These were the big questions we started with. My goal with this website is to give you some facts, evidence, thoughts and resources to help you in your search for answers because I strongly believe that there is nothing more important.

 

Is There Life After Death?

Hopefully if you didn’t believe there could be anything after our physical death, you have learned through the introduction to near-death experiences that there is considerable evidence that life does continue. I know this is especially hard for people with a materialist or naturalist view of the world who think there can be nothing beyond the physical world that science can explain. But if you truly follow the evidence, it strongly suggests that consciousness (life) does continue after physical death and that has profound implications.

 

For if there is evidence of a supernatural world (defined by Merriam-Webster as “of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe”), then the possibility of the existence of God becomes a logical extension.

 

Does God Exist?

When you examine the almost overwhelming evidence supporting the Big Bang Theory that says our universe was created approximately 13.8 billion years ago, that leads to the obvious question of what caused it to begin?

 

The proposed answers to that question each stretch our abilities of comprehension:

• The universe created itself.

• The universe was uncaused – it came from nothing.

• The universe was created by an all powerful, eternal and non-physical mind/being.

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The absurdity of the first two seems obvious but I recommend reading chapter four of William Lane Craig’s On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision for an in-depth review of the scientific and philosophical underpinnings for that conclusion.

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The discussion on fine-tuning of the conditions in the early universe that made the development of life possible is also important for understanding why alternate theories of the universe’s beginning are not the explanations that best fit the evidence. As discussed, even if you could imagine the Multiverse theory’s implication that there is an almost infinite number of universes explaining how ours happens to have the necessary conditions to permit the development of life, that still doesn’t answer the question of what caused those almost infinite number of universes to come into existence.

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The Kalam Cosmological Argument (whatever begins to exist has a cause ...) and the Moral Law also provide strong evidence of a creator of the universe who is the source of an objective moral order we all intrinsically understand.

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As mind-blowing as it is to imagine that an all powerful, eternal, non-physical being exists who created the universe along with space and time, it is consistent with the evidence and it is consistent with the evidence of life continuing after physical death as reviewed in the near-death experience section.

 

Are the Beliefs of Christianity Correct?

I have not addressed this same question for the other major religions for two reasons. First, I am not knowledgeable enough about those religions. Second, since I believe the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus is strong enough for me to conclude that He is the risen Son of God, then deeply exploring those religions (which don’t include belief in His divinity) would lead me away from the central truth I believe in. That is not to say that others shouldn’t research them as part of a faith journey.

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Other Objections

• I’ve heard non-believers get upset with Christians (and I suppose members of the other religions) asking what gives each the right to say their religion is “right” and the others “wrong”, implying they should all be given equal weight. I agree that all religions should be given equal weight but only if the beliefs of all of them are wrong and the beliefs of atheists are correct. If atheists are wrong and a supreme being exists, then all the religions cannot be “right” since they have some fundamental belief differences.

• Some skeptics about Jesus believe in God but can’t bring themselves to believe that God could have sent a son to take human form, reconcile people to Him, be born to a virgin, perform miracles and be resurrected. I struggle to understand how one can believe in an all powerful God who created the universe including time and space, and yet think the virgin birth and resurrection of Jesus were beyond his capabilities.

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After examining the evidence for the truth of Jesus’s claims and the accounts of the eyewitnesses to his death and resurrection, I think the most reasonable conclusion to reach is that He is who He said He is, the divine Son of God. That is the conclusion reached by former atheists like Lee Strobel and Jim Wallace after years of investigation. But the answer to that question is a one each person must come to on their own.

 

Another Consideration

While my focus in this paper has been on the eternal benefits of having faith in God and Jesus, I think it’s also important to mention the incredible benefits faith can bring during our physical lives.

 

Having Faith in God and Jesus brings me a wonderful sense of peace and well-being. It gives me a sense of purpose and a perspective that helps me through difficult times, especially the loss of a loved one. And as I age and begin to get more of a sense of my mortality, faith also gives me a feeling of hope that I know will be of great value as my body declines and I approach the end of my physical life.

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This reminds me of one of Jesus’s parables from Matthew 13:44 (NAB):

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells everything that he has, and buys that field.”

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Faith is indeed something of great value that is well worth pursuing just as the man in the parable sells everything he has to obtain the hidden treasure.

 

What Next?

My hope is that wherever you are on your faith journey, you will continue your search until you come to an answer that you feel is right in your heart. For some, belief comes easily but for many it is more difficult to overcome doubts. I urge those of you in the latter category to use the references I have provided and others to address those doubts since there is a great deal of evidence that faith in God and Jesus are rational decisions and not just ones of faith.

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I also encourage you to read the New Testament, especially the four gospels so you can hear the words of Jesus as written by his chosen witnesses because as the evidence for belief presented here and in the referenced sources addresses your mind, it is even more important that you let His words address your heart.

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The one thing I hope you don’t do is nothing. If you’ve spent the time on the material in this paper but then decide to put off further consideration or investigation, you risk getting swallowed up by the pressures of daily life which could result in never reaching an informed decision on the most important question of your life. Or perhaps worse, reaching such a profoundly important decision based on incomplete information. And that could have enormous impact because as Jesus said in John 6:14 (NAB):  “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

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Tom Spencer