Narinder Pal Singh (2008CS50218) Shubham Kumar (2008mt50460)

Narinder Pal Singh(2008CS50218) Shubham Kumar(2008mt50460)
Introduction
Many religious beliefs are based on the idea that
humans possess a "soul" or "spirit" which exists independently of the body.

The notion of life after death is of central concern
to religious believers and it is important to establish what surviving death exactly means.
Possibility of an afterlife is the most unsettling
thought there is in our mind.
Some important question that often come
into ones mind discussing Life after death:

1. How are mind and body related? 2. Question of proving? 3. Why Life? 4. What to believe? 5. Why are there religions? 6. The creator
Mind and Body

Rene Descartes response the separation of mind and body The mental "I" exists (or, to give it its Latin
phrase, "cogito ergo sum", "I think therefore I am". The notion of dualism
Question of Proving
Life after death can neither be proved nor
disproved. For this one would have to undergo physical death in order to prove or disprove it (and by its very nature, disproving it would not be possible). There is no actual direct evidence against an afterlife. Life after death cannot be disproven ,only the evidence in its favour can be scrutinized and rational nonbelievers are left to make the conclusion that life after death cannot be proven.
Why life?
There is no scientific reason for the existence of
life.
A 'driving force' in the universe behind it that
made it all happen would make some sense of it all. Many would call such a driving force as God.
Why are there religions?

One reason could be because one believe in God.
I dont find it possible that there could exist a god
without religion and viceversa ( may not be true always) Neuroscientists suggest there is a god centre in the brain, but Darwinians then want to know what natural selection favoured this?
What I suggest is that religion is a by-product of
the way how we are brought up by our parent. There is a selective advantage for children to believe without question what grown-ups tell them in order for them to avoid what is dangerous. So the question naturally comes How did religion start? Ans:- The new term learnt in class memes responsible for transmitting culture in human society. religion may be seen as a mutation of these memes.
What to Believe?
It is difficult for some of us to believe there is life after
death because it is all seems too incredible that we have a soul which leaves the body upon physical death and goes on to somewhere else.
Of course the alternative, that there is no survival of
consciousness, is all too hard to believe for many of us
The Creator
It is possible that God is the collective
consciousness of the universe (or universes). This might be some type of energy field which is the source of all the knowledge, intelligence, and power that guides the universe (or universes). Many of us automatically make the assumption that if life was created or designed intelligently, then there must be an afterlife.
Experiment conducted:
Questionnaire followed by
the discussion.
Questionnaire

Fill out my questionnaire about religious belief? (Atheists, agnostics, theists etc)? Whether you believe in a religion or not? Thanks :) 1.) Do you believe in God? 2.) Why/Why not? 3.) Have you always been religious/non religious? 4.) If not, why did you change? 5.) RELIGIOUS FOLLOWERS ONLY: Is there anything in your religion that you yourself don't believe or don't understand? 6.) ATHEISTS/AGNOSTICS ONLY: Why do you not believe in a God? 7.) ATHEISTS/AGNOSTICS ONLY: Do you respect other people's religious beliefs or attempt to change them? Why? 8.) RELIGIOUS BELIEVERS ONLY: Do you believe that atheists are evil? 9.) RELIGIOUS BELIEVERS ONLY: What according to you is the best suited theory in this regard a.) Evolution b.) Richard Dawkins c.) The Big Bang theory d.) Any other scientific theories I may have missed out. 10.) Any other comments you might have :)
Recent study cases/examples
A recent news in The Hindu can be shared

A spirituality gene, termed the God gene by some and technically
demonstrated as vesicular monoamine transporter-2 (VMAT-2), has been described by internationally renowned psychiatrist . It has further been pointed out that this gene reportedly comes from the previous life and is smaller than an ordinary gene. It combines with two larger physical genes a person inherits from his parents, and together they shape a person's physical and spiritual profile. The brain ingredients include the anterior insulae part of the anterior temporal lobe in conjunction with the neural system with a temporal lobe and the amygdaloid . It has been further noticed that this distributed neuronal pool gets brightened on functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) studies during the spiritual or religious experiences.
Has science explained life after death?

Experience of a real lady just as an example In 1991, Atlanta, Ga. resident Pam Reynolds had a near-death experience (NDE). underwent surgery for a brain aneurysm
the procedure required doctors to drain all the blood from her brain.
kept literally brain-dead by the surgical team for a full 45 minutes. Despite being clinically dead, when Reynolds was resuscitated, she described some amazing things. She recounted experiences she had while dead -- like interacting with deceased
relatives. Even more amazing is that Reynolds was able to describe aspects of the surgical procedure, down to the bone saw that was used to remove part of her skull . What's remarkable (although not unique) about Reynolds' experience is that it is the combination of an NDE and an out-of-body-experience (OBE). Two studies on the separate aspects of Reynolds' experience were conducted in 2007. Each seems to explain how a person can have an OBE or a NDE, but do they hold up in explaining experiences like Reynolds'?
Conclusion
I myself cannot deduce anything whether to believe in god or not . We cease to exist on our physical death or our soul continues to live even after death, either way it seems to be right. Life after death has always been and will be a matter of controversies. It just depend on us what we believe. Whatever you think, you will always have a point where you will not be comfortable giving answers.

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Narinder Pal Singh(2008CS50218) Shubham Kumar(2008mt50460)

humans possess a "soul" or "spirit" which exists independently of the body.

thought there is in our mind.

Some important question that often come

into ones mind discussing Life after death:

Mind and Body

Why are there religions?

I dont find it possible that there could exist a god

What I suggest is that religion is a by-product of

consciousness, is all too hard to believe for many of us

Recent study cases/examples

A recent news in The Hindu can be shared

Has science explained life after death?

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