Dinesh D'Souza on Life After Death: The Atheist Delusion

Beliefnet ^ | Dinesh D'Souza

[NYer]

Review

In all his previous books, Dinesh D'Souza has typically challenged long-held assumptions in order to find, or get closer, to the truth. "Life After Death: The Evidence," however, examines a question most of us ask ourselves and one which all of us should be asking: what comes after we "die"? And by using this method, he helps us question how we may get closer to the truth about life and mortality, which leads logically to the question of immortality. Atheists frothing at the mouth to belittle a book based on faith in God and immortality (hey Boston College - why not release the debate tape between Alan Wolfe and D'Souza if Wolfe is as bright as he claims?) rushed in typical fashion to write simple-minded reviews blasting this book for doing what D'Souza does best: tackle tough questions that atheists cannot answer. But D'Souza confuses the nonbelievers in his new book by providing evidence for life after death by employing the scientific method - the same logic atheists claim eliminates any possibility of an afterlife. What do we "know"? We are "born," we hopefully live a fruitful life, and we "die." What happened before we were "born"? What happens after we "die"? D'Souza is one of the best analysts of qualitative and quantitative data and a first-rate researcher and author, and "Life After Death" is a gift to all of us. If we value our lives and those of others, there are no other issues more important than the one D'Souza brings to life in his new book. As usual, is it clearly written and logical. Buy this book and re-think your life. Then re-think your afterlife. This book belongs on everyone's bookshelf.

[wendy1946]

D’Souza’s “Illiberal Education” from around 91 is a masterpiece.

[wendy1946]

Michael Shermer, editor of Skeptic magazine, wryly comments that no one has ever met a dead guy who came back to report on the afterlife.

The mistake people make is thinking that Jesus was the first and/or the only person ever to be heard from after death under believable circumstances. In fact he was the last and it had been a long time since it had happened at the time, nonetheless there are other believable accounts e.g.

SA1 28:6 And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

SA1 28:7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.

SA1 28:8 And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.

SA1 28:9 And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?

SA1 28:10 And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.

SA1 28:11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.

SA1 28:12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.

SA1 28:13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

SA1 28:14 And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.

SA1 28:15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.

SA1 28:16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?

SA1 28:17 And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:

SA1 28:18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day.

[James C. Bennett]

It always boils down to this:

Incredible claims require incredible evidence.

This goes for everyone and everything.

[plinyelder]

Yeah but the Atheists have one problem that I and other Christians don’t have!

What if WE are right?

[AU72]

An Atheist funeral:

"All dressed up and nowhere to go"

[James C. Bennett]

The argument for that takes the form ranging from, if they were right, then everyone else has lived their only lives on an empty lie, to asking what if Buddhists were right, what if Muslims were right, what if Jews were right, etc.

All this affirms one thing- faith is what is the key.

Requiring incredible evidence, is a sign of wavering faith.

[Jemian]

Pretty soon you are getting the full details about what such a life will be like in the good place and the bad place.

That's kind of an interesting statement since the Bible doesn't give full details about either place. I know some things but most has just not yet been revealed. I do know I want to go to the former and avoid the latter.

[NYer]

Incredible claims require incredible evidence.

Christians can do just that. The atheists? Nothing.

[mlo]

"What if WE are right?"

If everyone reading this doesn't send me a dollar, you are all going to have a terrible accident tomorrow. I have special powers and can see this.

Sure, I could be wrong. But what if I'm not? It's only a dollar.

[Malone LaVeigh]

The irony here is that if I’m wrong, I’ll never know it. If they’re wrong, they will have all of eternity to regret it.

[OldPossum]

A month ago I read his book, “Life After Death: The Evidence” and found it profound and thought-provoking. It is one of the best books I’ve ever read.

Mr. D’Souza regularly debates atheists in public forums. I’ll bet the latter come out looking quite foolish...and shallow.

[NYer]

Mr. D’Souza regularly debates atheists in public forums.

He refers to it as "christian martial arts" :-0

[Nosterrex]

This only works if someone believes the testimony of the Scriptures. As a Christian, I believe it, but this will not convince an atheist.

[rcrngroup]

I have yet to meet an atheist who claims that his atheism rescued him from a life of debauchery, addictions or hopelessness. But I have found lots of Christians who claim a new life & freedom from a life of sin & enslavery.

The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.

It is appointed onto man once to die, but after this the judgement.

I have a feeling that within a nanosecond after Dawkins, Dennett or Maher passes from this life, they will be a true believers in life after death. Unfortunately they will spend eternity in torment and in hell, separated forever from God.

[Nosterrex]

Even if someone were raised from the dead and standing before an atheist or skeptic, they still would not believe. There are accounts of many people that were declared clinically dead, and returned to life saying that they saw God, and some saying they went to Hell. These testimonies fail to convince skeptics. The truth is that faith is a creation of the Holy Spirit, and no amount of evidence or miracles will ever persuade.

[NYer]

This only works if someone believes the testimony of the Scriptures. As a Christian, I believe it, but this will not convince an atheist.

On the contrary, atheists are fully prepared for someone to shoot them scriptural citations. In a recently televised interview, Dinesh explained that christians need to meet atheists on their ground, by citing the empirical evidence of near death experiences. These are scientific studies that detail similar and repetitious details of seeing a bright light, dead relatives, a tunnel, etc. This, they cannot refute.

[daniel1212]

The proof for the early church of the reality of Christ that this was a recent event with multiple eye witnesses, and no dead body, but encounters with the risen Christ. But the most powerful evidence was and is empirical, outright miracles as well effects that testify to a specific cause.

That is, those who, with a broken heart and contrite spirit (Ps. 34:18) turn in their hearts to Christ from sin, and cast all their faith in Him (who died for their sins and rose again) realize effects that correspond to the Object of their faith, and are contingent upon them.

I believe if someone went to a growing evangelical, fundamental type church, and asked the Pastor for a list of people to interview. Find out what their hearts and lives were like before and after their conversion, and the manner in which it came about. Then interview those who knew them in their “B.C” days and after. What they can find is effects that overall cannot simply be attributed to psychological causes, etc. Along that line, a good documentary is: “A Venture in Faith” (History of Calvary Chapel)http://www.ccsaintpaul.org/ministries/servantsclass/A_VENTURE_IN_FAITH.wmv

Others:

http://www.cbn.com/700club/features/Amazing/ (various amazing testimonies)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3682855866783766146 (Glimpse of Eternity with Ian McCormack: stung by box jellyfish)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4136610474021109864 (Dr Maurice Rawlings - NDE – Interviews: To Hell and Back; including an atheist)

READ
http://www.christian-faith.com/truestories.html
http://www.truthsaves.org/testimony/
http://www.miraclebook.org/reviews.html
http://www.shelovesgod.com/library/testimonies.cfm
http://www.doolittleraider.com/raiders/deshazer.htm

POLEMICS
http://net-burst.net/hot/ Issues That Make Christians Squirm!
http://www.existence-of-god.com /
http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/menus/existence.html
http://www.atheistdelusion.net/
http://www.ex-atheist.com/index.html
http://voxday.blogspot.com/
http://www.epsociety.org/library/articles.asp?pid=45&mode=detail (Is Yahweh a Moral Monster?)
http://www.apologetics.com/default.jsp?bodycontent=/articles/theistic_apologetics/kreeft-arguments.html

[NYer]

Thank you, Wendy, for the scriptural quotes, but you missed the point of the article. The atheist is ready to respond to scripture. He is not prepared, however, for actual scientific data in support of near death experiences. That is where you have them on unfamiliar territory.