What do you think?
Rate this book
There Is Life After Death
What happens when we die?
Will we simply dissolve into nothingness, or will we survive death in some other form? Issues of death and dying have consumed humanity from time immemorial. In our modern western culture, we have tended out of fear to deny and push death away. And yet, a healthy consideration of this issue can help us embrace and understand what happens to us when we die.
There is Life After Death is Tom Harpur's classic examination of death and dying. Now fully revised and updated, here is a new edition of a book that weighs the scientific, religious and anecdotal evidence of survival of death and what happens after we die. The likelihood of death being a portal to other forms of existence is argued persuasively.
Tom Harpur looks at the witness of near-death experiences, and examines the idea of reincarnation, as well as the claims of channelers and spirit mediums. Most importantly, the author looks at how the great world religions from Christianity, Judaism and Islam to Hinduism, Buddhism and Native Spirituality among others, deal with life after death.
This book is a powerful summary of what we know and believe about death.
There is Life After Death is both illuminating and comforting in its message and conclusions – and goes a long way in putting to rest one of the last great taboos of our culture.
Will we simply dissolve into nothingness, or will we survive death in some other form? Issues of death and dying have consumed humanity from time immemorial. In our modern western culture, we have tended out of fear to deny and push death away. And yet, a healthy consideration of this issue can help us embrace and understand what happens to us when we die.
There is Life After Death is Tom Harpur's classic examination of death and dying. Now fully revised and updated, here is a new edition of a book that weighs the scientific, religious and anecdotal evidence of survival of death and what happens after we die. The likelihood of death being a portal to other forms of existence is argued persuasively.
Tom Harpur looks at the witness of near-death experiences, and examines the idea of reincarnation, as well as the claims of channelers and spirit mediums. Most importantly, the author looks at how the great world religions from Christianity, Judaism and Islam to Hinduism, Buddhism and Native Spirituality among others, deal with life after death.
This book is a powerful summary of what we know and believe about death.
There is Life After Death is both illuminating and comforting in its message and conclusions – and goes a long way in putting to rest one of the last great taboos of our culture.
- GenresReligion
293 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Tom Harpur
34 books21 followersTom Harpur, columnist for the Toronto Star, Rhodes scholar, former Anglican priest, and professor of Greek and the New Testament, is an internationally renowned writer on religious and ethical issues. He is the author of ten bestselling books, including For Christ’s Sake and The Pagan Christ. He has hosted numerous radio and television programs, including Life After Death, a ten-part series based on his bestselling book of the same name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 18, 2024
THE AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST STRONGLY AFFIRMS LIFE AFTER DEATH
Author, religious journalist, and former Anglican priest Tom Harpur wrote in the Introduction of this 2011 book, “When in the spring of 2004 [his book] ‘The Pagan Christ’ was launched… what initially captured most of the headlines was the way the book cast doubt on the actual existence of a historical Jesus. However, those who read the book soon realized this was not its main message… its real message [was] the reality of the spiritual presence of the Divine spark… within us all… ever since ‘Life After Death’ was first published in 1991, I am repeatedly asked today whether I still believe in a future life… Answering that insistent and ultimate query with a resounding, reasoned ‘yes’ is the major reason for this new fully revised and much enriched version of the original work.” (Pg. 3)
He adds, “Surely the most momentous personal question of our day… is, having died, is that the end or do we somehow live again? Moreover, if the answer is in the affirmative, what kind of life can we expect?... there is an extraordinary need for some clear thinking and analysis. This book is an attempt to provide that. What is the evidence, if any, for life after death? What are we to make of the contemporary surge of interest in near-death experiences? Is there any truth in the New Age insistence upon reincarnation… that now appear[s] so frequently in the popular press and other media?... What is the teaching of Christian and of other major world religions about life after death? Is there a flaming hell for sinners and a heaven above the stars for all the redeemed?... After reviewing and sifting this material, what is left for an intelligent modern man or woman to believe? It is to these issues that we now must turn.” (Pg. 6-7)
After surveying Near-Death Experiences [NDE], he notes, “Leading figures in NDE research admit they don’t know why some have the experience and others do not… Dr. Bruce Greyson… told me he considers it quite possible that all those who ‘die’ and come back have an NDE, but that for unknown reasons some of them repress it… I followed this up by interviewing three anaesthetists… They told me that there are usually three components in any general anaesthetic: analgesics to prevent pain, muscle relaxants to prevent bodily movement during the surgery… and amnesics to ensure the experience is forgotten… given the wide use of memory suppressants in most serious operations, I find it noteworthy, not that many who experience clinical death during surgery don’t have an NDE, but that so many appear to remember so clearly that they did.” (Pg. 41-42)
He also points out, “It is tempting, given the overwhelmingly positive nature of the NDE portrayed in the bulk of both popular and scientific literature, to assume that… its main thrust is extremely good news about dying and death. However, there is another side to the story… That some people … experience a reality that is anything but reassuring was first fully discussed by Dr. Maurice Rawlings in his 1978 book, ‘Beyond Death’s Door’ … [which] is not a particularly in my opinion… But at least Rawlings has raised the issue that possibly all is not light and bliss during the near-death experience.” (Pg. 52-53)
He acknowledges, “The difficulty here is that it is now very hard, even for ethicists and medical experts, to agree on what constitutes death… It should be remembered, too… that even NDE researchers themselves do not want to restrict the NDE too closely to death because they have documented so many cases where the same experience was encountered not near death but during meditation, in the face of extreme danger, while on a drug or during childbirth… I agree with [Raymond] Moody that while those who experience NDEs are not really dead in the full sense of the word, they have come very much closer to this ultimate experience than the rest of us… These experiences are certainly not proof of a life after death… But, it is argued, they could well supply at the minimum some evidence upon which a belief in life after death could reasonably take its stand.” (Pg. 57)
He is critical of the concept of reincarnation: “If I have absolutely no memory of a particular action, punishing me or rewarding me for it accomplishes little, I believe. The problem is made worse by the fact that in certain versions of reincarnation the personality of the individual does not survive each death and rebirth; only the soul goes on from body to body. But if there is not memory and no continuity of personality, what sense does it make to say that any one of us actually survives death at all? If you die as one person and come back as another, why should the second have to pay for the sins of the first?... It’s fine to say we’re in a kind of cosmic school, where we learn successive lessons about life and gradually purify ourselves… But if I can’t remember a single thing from all of this, of what use are these lessons and who is the ‘I’ who is supposed to be the student?” (Pg. 106-107)
He admits, “However, in spite of the problems, I’m certainly keeping an open mind on the subject… I now firmly believe that in spite of the evils currently present in our world, we are indeed moving forward to what the renowned Catholic scientist Teilhard de Chardin called ‘the Omega Point,’ a consummation of our spiritual potential… It is possible… that some process of reincarnation, perhaps in worlds or other dimensions far beyond this, could be the instrument to bring this final miracle of resurrection to fulfillment.” (Pg. 108)
After reviewing some current scientific theories and proposals, he comments, “The material or physical universe, on this new scientific line of reasoning, could be a double of a subtler, psychic universe… What is truly exciting today is the way in which new studies in human consciousness, coupled with this in physics---take, for example, the ground-breaking research of Rupert Sheldrake of Cambridge with his theories of morphic resonance, as well as chaos theory---are deeply challenging all the nostroms of the materialistic, mechanistic philosophies of the first half of the twentieth century. The tables have been turned on those who once resorted to the name-calling of ‘wishful thinking’ whenever the subject of life beyond death was raised… What is urgently needed right now is for scientists and theologians together to take this whole area of research far more seriously than ever before.” (Pg. 127)
He suggests, “In Paul’s letters, the ultimate fate of the unrepentant is death in the sense of complete annihilation or nothingness. As in the Gospel and letters attributed to John, there is absolutely no fiery hell or torment. In several places he suggests that those who persist in not wanting God and in saying no to His grace and mercy are ultimately let go and simply perish. But, at the same time… he frequently expresses his conviction that the whole of creation will one day be reconciled to God. The kind of loving God experienced and trusted by Paul sill, in the end, let none of his creatures be lost.” (Pg. 142)
Of the references to ‘hell’ in the gospels, he argues, “The idea of a fiery hell of punishment occurs only once in the earliest Gospel, Mark, once in Luke and not at all in John’s Gospel or the Johannine Epistles. Matthew… is the chief source of sayings attributed to Jesus on this theme… It is unfortunate that the translators of the King James Version used the word ‘hell’ here [Mk 9:42 ff]… the Greek original plainly says … ‘Gehenna’… [which] refers to a deep gully immediately southwest of the old City of Jerusalem… Once you realize this, it becomes abundantly clear that the story is using contemporary imagery as a striking way of highlighting the fact that important issues are at stake…. There is absolutely no warrant here for the later, terrifying doctrines of the Church about hell. The proof, if more is needed, that Mark is speaking symbolically here can be had by asking oneself whether Jesus is really calling on people to go ahead and mutilate themselves by literally cutting off arms and hands or gouging out their eyes!” (Pg. 166-167)
He summarizes, “My own conviction … [is that] I am fully persuaded and assured that life after death is very much like birth. It is the traumatic but essential passage into a new phase of life. There is life after death… And it will so far surpass anything we have ever dreamed of as to make all present attempts to describe it, religious or otherwise, seem tawdry and utterly inept. What’s more, it’s my deep conviction that such a belief is completely congruent with the utmost respect for both intellect and science. Indeed, I am now convinced it would be flying in the face of intelligence and rationality to believe otherwise.” (Pg. 239)
He concludes, “The reader must form his or her own conclusions. I can only say this: there are very few areas of life where absolute certainty is possible. One of the more tragic seductions of religion … is the promise of total certainty. What we have to do in most cases… is weigh up the available evidence and make our decision. When it comes to life after death, I can say with humility that I am now convinced the overwhelming weight of evidence falls on its side.” (Pg. 255)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying the question of life after death.
Author, religious journalist, and former Anglican priest Tom Harpur wrote in the Introduction of this 2011 book, “When in the spring of 2004 [his book] ‘The Pagan Christ’ was launched… what initially captured most of the headlines was the way the book cast doubt on the actual existence of a historical Jesus. However, those who read the book soon realized this was not its main message… its real message [was] the reality of the spiritual presence of the Divine spark… within us all… ever since ‘Life After Death’ was first published in 1991, I am repeatedly asked today whether I still believe in a future life… Answering that insistent and ultimate query with a resounding, reasoned ‘yes’ is the major reason for this new fully revised and much enriched version of the original work.” (Pg. 3)
He adds, “Surely the most momentous personal question of our day… is, having died, is that the end or do we somehow live again? Moreover, if the answer is in the affirmative, what kind of life can we expect?... there is an extraordinary need for some clear thinking and analysis. This book is an attempt to provide that. What is the evidence, if any, for life after death? What are we to make of the contemporary surge of interest in near-death experiences? Is there any truth in the New Age insistence upon reincarnation… that now appear[s] so frequently in the popular press and other media?... What is the teaching of Christian and of other major world religions about life after death? Is there a flaming hell for sinners and a heaven above the stars for all the redeemed?... After reviewing and sifting this material, what is left for an intelligent modern man or woman to believe? It is to these issues that we now must turn.” (Pg. 6-7)
After surveying Near-Death Experiences [NDE], he notes, “Leading figures in NDE research admit they don’t know why some have the experience and others do not… Dr. Bruce Greyson… told me he considers it quite possible that all those who ‘die’ and come back have an NDE, but that for unknown reasons some of them repress it… I followed this up by interviewing three anaesthetists… They told me that there are usually three components in any general anaesthetic: analgesics to prevent pain, muscle relaxants to prevent bodily movement during the surgery… and amnesics to ensure the experience is forgotten… given the wide use of memory suppressants in most serious operations, I find it noteworthy, not that many who experience clinical death during surgery don’t have an NDE, but that so many appear to remember so clearly that they did.” (Pg. 41-42)
He also points out, “It is tempting, given the overwhelmingly positive nature of the NDE portrayed in the bulk of both popular and scientific literature, to assume that… its main thrust is extremely good news about dying and death. However, there is another side to the story… That some people … experience a reality that is anything but reassuring was first fully discussed by Dr. Maurice Rawlings in his 1978 book, ‘Beyond Death’s Door’ … [which] is not a particularly in my opinion… But at least Rawlings has raised the issue that possibly all is not light and bliss during the near-death experience.” (Pg. 52-53)
He acknowledges, “The difficulty here is that it is now very hard, even for ethicists and medical experts, to agree on what constitutes death… It should be remembered, too… that even NDE researchers themselves do not want to restrict the NDE too closely to death because they have documented so many cases where the same experience was encountered not near death but during meditation, in the face of extreme danger, while on a drug or during childbirth… I agree with [Raymond] Moody that while those who experience NDEs are not really dead in the full sense of the word, they have come very much closer to this ultimate experience than the rest of us… These experiences are certainly not proof of a life after death… But, it is argued, they could well supply at the minimum some evidence upon which a belief in life after death could reasonably take its stand.” (Pg. 57)
He is critical of the concept of reincarnation: “If I have absolutely no memory of a particular action, punishing me or rewarding me for it accomplishes little, I believe. The problem is made worse by the fact that in certain versions of reincarnation the personality of the individual does not survive each death and rebirth; only the soul goes on from body to body. But if there is not memory and no continuity of personality, what sense does it make to say that any one of us actually survives death at all? If you die as one person and come back as another, why should the second have to pay for the sins of the first?... It’s fine to say we’re in a kind of cosmic school, where we learn successive lessons about life and gradually purify ourselves… But if I can’t remember a single thing from all of this, of what use are these lessons and who is the ‘I’ who is supposed to be the student?” (Pg. 106-107)
He admits, “However, in spite of the problems, I’m certainly keeping an open mind on the subject… I now firmly believe that in spite of the evils currently present in our world, we are indeed moving forward to what the renowned Catholic scientist Teilhard de Chardin called ‘the Omega Point,’ a consummation of our spiritual potential… It is possible… that some process of reincarnation, perhaps in worlds or other dimensions far beyond this, could be the instrument to bring this final miracle of resurrection to fulfillment.” (Pg. 108)
After reviewing some current scientific theories and proposals, he comments, “The material or physical universe, on this new scientific line of reasoning, could be a double of a subtler, psychic universe… What is truly exciting today is the way in which new studies in human consciousness, coupled with this in physics---take, for example, the ground-breaking research of Rupert Sheldrake of Cambridge with his theories of morphic resonance, as well as chaos theory---are deeply challenging all the nostroms of the materialistic, mechanistic philosophies of the first half of the twentieth century. The tables have been turned on those who once resorted to the name-calling of ‘wishful thinking’ whenever the subject of life beyond death was raised… What is urgently needed right now is for scientists and theologians together to take this whole area of research far more seriously than ever before.” (Pg. 127)
He suggests, “In Paul’s letters, the ultimate fate of the unrepentant is death in the sense of complete annihilation or nothingness. As in the Gospel and letters attributed to John, there is absolutely no fiery hell or torment. In several places he suggests that those who persist in not wanting God and in saying no to His grace and mercy are ultimately let go and simply perish. But, at the same time… he frequently expresses his conviction that the whole of creation will one day be reconciled to God. The kind of loving God experienced and trusted by Paul sill, in the end, let none of his creatures be lost.” (Pg. 142)
Of the references to ‘hell’ in the gospels, he argues, “The idea of a fiery hell of punishment occurs only once in the earliest Gospel, Mark, once in Luke and not at all in John’s Gospel or the Johannine Epistles. Matthew… is the chief source of sayings attributed to Jesus on this theme… It is unfortunate that the translators of the King James Version used the word ‘hell’ here [Mk 9:42 ff]… the Greek original plainly says … ‘Gehenna’… [which] refers to a deep gully immediately southwest of the old City of Jerusalem… Once you realize this, it becomes abundantly clear that the story is using contemporary imagery as a striking way of highlighting the fact that important issues are at stake…. There is absolutely no warrant here for the later, terrifying doctrines of the Church about hell. The proof, if more is needed, that Mark is speaking symbolically here can be had by asking oneself whether Jesus is really calling on people to go ahead and mutilate themselves by literally cutting off arms and hands or gouging out their eyes!” (Pg. 166-167)
He summarizes, “My own conviction … [is that] I am fully persuaded and assured that life after death is very much like birth. It is the traumatic but essential passage into a new phase of life. There is life after death… And it will so far surpass anything we have ever dreamed of as to make all present attempts to describe it, religious or otherwise, seem tawdry and utterly inept. What’s more, it’s my deep conviction that such a belief is completely congruent with the utmost respect for both intellect and science. Indeed, I am now convinced it would be flying in the face of intelligence and rationality to believe otherwise.” (Pg. 239)
He concludes, “The reader must form his or her own conclusions. I can only say this: there are very few areas of life where absolute certainty is possible. One of the more tragic seductions of religion … is the promise of total certainty. What we have to do in most cases… is weigh up the available evidence and make our decision. When it comes to life after death, I can say with humility that I am now convinced the overwhelming weight of evidence falls on its side.” (Pg. 255)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying the question of life after death.
June 29, 2021
From the back cover which sums it all up: "....classic examination of death and dying. Now fully revised (published 2011) and updated, here is a new edition of a book that weighs the scientific, religious, and anecdotal evidence of survival of death and what happens after we die. The likelihood of death being a portal to other forms of existence is argued persuasively."
I found this book in my mother's book collection. We had a common interest in the topic over the years. She passed away in April this year. If felt right to read it at this time.
I found this book in my mother's book collection. We had a common interest in the topic over the years. She passed away in April this year. If felt right to read it at this time.
June 24, 2012
Harpur is so good at arguing his perspective yet giving lots of recognition to other arguments and opinions. To me, that's a sign of a confident and mature writer. Although it's not like reading a jelloed down, "we're all right", book, rather Harpur gives his serious and strong opinion when he has one. Good book, thought provoking, and providing depth and variety of what the major players (i.e. ancient and modern religions, science, and psychics etc.) have to say about life after we die.
April 12, 2011
very convincing argument from this former Anglican minister and journalist. He has almost convinced me, but I wonder if life after death can ever be SCIENTIFICALLY proven. That is the great challenge. Still a fascinating read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews