The After-Life

The after-life or life after death is a generic term for a continuation of existence after death--typically in a spiritual or ghostlike afterworld. Deceased persons are usually believed to go a specific region or plane of existence in this afterworld, often depending on the type of person they are and the life they lived. Some believe the afterlife includes some form of preparation for the soul to be transferred to another body, such as reincarnation.

Religion, Esotericism and Metaphysics

The major views on the afterlife derive from religion, esotericism and metaphysics. There are those who are skeptical of the existence of the afterlife, or believe that it is absolutely impossible, such as the materialist-reductionists, who state that the topic is supernatural, therefore does not really exist or is unknowable.

Various Viewpoints on the Afterlife

There are two fundamentally different types of views on the afterlife: observation based views and faith based views.

Observation

The first type is based on some form of observation by a human or an instrument. These observations come from reincarnation research, near death experiences, out-of-body experiences, astral projection, electronic voice phenomena, mediumship, various forms of photography etcetera. They are studied by survivalism. Also, scientific research into the afterlife is based on observation.

Faith

The second type is based on some form of faith, usually faith in the myths that are told by ancestors or faith in the truth of religious books like the Bible, the Qur'an, the Talmud, the Vedas, the Tripitaka, et cetera. Here at Lites of Heaven, we focus primarily on this second type.