Need a paper due

Afterlife Position Paper

Papers should be 2.5-3.5 pages, 12pt. font, double spaced, with APA format.
Position papers will be graded on a standard grading scale (0-100), see rubric attached.

During this class, you have learned both positive and negative “evidence” for the existence of an afterlife. Almost all religious and cultural groups (historically, globally) share some belief in the human soul and its persistence (either in an afterlife or reincarnation) after death. You have also learned about scientific experiments over the ages attempting to document the existence of a soul or the afterlife, and the universality of images and experiences during near death experiences (NDE’s) and their possible explanations. Drawing on the course materials, discuss the support for either the existence of an afterlife or lack thereof.

Suggestions for the structure/questions your paper should address are below, cover as many as you’d like but the important thing is to make a strong argument that is supported directly by course materials:

Begin with how you were brought up, discuss the beliefs of your family or what you remember thinking or being taught as a child. Did religion or spiritual background determine these beliefs? Did certain experiences (such as the death of a loved one) shape these beliefs? Then talk about how your ideas and beliefs have changed (or not!) over time as you have gotten older. What were the images of the afterlife you had as a child, and what are the images you think of now in response to the afterlife. How did/do your beliefs make it easier or harder to deal with death? Finally, what role does science play in your beliefs now, and what part does it play in supporting or refuting the afterlife as a whole? Can science even prove an afterlife exists (or doesn’t)? Can science tell us what we believe or have to take on faith?

*Note* The reason I have chosen this topic for a position paper is that there is plenty of support for both sides (an afterlife exists vs. does not exist, humans benefit from the belief in an afterlife vs. they are just in death denial and its bad for them). Please do not choose the position you think I want to hear, as I think there are compelling arguments for both. A successful paper will effectively draw on the course materials throughout the narrative of the paper. An excellent paper will draw from a range of course materials (textbook, supplemental readings, videos). I have attached a grading rubric in another document to guide you in crafting an excellent paper, good luck!