Structure for Life after Death (basic, wip)

a)

Fundamental basis of World Religions: 

 Eg. Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism 

     - Resurrection, Rebirth and Reincarnation

Importance, in belief and proof for life after death:

Dualism & Monism

famous dualists: Dawkins, Gilbert Ryle (category error)

famous monists: Plato, Aristotle 

Descartes (dualist) - cogito ergo sum, ability to doubt oneself is proof for the existence of a mind and a soul -> therefore there can be such a thing as life after death

Proofs for the existence of a God

Kant’s concept of summum bonum 

Parapsychology 

Life after death

the Bible: Jesus’ resurrection (scripture)

Reincarnation 

evidence from previous lives (Dr Ian Stevenson)

cycle of existence -> on death the soul is reborn again into a new body

good or bad actions are called karma

goal is to achieve nirvana, union with Brahman

gross body (sthula sharira) and subtle body (linga sharira)

only the subtle body is reincarnated.

perfection and enlightenment -> Moksha

Rebirth

anatta (no soul), anicca (temporary), dukkha (suffering)

made up of a body and the nama rupa

only the nama rupa is reborn into a new body -> same cycle until the body reaches permanency (nirvana) physically body is temp, the real self is eternal and unchanging

governed all by karma -> proliferation, equal terms, 

Resurrection

further date -> judgement day will come forth, the dead will have eternal life in bodily form

Christ was resurrected. 

not the same as the one who died? 

Hick’s Replica Theory: 

Immortality of the Soul

Plato, Aquinas and Saint Thomas, Kant etc.

Heaven and Hell

b)

Criticisms of Life after Death:

Ayer: Verification principle

Hick’s idea of eschatological verification still is implausible because it has no facts, how are we supposed to convert our beliefs back, if it is genuine

Pascal’s Wager that it is better to believe in life after death than to not vs Dawkin’s idea that we have one life, monistic view, that we are ‘grotesquely lucky to be here’

Life after Death is not a genuine concept (Near Death Experiences) -> may be a state of unconsciousness that causes us to hallucinate. -> hallucination, drug use, subconscious memories and testimonies cannot be verified. It also does not prove that there is life after death, only that they experienced something -> James had the same with religious experiences

Bodily Resurrection appears to be justified due to the backing from the bible and then Jesus’ resurrection: is the resurrected body really us? it seems to be a self contradicting statement, for there to be life after death -> Hick’s Replica Theory - someone dies, comes back with same features and memories, they are the same person, God is powerful to do this, and create a replica, so Judgment day and what follows is legitimate? vs God creating replicas, undermines the whole concept of personal identity, replicas are not as valuable. 

Rebirth - non verifiable, difficult to determine whether past memories are genuine or not (Dr Ian Stevenson)

Reincarnation - Bodily continuity is lost, if we cannot remember our previous lives, then our memory is lost, this seems self contradictory as the real self is required to be eternal and unchanging. 

impossible to know that an individual really has been reborn. memory linkages are weak and tenuous.