Death And The Afterlife

This book takes a comprehensive look at one of the most fundamental questions of human existence: what is death and what happens to us after we are dead? In the process the reader will learn the arguments for, and against, life after death and will read about the afterlife as it is envisioned in countries around the world and across the ages.

This highly illustrated guide considers all aspects of death from artistic and cultural representations to funeral rites and festivals. It explores ceremonies and beliefs from all over the world, including Mexico's Day of the Dead and Victorian funeral customs, the tombs of the pharaohs and the modern practice of cryogenics, the Tibetan Book of the Dead and Biblical visions of Heaven and Hell. This information and stimulating analysis provides a fascinating perspective upon life through different societies' perceptions of death.