A Hell of a Class: An Exploration of the Afterlife

Is there life after death, and if so, what is it like? How could a loving God condemn people to hell? What are the social and personal implications of not believing in an afterlife? In this course we will explore these questions by reading ancient texts from all the major world religions, classic depictions of heaven and hell such as Dante’s Divine Comedy and Lewis’ Great Divorce, modern accounts of near-death experiences such as neurosurgeon Eben Alexander’s Proof of Heaven, and analytical essays on how our views of the afterlife affect how we live out our lives in the present. This course will count as an elective towards the Religion major.