Beyond the Threshold: Afterlife Beliefs and Experiences in World Religions

In every culture throughout history, people have asked the same fundamental question about what will happen to them when they die. From the underworld to the light at the end of the tunnel, beliefs and experiences of death abound. And even though we cannot know for sure what happens to us after death, our understanding of the afterlife can have a profound impact on how we live. Beyond the Threshold is the first book to seriously examine the afterlife through the lens of both world religions and metaphysical experiences. Christopher M. Moreman includes an introduction to the afterlife beliefs of ancient cultures, which are essential to understanding the roots of many modern ideas about death. He examines the folklore and doctrines of major world religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. He also discusses psychic phenomena across traditions, such as mediums, near-death and out-of-body experiences, and past-life memories. While ultimately the afterlife remains unknowable, Moreman's unique, in-depth exploration of both beliefs and experiences can help readers reach their own understanding of the afterlife and how to live. No other book in the field approaches the issue of the afterlife from so many angles, but Moreman weaves them skillfully together into an accessible and engaging book.

About the Author :
Christopher M. Moreman is assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy at California State University, East Bay, where he teaches courses in comparative religion.

Review :
A valuable book....As an introductory text it is excellent, and even for those well versed in the subject there is much to surprise and interest....This book is both timely and important.--Journal Of The Society For Psychical Research The breadth of his research is impressive. . . . This could be a useful text for students.--Publishers Weekly Christopher M. Moreman has written a useful, wide-ranging book on death and dying that should be a valuable resource in courses or for general readers. It is comprehensive, covering both perspectives in the world religions and investigations in contemporary research on experiences of the afterlife, and insightful in its comparative emphasis on beliefs and phenomena. This text makes an important contribution to the literature on religion, death, and dying.--Gary Laderman, Emory University Beyond the Threshold presents valuable summaries of two distinct and important bodies of material: an overview of how major world religions view the afterlife, and modern empirical research on paranormal experiences that might be seen to confirm or disprove the afterlife beliefs found in religion. Christopher M. Moreman analyzes this unique pairing of material in a balanced and respectful manner, opening up space for discussion about the intriguing interplay between traditional views of the afterlife and paranormal experiences.--Lucy Bregman, Temple University