Death: The Scientific Unraveling of the Human Body by Todd Rutherford
Dr. Sondlo Leonard Mhlaba’s With or Without God, Life’s Mysteries Continue is a fascinating text that sparks thought-provoking discussions on pertinent topics such as religion, philosophy, the paranormal, the future of humanity, death and more.
Many people wonder about life after death; it’s what gives hope and purpose to life. Death, for many is the great unknown, and while it’s true that we don’t have much empirical verification for life beyond death, many of us rely on faith and a belief based on what credible evidence that we do have. Many intelligent people tend to discount faith altogether, while others claim that atheism (a belief that there is no God or afterlife) requires much more faith. Regardless of one’s belief, philosophy or view of science, death-despite the fact that it is inevitable-remains a mysterious concept, and life after death is more mysterious still.
Dr. Sondlo Leonard Mhlaba’s With or Without God, Life’s Mysteries Continue is a fascinating text that sparks thought-provoking discussions on pertinent topics such as religion, philosophy, the paranormal, the future of humanity, death and more. In fact, Mhlaba dedicates an entire chapter, Chapter 16, to the concept of death.
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines “death” as, “the irreversible cessation of all vital functions especially as indicated by permanent stoppage of the heart, respiration, and brain activity.” Taking his cue from Neurotheologist Lawrence McKinney, Mhlaba describes death thusly, “When we die, the neural communications in our brain wind down, and the distinctions that we were able to make between ourselves and the rest of our surroundings slowly fade. We gradually melt into oneness with everything until we are called dead.” Other chapters tackle questions such as: “Does the soul live on?” “Is reincarnation a reality?” “Are the dead aware of the living?”
Dr. Mhlaba does not have final answers to these questions, but he has seen enough in his lifetime to believe that there is more to life and to nature than meets the eye. He decries the human tendency to see ourselves as kings and queens of the universe, subject only to God. “What we are uncomfortable accepting,” he chides us, “is that we are no more a product of nature than rivers, forests, and galaxies. Nature was here before we were here and may go on without us in a matter of a few thousand years from now.” It seems apparent that Dr. Mhlaba intends to encourage the reader to give some thought to topics that may seem too deep to contemplate, or that tend to bring up more questions that depress rather than uplift. However, the answers might just be surprisingly comforting.
“Each of us,” he urges, “has a privilege, even an obligation within our own families to celebrate the birth of a child, to help the young to grow up to be constructive members of society, and to ease the dying process for our loved ones.”
Find out more about With or Without God, Life’s Mysteries Continue www.eloquentbooks.com/withorwithoutgod-lifesmysteriescontinue.html
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