Life After Death: Fact or Fiction?

This article is about the second Opposing Viewpoints book on the topic of life after death; for the first EDition seeLife After Death: Opposing Viewpoints(1990).

Life After Death: Fact or Fiction? is a book, in the Fact or Fiction? series (part of the Opposing Viewpoints series), presenting selections of contrasting viewpoints on the afterlife: six selections making the case that it is a fact, and six which present evidence against it. It was edited by Kimberly Benton.

It was published by Greenhaven Press (Farmington Hills) in 2004 as a 192-page hardcover (ISBN 0-7377-1735-1) and paperback (ISBN 0-7377-1736-X).

Contents

Chapter

Viewpoint

Author

Notes

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1: Life After Death Is a Fact

1. Near-Death Experiences Are Proof of Life After Death

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Excerpt from On Life After Death (Celestial Arts, 1991, paperback, ISBN 0-89087-653-3; Scribner, 1997, hardcover, ISBN 0-684-84223-8; Scribner, 1997, paperback, ISBN 0-684-83938-5).

2. Reincarnation Is Evidence of Life After Death

Philip Kapleau

Excerpt from The Wheel of Life And Death: A Practical and Spiritual Guide (Doubleday, 1989; DIANE Publishing Company, 1997, hardcover, ISBN 0-7881-6314-0; Scribner, 1998, paperback, ISBN 0-684-84631-4; Audio Literature, 1998, audio cassette, ISBN 1-57453-057-7).

3. A Religious View of Life After Death

Leighton Ford

Excerpt from "Hope for a Great Forever," Christianity Today International.

4. Life After Death Theories Are Provable

Victor Zammit

Excerpt from "A Lawyer Presents the Case for the Afterlife: Irrefutable Objective Evidence," 2000.

5. Scientific Experiments Prove Life After Death Communications

Gary E. Schwartz, Linda Russek, Lonnie Nelson, and Christopher Barensten

Excerpt from "Accuracy and Replicability of Anomalous After-Death Communication Across Highly Skilled Mediums," Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 2001.

6. Past-Life Hypnotic Regression Proves Life After Death

Michael Newton

Excerpt from Destiny of Souls: New Case Studies of Life Between Lives (Llewellyn Publications, 2000, paperback, ISBN 1-56718-499-5).

Chapter 2: Evidence Against Life After Death Near-Death

1. Experiences Are Not Proof of Life After Death

Susan Blackmore

Excerpt from "Near-Death Experiences: In or Out of the Body?," Skeptical Inquirer, vol. 16, 1991, pp. 34-45.

2. Reincarnation Is Fiction

Hieromonk Seraphim Rose

Excerpt from The Soul After Death: Contemporary "After-Death" Experiences in the Light of the Orthodox Teaching on the Afterlife (Saint Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1980; St. Xenia Skete Press, 1998, reissue edition paperback, ISBN 0-938635-14-X).

3. Life After Death Cannot Be Scientifically Proven

Paul Kurtz

Excerpt from "The New Paranatural Paradigm: Claims of Communicating with the Dead," Skeptical Inquirer, vol. 24, November 2000, p. 27.

4. Psychics Do Not Prove Life After Death

Joe Nickell

Excerpt from "John Edward: Hustling the Bereaved," Skeptical Inquirer, November/December 2001.

5. Scientific Experiments Do Not Prove Life After Death

Richard Wiseman and Ciaran O'Keeffe

Excerpt from "A Critique of Schwartz et al.'s After-Death Communication Studies," Skeptical Inquirer, November/December 2001.

6. Past-Life Regression Does Not Prove Life After Death

Nicholas P. Spanos

Excerpt from "Past-Life Hypnotic Regression: A Critical View," Skeptical Inquirer, vol. 12, Winter 1987-1988, pp.174-80.

Epilogue: Analyzing the Evidence

For Further Research

Index