Explorations in Life, Death and the Afterlife

In May and June 2015 I was invited to give a series of three talks on the afterlife in my Anglican parish. The invitation that was printed in the church magazine is reproduced below. I have reproduced the slides as pdfs including my speaking notes and the handouts, followed by my reflections on the process, which can be accessed via the link at the end.

Explorations in life, death and the afterlife

A series of three talks on the theme of life, death and the afterlife, with Dr Fiona Bowie

The topics covered will be:

(1)   Journeying Through Death:  Looking at how different religions and cultures have approached death and its role in life and a look at so-called ‘near-death’ experiences.

(2)   The Life Beyond This Life:  Looking at accounts of life beyond physical death and beyond this physical world.

(3)   Finding our life’s purpose and plan: Exploring the ideas of whether life is random and meaningless.  Does life have purpose and a plan and continuity beyond our physical existence?

The approach is experience-based and exploratory, and does not promote any particular religious or secular viewpoint.  The aim is to provide information and material for personal reflection and growth rather than to look for definitive proof. There will be time for discussion.

·       When: Tuesday 28 April, 5 May & 19 May 2015, 7.30pm-9pm

·       Where: Church Hall

·       Refreshments will be available

All are welcome.  In order to have some idea of numbers it would be useful if you could let either the vicar or Fiona (Bowie) know if you are hoping to attend. For further information or to register your interest, please contact Fiona Bowie:  fiona.bowie@kcl.ac.uk

Fiona Bowie is a Visiting Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at King’s College, London. She is trained in social anthropology and has taught at the Universities of Wales and Bristol in the UK, at the University of Linköping in Sweden, and at the University of Virginia in the USA. She is founder of the Afterlife Research Centre: http://www.afterliferesearch.co.uk. Fiona currently supervises PhD students, gives talks and conference presentations, writes books and articles, and runs workshops on afterlife themes.

From the Vicar

The sessions provide people of Christian faith, non-Christian faith and no faith opportunity to come together as fellow sojourners in this life to speak honestly and listen attentively to each other on matters of life and death and what may lie beyond.  It is a chance to share experiences and ask questions people may have, some of which may not easily fit into my/our own belief system.

These sessions could potentially be found in any University or College in the UK.  As such the material is usually addressed in an academic context.  However, by offering these sessions in a church building my hope is that we recognise the wide variety of experiences people may have encountered and pastoral concerns that may arise from them.

Finally, a disclaimer to say that the content of these sessions is not designed to propagate the Christian faith or any other faith but an open point of meeting, reflection and discussion.

Click here for a link to the slides and notes, handouts, and my reflections on the process.