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New Thinking Allowed Audio Podcast

Origins of Global Afterlife Beliefs with Gregory Shushan

Apr 18, 2025
59:49

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Ancient afterlife beliefs across cultures like Egypt and Mesopotamia reveal shared themes likely originating from near-death experiences.
  • Cultural contexts significantly influence interpretations of NDEs, shaping diverse beliefs about life after death across civilizations.

Deep dives

Ancient Afterlife Beliefs

The exploration of ancient beliefs about the afterlife reveals striking similarities across distinct civilizations such as the ancient Egyptians, Aztecs, and Mesopotamians, suggesting a shared basis for these beliefs. Scholars argue that these ancient cultures, evolving relatively independently, developed analogous afterlife concepts devoid of significant influence from one another. Given their geographic distances and chronological separations, these similarities raise questions about a common human experience, particularly near-death experiences (NDEs), influencing these beliefs. An analysis of the texts and traditions of these cultures indicates that shared NDE-like themes, such as encounters with divine beings, life reviews, and life transformations, are present across various ancient narratives.

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