Download or read book The Myth of an Afterlife written by Michael Martin and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2015-03-12 with total page 709 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Because every single one of us will die, most of us would like to know what—if anything—awaits us afterward, not to mention the fate of lost loved ones. Given the nearly universal vested interest in deciding this question in favor of an afterlife, it is no surprise that the vast majority of books on the topic affirm the reality of life after death without a backward glance. But the evidence of our senses and the ever-gaining strength of scientific evidence strongly suggest otherwise. In The Myth of an Afterlife: The Case against Life after Death, Michael Martin and Keith Augustine collect a series of contributions that redress this imbalance in the literature by providing a strong, comprehensive, and up-to-date casebook of the chief arguments against an afterlife. Divided into four separate sections, this collection opens with a broad overview of the issues, as contributors consider the strongest evidence of whether or not we survive death—in particular the biological basis of all mental states and their grounding in brain activity that ceases to function at death. Next, contributors consider a host of conceptual and empirical difficulties that confront the various ways of “surviving” death—from bodiless minds to bodily resurrection to any form of posthumous survival. Then essayists turn to internal inconsistencies between traditional theological conceptions of an afterlife—heaven, hell, karmic rebirth—and widely held ethical principles central to the belief systems supporting those notions. In the final section, authors offer critical evaluations of the main types of evidence for an afterlife. Fully interdisciplinary, The Myth of an Afterlife: The Case against Life after Death brings together a variety of fields of research to make that case, including cognitiveneuroscience, philosophy of mind, personal identity, philosophy of religion, moralphilosophy, psychical research, and anomalistic psychology. As the definitive casebookof arguments against life after death, this collection is required reading for anyinstructor, researcher, and student of philosophy, religious studies, or theology. It issure to raise provocative issues new to readers, regardless of background, from thosewho believe fervently in the reality of an afterlife to those who do not or are undecidedon the matter.
Download or read book Life After Death written by Farnaz Masumian and published by Oneworld Publications Limited. This book was released on 1995 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume looks in detail at the life-after-death doctrines of seven world religions and asks many questions such as: are there important parallels between the many accounts of near-death experiences, and what happens to us when we actually die?; is there a part of us that conquers death?; If so, will that entity have a personal or universal encounter with it's creator at some point? The author draws out many corresponding features in reported near-death experiences, and demonstrates the unity of all religions in their approach to death and the afterlife.
Download or read book Christian Beliefs about Life after Death written by Paul Badham and published by Springer. This book was released on 1976-06-18 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Philosophy and the Belief in a Life after Death written by R. Paterson and published by Springer. This book was released on 1995-11-15 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book critically examines the case for and against the belief in personal survival of bodily death. It discusses key philosophical questions. How could a discarnate individual be identified as a person who was once alive? What is the relationship between minds and their brains? Is a 'next world' conceivable? The book also examines classic arguments for the immortality of the soul, and focuses on types of prima facie evidence of survival: near-death experiences, apparitions, mediumistic communications, and ostensible reincarnation cases.
Download or read book Life After Death written by Alan Segal and published by Image. This book was released on 2010-06-23 with total page 882 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A magisterial work of social history, Life After Death illuminates the many different ways ancient civilizations grappled with the question of what exactly happens to us after we die. In a masterful exploration of how Western civilizations have defined the afterlife, Alan F. Segal weaves together biblical and literary scholarship, sociology, history, and philosophy. A renowned scholar, Segal examines the maps of the afterlife found in Western religious texts and reveals not only what various cultures believed but how their notions reflected their societies’ realities and ideals, and why those beliefs changed over time. He maintains that the afterlife is the mirror in which a society arranges its concept of the self. The composition process for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam begins in grief and ends in the victory of the self over death. Arguing that in every religious tradition the afterlife represents the ultimate reward for the good, Segal combines historical and anthropological data with insights gleaned from religious and philosophical writings to explain the following mysteries: why the Egyptians insisted on an afterlife in heaven, while the body was embalmed in a tomb on earth; why the Babylonians viewed the dead as living in underground prisons; why the Hebrews remained silent about life after death during the period of the First Temple, yet embraced it in the Second Temple period (534 B.C.E. –70 C.E.); and why Christianity placed the afterlife in the center of its belief system. He discusses the inner dialogues and arguments within Judaism and Christianity, showing the underlying dynamic behind them, as well as the ideas that mark the differences between the two religions. In a thoughtful examination of the influence of biblical views of heaven and martyrdom on Islamic beliefs, he offers a fascinating perspective on the current troubling rise of Islamic fundamentalism. In tracing the organic, historical relationships between sacred texts and communities of belief and comparing the visions of life after death that have emerged throughout history, Segal sheds a bright, revealing light on the intimate connections between notions of the afterlife, the societies that produced them, and the individual’s search for the ultimate meaning of life on earth.
Download or read book Life After Death written by Dinesh D'Souza and published by Regnery Publishing. This book was released on 2009-11-02 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing on some of the most powerful theories and trends in physics, biology, philosophy, and psychology, D'Souza concludes that belief in life after deathoffers depth and significance to this life.
Download or read book Life After Death written by Farnáz Maʻsúmián and published by Kalimat Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Critical Examination of the Belief in a Life After Death written by C. J. Ducasse and published by . This book was released on 2013-10 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a new release of the original 1961 edition.
Download or read book Life After Death written by Deepak Chopra, M.D. and published by Harmony. This book was released on 2008-09-16 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What happens to the spirit after the body dies? In Life After Death, Deepak Chopra draws on cutting-edge scientific discoveries and the great wisdom traditions to provide a map of the afterlife. He tells us there is abundant evidence that “the world beyond” is not separated from this world by an impassable wall; in fact, a single reality embraces all worlds, all times and places. “A must-read for everyone who will die.” —Candace B. Pert, Ph.D., author of Molecules of Emotion “A penetrating and insightful investigation into the greatest mystery of existence. This is an important book because only by facing death will we come to a deeper realization of who we are.” —Eckhart Tolle, author of A New Earth and The Power of Now “If I had any doubts about the afterlife, I don’t have them anymore. Deepak Chopra has cast his inimitable light on the darkened corners of death. I think this is his greatest contribution yet.” —Marianne Williamson, author of The Age of Miracles and The Gift of Change
Download or read book Death and the Afterlife written by Samuel Scheffler and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-09-09 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Suppose you knew that, though you yourself would live your life to its natural end, the earth and all its inhabitants would be destroyed thirty days after your death. To what extent would you remain committed to your current projects and plans? Would scientists still search for a cure for cancer? Would couples still want children? In Death and the Afterlife, philosopher Samuel Scheffler poses this thought experiment in order to show that the continued life of the human race after our deaths--the "afterlife" of the title--matters to us to an astonishing and previously neglected degree. Indeed, Scheffler shows that, in certain important respects, the future existence of people who are as yet unborn matters more to us than our own continued existence and the continued existence of those we love. Without the expectation that humanity has a future, many of the things that now matter to us would cease to do so. By contrast, the prospect of our own deaths does little to undermine our confidence in the value of our activities. Despite the terror we may feel when contemplating our deaths, the prospect of humanity's imminent extinction would pose a far greater threat to our ability to lead lives of wholehearted engagement. Scheffler further demonstrates that, although we are not unreasonable to fear death, personal immortality, like the imminent extinction of humanity, would also undermine our confidence in the values we hold dear. His arresting conclusion is that, in order for us to lead value-laden lives, what is necessary is that we ourselves should die and that others should live. Death and the Afterlife concludes with commentary by four distinguished philosophers--Harry Frankfurt, Niko Kolodny, Seana Shiffrin, and Susan Wolf--who discuss Scheffler's ideas with insight and imagination. Scheffler adds a final reply.
Download or read book Reasonable Faith written by William Lane Craig and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2008 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This updated edition by one of the world's leading apologists presents a systematic, positive case for Christianity that reflects the latest work in the contemporary hard sciences and humanities. Brilliant and accessible.
Download or read book Images of Afterlife written by Geddes MacGregor and published by Paragon House Publishers. This book was released on 1992 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A brilliant history of belief in the hereafter, from prehistoric times to the present, by an eminent theologian and philosopher. MacGregor explores Western visions of paradise and purgatory, heaven and hell, as well as Eastern concepts of soul transference, reincarnation, Karma, and Nirvana. MacGregor is the author of 30 books, including Angels: Ministers of Grace.
Download or read book Inventing Afterlives written by Regina M. Janes and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Regina M. Janes proposes a new theory of the origins of the hereafter. Drawing on a variety of religious traditions and contemporary literature and film as well as cognitive science and evolutionary psychology, Inventing Afterlives shows that in asking what happens after we die we define the worlds we inhabit and the values by which we live.
Download or read book Philosophy of Religion written by Tim Bayne and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is the philosophy of religion? How can we distinguish it from theology on the one hand and the psychology/sociology of religious belief on the other? What does it mean to describe God as eternal? And should religious people want there to be good arguments for the existence of God, or is religious belief only authentic in the absence of these good arguments? In this Very Short Introduction Tim Bayne introduces the field of philosophy of religion, and engages with some of the most burning questions that philosophers discuss. Considering how religion should be defined, and whether we even need to be able to define it in order to engage in the philosophy of religion, he goes on to discuss whether the existence of God matters. Exploring the problem of evil, Bayne also debates the connection between faith and reason, and the related question of what role reason should play in religious contexts. Shedding light on the relationship between science and religion, Bayne finishes by considering the topics of reincarnation and the afterlife. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Download or read book Scots Confession written by John Knox and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2015-12-21 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Scots Confession" from John Knox. Scottish religious reformer who played the lead part in reforming the Church in Scotland in a Presbyterian manner (1510-1572).
Download or read book Beyond the Threshold written by Christopher M. Moreman and published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. This book was released on 2008-09-18 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beyond the Threshold is the first book to seriously consider the interplay between traditional world religions and metaphysical experiences in exploring the timeless question of what happens when we die. Christopher M. Moreman examines and compares the beliefs and practices of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, as well as psychic phenomena such as mediums and near-death experiences. While ultimately the afterlife remains unknowable, Moreman's unique, in-depth exploration of both beliefs and experiences can help readers reach their own understanding of the afterlife and how to live.
Download or read book Jewish Views of the Afterlife written by Simcha Paull Raphael and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-04-15 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the third edition of Jewish Views of the Afterlife, Rabbi Simcha Paull Raphael walks readers through the Jewish tradition of the afterlife while providing insights into spiritual care with dying and grieving individuals and families.
