people and has been helpful in coping with the fear of mortality, loss of loved ones, or life's uncertainties. Psychologists have pointed out that beliefs in an afterlife can appear to serve an emotional or existential purpose; that is, comforting and giving meaning to our lives beyond what otherwise would be a bleak prospect of nonexistence here and now.

Conclusion

The question of whether or not there can be life after life, being deeply personal, remains a speculative one. Whereas religious traditions put forward very specific visions of an afterlife, philosophy on its part does it in its way: by delineating the framework within which conceptualizations are entertained about the nature of existence and consciousness. And it is science, largely through skeptical thinking, that keeps investigation going into the human experience including things like the NDEs which may provide at least some clues. Whether life exists after death or not is unknown and perhaps one of the biggest mysteries ever to mankind.

[Emmydegreat]

Bravo

[Emmydegreat]

I will do my research more carefully on this but perfect