Death is something that fascinates us, scares us, it is something we do not understand and therefore do not know how to handle, yet we are painfully aware of the fact that we, too, will have to face it one day. What will happen after we die? This is a good question, and there are several theories that will address this question, answers pertaining to each individual religion or worldview.
Drawing upon my limited knowledge of Christianity, I can say that I do not have a very high appreciation of their view. I cannot or do not want to believe that once this life is over, I will be doomed for all eternity for all the sins I have committed (including everyday lies that are useful for maintaining harmony in my interpersonal relationships), and that I have no way of ever getting out of my eternal damnation (well, one could say that if I repent my sins, I shall be forgiven and life happily ever after, but then I could also say that I will commit any kind of sin I want in this life, and repent once I'm dead).
So, while search for answers, I found a few things that are really helpful. Among them, a lecture series by Professor Shelly Kagan from Yale University, analyzing death from several perspectives. I am very grateful to Yale University for recording lectures and making them fully available on the internet at no charge, and I would urge anyone who is interested in the subject to go to the downloads section and get the entire series while it is still available.
Drawing upon my limited knowledge of Christianity, I can say that I do not have a very high appreciation of their view. I cannot or do not want to believe that once this life is over, I will be doomed for all eternity for all the sins I have committed (including everyday lies that are useful for maintaining harmony in my interpersonal relationships), and that I have no way of ever getting out of my eternal damnation (well, one could say that if I repent my sins, I shall be forgiven and life happily ever after, but then I could also say that I will commit any kind of sin I want in this life, and repent once I'm dead).
So, while search for answers, I found a few things that are really helpful. Among them, a lecture series by Professor Shelly Kagan from Yale University, analyzing death from several perspectives. I am very grateful to Yale University for recording lectures and making them fully available on the internet at no charge, and I would urge anyone who is interested in the subject to go to the downloads section and get the entire series while it is still available.
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