Question: what happens after we die

Robert Hampson answered on 17 Nov 2014:

As a scientist, I investigate the physical nature of the universe. Physically, what happens when we die is not very interesting. The heart stops beating. After a brief flurry of activity, there ceases to be any observable activity in the brain. Basically, everything stops working and is not active and purposeful as it is in a living person. From science’s point of view, the closest we have to observing the experience of death is Near Death Experiences (sometimes referred to as NDEs), most scientists hypothesise that NDEs are basically what we experience in the fit of brain activity that occurs right before death. This would make them somewhat invalid in being a direct observation of what happens after death. Basically upon death, the physical evidence is indisputable, nothing happens in a dead body, life is gone. It is essentially as interesting as a rock.

However, many people believe that things exist that are not physical. These things, by their very nature, cannot be tested by science. They are a question which, by definition, cannot be answered by science. Sciences can only work with things that are physically testable, things you can experiment on. I therefore cannot really answer this question as a ‘scientist’. I am simply not qualified in answering questions about what might be called “the soul”.

However, I myself am a Christian, this means I do believe that things exist outside of our physical world. I can answer this question from this pint of view. I believe that there was a guy who was executed roughly 2000 years ago on a cross just outside Jerusalem, he died and was buried and then three days later was raised from the dead back to life. If that is true (something you would have to ask a historian, although I have been convinced by the evidence), then he would definitely be a guy you’d want to listen to about what happens after death.

I believe that at some point in the future all of the dead will be raised back to life once more and the world will be remade again without evils, and suffering and tears and pain.

There are many other religions which also believe in the existence of things that are not part of our physical world. I obviously do not know as much about them as I do about Christianity so if you were interested in those, you would also have to find someone more qualified.