Life after Death and the Mysteries of the Universe

There have been many books written about life after death, including several about the experiences of people who have had “near death experiences” or NDEs.   I just read the most recent of these, Proof of Heaven, written by Dr. Eben Alexander, a neurosurgeon who had been an atheist prior to his own NDE.  What makes this book different from others written about NDEs is that the author has a very thorough understanding of the brain and how it functions.  When he returned from a seven day coma, caused by bacterial meningitis, he carefully studied his medical records from the event, and concluded that there was no possible way his brain could have produced the amazing experience he had during the coma.  Although he details all this in the book and the end notes, what’s even more interesting is the experience itself, and his conclusion that human consciousness, the thing that makes us human, exists completely independent of the physical brain.  He now believes that “consciousness is not only very real – it’s actually more real than the rest of physical existence, and most likely the basis of it all.”  He points out that many in the scientific community deny the existence of consciousness, or regard it as merely a byproduct of brain function.

With his scientific background, Dr. Alexander also has a deep interest in physics and cosmology, and uses this knowledge to make some startling observations about the nature of the universe.   Reading the book got me thinking about my own interpretation of matter and energy, in light of many recent discoveries in physics, including the so-called “God particle” that has been in the news lately.   Of course I’m no physicist, and what I’m about to say here is my own conjecture, but to me, this seems to be a plausible, if simplistic, explanation about the nature of reality.  So here goes:

For more than one hundred years now, since Einstein’s famous equation, E = mc², it has been understood that matter and energy are interchangeable, hence the atomic bomb.  Later developments demonstrated that matter itself is really just an expression of energy, and the “God particle” (a Higgs boson) is the subatomic particle that makes all matter possible.  The physical universe is nothing more than energy transformed into a state in which we can perceive it.  Over the last couple decades, cosmologists have proven that 70% the physical universe is made up of a mysterious force they call “dark energy” and another 26% is “dark matter,” which they describe as excess gravity which appears to be responsible for the rotation of galaxies and even larger galactic clusters.  This leaves only 4% of the universe for what we think of as physical matter: the stars, the planets, our atmosphere, even our bodies.  But what if there is much, much more to existence than the physical universe?  What if God, who exists outside and beyond our physical realm, created the universe with just a tiny fraction of His life force, or energy.  Perhaps there is literal truth to what St. John said when he proclaimed that “God is Love.”  If so, then the universe has been created out of the Love of God, and His Love is the energy or life force that makes everything we can see, touch, or feel, a reality.  

As a result of his NDE, Dr. Alexander agrees with this notion.  He states that, “Love is without a doubt, the basis of everything.  It is not only the single most important emotional truth in the universe, but also the single most important scientific truth as well.”  Think about it.  Love is a driving life-force.  It provides us with the energy and emotion to go beyond ourselves. It is the most fulfilling, rewarding, and important aspect of our lives, and it gives meaning to our existence.  St. Paul made it clear that Love is the greatest of all virtues, but it is even more than that, it is the uncaused cause of the universe, the reason for our existence, and the destination that awaits us when we are freed from the limitations of our physical bodies and limited minds.   As the last line of Les Miserables says, “To love another person is to see the face of God.”   This is not just a nice sentiment, it describes the very nature of our existence.

Science seems to be converging on the truths already revealed in scripture, and with the long-held spiritual beliefs of Christianity.  There is far more to life than the physical universe.  According to Dr. Alexander, the physical universe is but a speck of dust in comparison to the infinitely larger spiritual realm of which we are all a part, and this is the greater reality.   As we gather to celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord, and the promise of life after death, it is interesting to note that there is increasing evidence for the spiritual realities of life.  Faith in God requires no proof, but it is comforting to know that science and religion need not be at odds with one another.  Our faith has nothing to fear from the truth of science.  Science is by nature supposed to be the search for truth, and the latest advances in science seem to be pointing more and more toward the truths we’ve long held to be true based on God’s revelation.