Scientific & Christian Theory of the Afterlife

Two strands of contemporary scientific thought touch on the notion of an afterlife. One is associated with the physiochemical properties of the cosmos, and the other, not unrelated to it, is associated with the emerging field of neuroscience, which is itself associated with philosophical materialism. The more rigid physiochemical conceptualization can be discerned in Sagan's discussion of the properties of life in terms of organic chemistry:

I am a collection of water, calcium and organic molecules . . . Some people find this idea somehow demeaning to human dignity. For myself, I find it elevating that our universe permits the evolution of molecular machines as intricate and subtle as we (Sagan 127).

Sagan's formulation points in the direction of wonderment that the complex human organism is a self-conscious being capable of individual as well as collective experience and memory of other self-

. . .
hrist, by way of the Church, with all the ethical and spiritual activity and dogma that such a faith implies. Hick says that in light of the encounter of the world's religions this view has been modified to the view that the Church offers "special" access to salvation, adding that it is "still working within the presuppositions of the old dogma" (Hick 112). Hick provides a modified Christian concept of salvation as the experience, by way of the figure of Christ, as "living contact with the transcendent God. . . . We believe that he is so truly God's servant that in living as his disciples we are living according to the divine purpose" (Hick 115). On that view, Christian salvation is arguably an experience of earthly consciousness and not necessarily an aspect of inchoate afterlife. The impulse in human experience toward connection with transcendence of earthly existence points in the direction of a wish for redemption, as it were, from the hard reality of nonexistence at the moment of death. This view of spiritual transcendence seems irreconcilable with a materialist or physiochemical formulation of life. However, certain Christian formulations can be seen to intersect with science. To see why this is so, it is useful to dispo
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
God Christ, , Patricia Churchland's, Christ Church, According Ducasse, According Tipler, Paul Churchland's, Tillich Encounter, ESP Ducasse, Tillich Systematic, human experience, scientific theory, human life, addition brain nonphysical, 10 10th 70th, ed antony, antony flew, nonphysical soul, concept salvation, religion reason anthology, organic chemistry, body mind death, brain , brain nonphysical soul, york macmillan,
Approximate Word count = 2276
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Scientific & Christian Theory of the Afterlife