"Life After Life"

Photo by Kaushik Panchal on Unsplash

Today’s sermon is a topic few UU ministers are willing to talk about. What happens when you die? But – I think it’s a really important topic even though, of course, we can’t be completely certain of the answer. Let me cut to the chase: After a lifetime of study, I have no doubt that in some way, the essence that is each person continues after death. This essence is a person’s consciousness, and I believe it continues. I’ll explain my reasons for believing this.

Growing up Catholic, I naturally believed in heaven and hell which, of course, is the predominate belief in western culture on what happens to a person after death. But as I studied the world’s religions and history, I began to realize the concept of heaven and hell is human made.

In western culture which includes the religions Christianity and Islam, the dominant theological viewpoint is one of salvation or damnation. In other words, there is the idea that the world will one day be destroyed, and then, human beings will be individually judged on their behavior throughout life and then assigned to spend an eternity in either heaven or hell depending on how a person has lived their life.

Well- where did this belief come from? It is not present in Judaism until around 300 BCE and it is not contained in the Hebrew Bible – the Old Testament. In fact, there is no hell and no devil in the Hebrew Bible. Satan is mentioned in different places in the Old Testament but in Hebrew, the word “Satan” (or Shatan) means adversary. If you look in the Book of Job, for example, God decides to test Job and he enlists Satan to help him. Satan is not a fallen angel but rather a kind of prosecutor who assists God with testing human beings to see if they are truly loyal to God. In mainstream ancient and some modern sects of Judaism God rewards or punishes people in this life. There is no heaven or hell per se but rather a kind of suspended state after death when a person enters Sheol which is a kind of nethers world where a person basically sleeps.

When the Babylonians destroyed the Kingdom of Judah in the sixth century BCEs the Jewish leadership was deported to Babylon. This was the so-called “Babylonian Exile.” Not long after that, the Persians conquered the Babylonians Empire. Under the Persian king, Cyrus the Great, in 536 BCE, the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland, but the Persians continued to rule over Judah for two hundred years.

Although the Jews in Babylon faithfully continued their religious rituals in captivity, and upon their return to Judah, they obviously took a look at the religions around them. The predominant Persian religion was Zoroastrianism which was monotheistic. (This religion, although small, is still around today.)

Zoroastrians see the world and life as a struggle between the good forces of God, called Ahura Mazda, and the evil forces of a devil like being called Angra Mainyu. God is aided by good angels and Angra Mainyu is aided by devils and demons. In Zoroastrianism, when a person dies, they are judged by an angel and relegated to either heaven or hell until the final Judgment Day at the end of the world when God will decide whether the person will spend eternity in either heaven or hell.

This obviously sounds very familiar. It should. Heaven and hell, angels and devils are Zoroastrian. When the Jews returned to their homeland from Babylon, they brought many of these Zoroastrian ideas with them and these ideas were all around them for another two-hundred years. Although some Jewish sects did not adopt these ideas, others did and in these traditions, the concept of heaven and hell and a final Judgment Day found their way into the religious tradition. It is from these Hebrew traditions that Christianity adopted the theology of heaven and hell and Judgment Day which dominates all forms of Christianity. Islam did exactly the same thing by adopting these Jewish and Christian ideas.

Of course, a lot of people believe in heaven and, perhaps – not so many, hell. (67% of Americans believe in heaven, 59% believe in hell.) But I find the concepts illogical. If God is a being of love – as proposed by western religions, how could “he” relegate any person to eternal hell? And if a two-year old baby who dies goes right to heaven, why should an eighty-year old person risk the horrors of hell? And, how old is a person in heaven anyway? So, none of this makes sense to me. I certainly do not criticize those who believe this, but I personally cannot accept it.

So, what are some other possible outcomes when a person dies?

Back in the late 1980’s, I was serving as Sailing Master at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. This was a time when my spiritual quest was in high gear and I was reading and studying a lot on world religions and spiritual philosophies. This soon led me to leave my career behind (or so I thought) and go to Seminary at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. One day I heard my Secretary, Pat, talking to a friend on the telephone and she said, “Oh that’s fine – she’ll be back soon for another adventure.” I was so curious about the conversation that I asked my Secretary what was going on. “Oh,” she said, my friend’s mother just died.” “Well,” I said, “what did you mean she’ll be back for another adventure?”

Then my Pat went on to explain to me her belief in reincarnation. Now this was very shocking to me because my Secretary was not religious, certainly not liberal, and, in fact, very conservative. Pat had married in 1948 and had moved from Long Island to Maine. She had two children there. But in the early 1950’s, Pat’s husband became verbally and physically abusive. With a great deal of courage, particularly for a woman in the 1950’s, Pat left her husband and moved with her children back to Long Island.

A year or so later, a friend of Pat’s convinced her to go on a double date and play tennis. She had never met her male tennis partner before. They were instantly attracted to each other and over coffee after the tennis match, they discovered they knew everything about each other – likes and dislikes fears, habits and a lot of other very personal details. Neither person had ever thought of or really knew anything about reincarnation – but they quickly surmised that they had somehow lived together as husband and wife before. Soon they married and spent the rest of their lives convinced that this life was but another adventure together for them.

At that time in my life - in 1980’s, I too had never really thought much about reincarnation – but based on that conversation with my Secretary I really began to look into it. I was shocked to find that much of the world’s population for thousands of years have believed in reincarnation in one form or another.

The word “reincarnation” derives from the Latin, “entering the flesh again.” It is also sometimes called the “transmigration of the soul.” The earliest written evidence regarding a belief in reincarnation stems from about 1200 BCE and can be found later in Greek and Indian literature. In the work of several Greek philosophers including Pythagoras and Plato, it is clear they were both convinced of the cycle of life after life – in other words, reincarnation. A belief in reincarnation is found in many primal religions including those of the Celts in

Northern Europe, the Vikings, Native Americans and numerous African religions. A belief in reincarnation is central to Hinduism – the world’s oldest religion. It is contained in Vedic texts dating to 1000 BCE. Later the idea of Karma was developed. Karma is the notion that acts in this life create karma, both good and bad which will affect how you are reborn and what you will be when you are reborn – animal or human. Simply put, you benefit in this life from good deeds, “good karma” of past lives and you suffer from bad deeds or “bad karma.” The whole cycle of birth, pain and suffering, death and rebirth is referred to as “Samsara.” From Hinduism, these concepts of karma and reincarnation entered Buddhism when it established around 500 BCE.

In early Christianity, many sects and early Church fathers professed a belief in reincarnation. In but one example, St Gregory of Nazianzus who was the Bishop of Constantinople around 350 CE wrote, “That the soul exchanges from one man to another after death, so that the life of humanity continues is a belief that to a

certain extent is in accord with the doctrine of the Resurrection. The statement that the soul after its release from the body insinuates itself into certain other bodies is not absolutely out of harmony with the revival which we hope for.” These ideas, of course, ran counter to the mainstream Christian belief in death followed by salvation or damnation in heaven or hell. Numerous church councils condemned reincarnation as an abominable heresy and so it gradually faded from Christian teaching. Still, it is interesting to note that nearly more than a quarter of European and American Christians today express a belief in reincarnation according to various polls.

The Chinese religion of Taoism believes in reincarnation. In the fourth century BCE, the philosopher Chuang Tzu stated: “birth is not the beginning, death is not the end. There is existence without limitation. There is birth, there is death, and there is an issuing forth and another entering in.”

Judaism also has its adherents of reincarnation. Though the concept is not included in the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible, it is a common belief in contemporary Hassidic Judaism and many Orthodox Jewish groups today acknowledge reincarnation as a reality.

Curiously, even Islam has its believers in reincarnation, particularly among the mystical Sufis – as you heard in one of the readings.

In the 19th century and into the 20th , the belief in reincarnation in the west grew substantially; largely based on exposure to eastern philosophies and religions. It even found its way into the Unitarian movement in the form of the Transcendental Movement so eloquently expressed by the Reverend Ralph Waldo Emerson and

Henry David Thoreau.

Emerson wrote:

The soul comes from without into the human body, as into a temporary abode, and it goes out of it anew it passes into other habitations, for the soul is immortal. It is the secret of the world that all things subsist and do not die but only retire a little from sight and afterwards return again. Nothing is dead; men feign themselves dead and endure mock funerals... and there they stand looking out of the window, sound and well, in some strange new disguise.

Writing around the same time as Emerson and Thoreau, the Unitarian minister and Transcendentalist, James Freeman Clark (1810-1888) wrote:

“That man has come up to his present state of development by passing through lower forms is the popular doctrine of science today. What is called evolution teaches that we have reached our present state by a very long and gradual ascent from the lowest animal organizations. It is true that Darwinian Theory takes no notice of the evolution of the soul but only of the body. But it appears to me that a combination of the two views would remove many difficulties which still attach to the theory of natural selection and the survival of the fittest. Evolution has a satisfactory meaning only when we admit that the soul is developed and educated by passing through many bodies.”

It seems even Benjamin Franklin believed in reincarnation. When he was 22 he wrote his epitaph – now in the Library of Congress. It states:

“The body of B. Franklin, Printer. Like the cover of an old book, its contents torn out and stripped of its lettering and gilding, lies here, food for worms, but the work shall not be lost; for it will, as he believed, appear once more in a new and more elegant edition, revised and corrected by the author.”

The noted American psychologist William James who studied and wrote extensively about comparative religions was a strong believer in reincarnation as was one of the fathers of psychiatry, Carl Jung. Jung even suggested that memory and ego were part of the reincarnation process. As he stated, “this concept of rebirth necessarily implies the continuity of personality. That one is able, at least potentially, to remember that one has lived through previous existences and that these existences were one’s own.” Jung used this hypnosis in psychoanalysis to retrieve forgotten memories from past lives – what we now call past life regression.

Writing extensively in the later part of the 20 th century, Dr. Ian Stevenson – a psychiatrist and professor at the University of Virginia’s Medical School – published more than 2500 case studies from around the world of children that seemed to him to be able to remember events in a past life. He also proposed that unusual behaviors such as strong likes and dislikes and phobias were from a past life. Intense fear of heights, for example, according to Stevenson, may be the result of dying from falling in a past life. Dr. Stevenson’s work continues to this day at the UVAs Medical School in the Division of Perceptual Studies. Should you have any interest, you can view their work online. (Some of the stories are simply incredible.)

Dr. Elizabeth Kubler Ross was a doctor and psychiatrist for more than 47 years. During that time, she focused on death and dying and wrote a book with this name. After decades of talking with thousands of dying patients, she concluded in no uncertain terms that death was not the end but a transition into what she called was a “new state of being.”

What all of this points to is that a major percentage of human beings for thousands of years have held a belief in reincarnation. What is intriguing is that there are not only tantalizing clues but anecdotal verified evidence reincarnation or something like it happens. This is in the form of what has been termed “near death experiences or NDEs.” The term was coined by Dr. Raymond Moody who has written several books on the subject. NDEs have been described in all cultures around the world and throughout history. Intriguingly, no matter what the culture, they all have very similar characteristics which may be modified by a person’s

particular religious background.

In these experiences, people “come back” with an understanding that it is not their time to die and when they do die – they will come back yet again because life is but a place for the soul to evolve and grow. I have had the opportunity to talk with numerous people who have had a near death experience and with many doctors and nurses who have told me about their experiences with patients who have experienced an NDE. I can tell you, listening to the stories is a mind-blowing experience.

Common characteristics – no matter what culture:

1. An out of body experience or OBE – seeing their body from above

2. A sense of peace and painlessness and joy

3. A different perception of time and space 

4. A view of other worlds

5. A rapid review of one’s life – almost like a movie.

6. Seeing some kind of light phenomena or seeing a tunnel of light

7. Meeting some kind of “being of light” often explained to be a prophet or

sage from one’s religion – like Jesus, The Buddha or Mohammed.

8. Experiencing vast knowledge of reality

9. A reluctance to return

Of course, critics of NDEs suggest they are merely hallucinations. However, this is criticism is not supported by scientific medical evidence. In fact, a summary of medical papers states: “(NDEs) exhibit unique patterns, such as a consistent narrative arc, verifiable out-of-body perceptions, and positive long-term transformations, which differentiate them from variable, typically disorganized, and fear-inducing hallucinations.”

In fact, there are countless narratives where a person experiencing an NDE vividly and accurately describe all the events happening around them while they “were dead.” (There is no explanation for this.)

NDEs provide a fascinating look at what may happen after death. To be sure, the theories vary. A medical summary concludes:

“While NDEs offer compelling personal accounts that suggest a conscious existence beyond the physical body, they are not conclusive scientific evidence of consciousness after death. The debate continues, with explanations ranging from physiological responses of a dying brain to the potential for consciousness to exist

independently of the body.” 

The key here is consciousness. Our science does not understand just what it is. For a long time, scientists have thought consciousness only occurs in the human brain.

But this is simply not true, and it is not the current scientific thinking. For example: A 2012 research paper from the National Institutes of Health concludes: “The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness crystallized a scientific consensus that humans are not the only conscious beings and that ‘non-human animals, including all mammals and birds, and many other creatures, including octopuses’ possess neurological substrates complex enough to support conscious experiences.”

Some scientists suggest there is evidence that everything in the universe has some form of consciousness. This theory is entitled panpsychism. It suggests that aspects of your consciousness continue after death.

Personally, I simply cannot believe that each human being lives just one life. Why? Because I believe that there is ultimate purpose and justice in the universe. It simply does not make sense to me that some people are born rich while others suffer in misery; that some people are born wealthy and others in abject poverty;

that some are very gifted and talented and others are mentally challenged; that some live a long and healthy life while others die young in misery from a health condition. This too me – just does not makes sense. As Albert Einstein once said, “I do not believe that God plays dice with the universe.”

I also think that there is so much to learn and experience in living that it is impossible to do it all in one life – however blessed one’s life may be.

This belief is not necessary, of course, for those who believe that there is no meaning and purpose to the universe – but I think there is. It is clear that throughout the universe, order establishes itself from chaos. Evolution changes and molds all things, including life. This, to me, points to meaning and purpose.

I agree with the Unitarian minister Reverend James Freeman Clark that the theory of evolution is not complete unless it includes the evolution and development of the soul. To me, the world just does not make sense otherwise.

And – the heaven and hell scenarios are completely illogical to me. The very nature of human beings is to evolve in body, mind, and spirit. Our species has been doing this for hundreds of thousands of years. How would anyone further develop their mind in heaven? What would the mind of a 2-year-old be like in heaven?

As far as hell is concerned, no matter how heinous a person is, how could eternity in hell be justified particularly since there are usually environmental, physical or mental reasons that are at the source of evil behavior. Simply put, there are a whole lot of problems with the heaven/hell scenario.

When I stare into a dark night sky and see the countless stars and when I see the beauty and magic in a forest or when walking along an ocean beach – there is order everywhere I look and there is meaning and purpose as well.

When I meet and get to know other people, I find that some seem so immature or even childlike and others seem to possess a powerful and deep wisdom. I hear the term, “oh he is an old soul” or “she is a young soul” and sometimes this makes so much sense.

When I put all of these thoughts together and when I acknowledge that so many humans for thousands of years have believed in reincarnation, it gives me pause.

Perhaps, in some way, reincarnation of the essence of a person happens and each of us goes from life to life, to gain new lessons and to further experience the magic and mystery of the universe. To me, this idea certainly gives meaning and purpose to life.

I do not think science will ever be able to prove or disprove that a person’s consciousness continues after death but there is certainly anecdotal evidence that it does. In some way which we will likely never know, I think a person’s consciousness or soul does continue.

As a Unitarian Transcendental poem said:

The river forgets its name,

but not its course.

It flows and is gathered

into the vastness,

then drawn up as vapor

to fall as rain once more.

The old skin, tired,

is shed like a cicada’s shell.

The spirit, a new seed,

awaits the deep-dark soil.

Not a stranger, but the memory

of sunlight, of water,

of the long-held promise of bloom.

This breath, so fleeting,

is just a whispered prayer.

And the quiet door of death,

a step toward an unlearned sky.

Each life, a single tide

in an ocean that is forever.

Rev. C. McMahon

September 2025

UUMH Chatham