5. Near Death Experiences

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we look at near death experiences, and how they might provide data about death and the afterlife. In particular we focus on (i) the components of a near death experience, including changes in the aftermath of the NDE (ii) how records of NDEs can disclose more information about their effects (iii) whether NDEs are primarily religious or secular in character? (iv) Susan Blackmore’s criticisms of the validity of NDEs as a means to understand death and the afterlife.

Course

In this course Dr Chris Deacy (University of Kent) explores death and the afterlife. In the first module, we think about some questions raised by the fact of death and the prospect of an afterlife. After that, we look at the role of Heaven, including theocentric and anthropocentric models of eternal life. In the third module, we turn to Hell: tackling the moral issues around Hell, and how these are shaped by notions of place and punishment. Then we look at the relationship between the resurrection of the body and the immortality of the soul, before enquiring into how near death experiences might provide more information about the experience of death and the possibility of a life that comes after. Finally, in the sixth module, we look at the ways in which film has contributed to the cultural landscape around death and the afterlife, as well as examining how film might disclose truths about this life, by imagining the next.

Lecturer

Dr Chris Deacy is a Reader in Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Kent. His research interests are in Christianity and the modern world, as well as religion and film. His most recent publications include Screening the Afterlife: Theology, Eschatology and Film (2012), and Christmas as Religion: Rethinking Santa, the Secular, and the Sacred (2016)