a sg) he WHERE DO we GO WIEN WE DIE) How near-death experiences and religion sculpt our view of the afterlife By Jacey Gibb, Distribution Manager onique Zander was only four years old when she had her first near-death experience. ee eee Ce eee how I perceived this event,” said Zander, “It's burned into my brain. I can picture the whole thing in my mind, the space, the kind of weather. It's really amazing how that resonates OT ae Zander was at the lake with her parents, and her father SR ee Le ee) aU SAR Ra ois ea eC at ae eo She recalls vividly what happened next: Oe eS eT ee) this day, I can see what it looked like at the bottom of the le ite) Ue a ea a) Le ee ae | experience I've ever had in my life.” Their family dog, a black Labrador named Satan, saw ee ee a Zander up by her down-filled jacket. Satan had almost tet aR Ct ae tees ete Baa had happened. Though Zander experienced none of the light at the end of the tunnel or heavenly music—things often associated with near-death experiences—it did have an impact on her. “It gave me faith, It makes me think that there's divine intervention, Zander said. “There are so many people who have stories like that, that ee oe Ly co ae CR eee a ee Ta TU ae [recorded time], there have been these kinds of stories, so I think there has to be truth to them.” a means for humans, near-death experiences-or NDEs—are just one anecdotal piece of the larger unknown puzzle. Skeptics argue that the aftereffects of NDEs are simply biclogical symptoms from a body that underwent trauma, ee ee Cn eed shutting down. However, the sheer volume of NDE recounts and the shared elements across experiences lend the theory at least a hint of credibility. And the enigma around NDEs PUT Ri Cet awe eR Rr Meee et be ea ee ea researchers measured the electrical brain activity of dying em em ery BG ee ke ed eT ee LS De a Ue a ert ee eR ecard state.” Keeping in mind that this study involved rodents and a ee ese ag are at a eee) eee a after the organism is dead is interesting. NDEs aside, there's another social phenomenon that tackles questions about the afterlife on the daily: ele tra malls Religion and the afterlife go hand- Ue some form of the other. And yet, even the mere concept of the Clg elit kg Cid gerd ST rts Utara members of the same faith. Christianity promotes the idea of Heaven and Hell, and a eda kee ee teachings are likely to wind TT LCL a Ne de the afterlife; Heaven and Hell are mentioned, and so Pests lat ee Gee RU tee Ta not believe in the afterlife. In Islam, this life is viewed Se CLL tM eC ame colt if you die before the Day of Judgement—the | is destroyed—your soul PERLE Le way CS you experience o preview of either pain or peace, et ute a Mane destined for. etm lt la aa Hinduism, view death as a sort of restart. You die, but your soul Pe ee ee PCa ae eT eee es ae Le) believes in reincarnation, except your karma from the previous life dictates your status in the next one, But the afterlife isn't some great beyond, completely removed from our current world. A person's belief in the afterlife—or lack of one—can influence how they live their lives in the present day.