I. Scientific Objections to Belief in Afterlife. Materialism. Modern Attitudes Toward Matter. Scientific Advances in Antiquity. The Mind/Body Problem. Epiphenomenalism and Other Theories. Can Personal Identity Persist into Afterlife?

II. Raising Ghosts: Frauds and Facts. Modern Spiritualism. The Role of Women. The Power of the Medium. Societies for Psychical Research. Parapsychology in the Soviet Union. Death as Barrier. Two Twentieth-Century Pioneers

III. Near-Death and Other Experiences of "Crossing Over"

IV. Afterlife as Corollary to Belief or Disbelief in God. Survival, Immortality, Resurrection, and Reincarnation. Ambiguities in Afterlife-Talk. History and Interpretation. Pantheism versus Monotheism. Community versus Individuality. Belief in Individual Immortality. Disbelief in Individual Immortality

V. Early Development of Concepts of Afterlife. Prehistoric Beginnings. The Meaning of Monotheism. Archeological Clues. Fear in Primitive Afterlife Beliefs. Where Dwell the Spirits of the Dead? Afterlife Beliefs in Pre-Columbian America. Afterlife Beliefs in Egypt. Death, Judgment, and Resurrection in Zoroastrianism. Transmigration or Reincarnation. Resistance to the Monotheistic Solution. "Undeveloped" and "Developed" Religious Thought

VI. Hades and Sheol: The Underworld of Ghosts. Hades and the Transition to Orphism. The Biblical Image of Sheol. The Birth of the Image of Hell. Fear of the Dead. Erotic Images of Paradise

VII. Monism and Monotheism: Two Visions of Afterlife. Monism. Monotheism. Afterlife in Hindu Thought. Self-Realization. Karma and Reincarnation. Charisma: "Amazing Grace" Varieties of Religions with Indian Roots. The Jains. Jain Image of Afterlife. Christian Counterparts. Gautama the Buddha. Negativity in the Karmic Principle. Resurrection in Christian Thought. A Jewish Distinction. The Nature of the Christian Resurrection Hope. Resurrection in Islamic Thought. Envoi

VIII. Judgment. Egyptian, Zoroastrian, Hindu, and Other Sources. Practical Consequences. Chinese Religion. Judgment and Eschatology in the Bible. Literalism and Allegorization. Judgment in Islamic Thought. Judgment and Reincarnation in Islam. The Concept of Self-Judgment. Judgment in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism

IX. Modes of Afterlife. The Christian Doctrine. Resurrection and/or Immortality? Confusion in Christian Afterlife Doctrine. Must Not Creation Be Eternally Ongoing? Immortality by Participation in God's Love. Limbo. The "Harrowing of Hell" Consequences of a Non-Evolutionary Ideal. Purgatory. Other Concepts. Afterlife in Medieval Judaism. Mormon Concept of Afterlife. The Baha'i Alternative to Heaven and Hell. Machiavelli

X. Purgatory. Purgatory as Spiritual Development. Human Frailty and the Love of God. Love Surmounts Death. The Image and Shape of Purgatory. Purgatory as a Series of Re-embodiments

XI. Resurrection. The Central Christian Proclamation. Paul's Teaching on Afterlife. Resurrection as Re-embodiment. Re-embodiment as the Conquest of Death. Immortality and Re-embodiment. Immortality and the Soul

XII. Problems with Traditional Christian Images. Resurrection. Background. Immortality. Sheol, Gehenna, and Hell. Visions of Hell. Heaven. Dissatisfaction with Concepts of Heaven and Hell. Swedenborg, Boehme, and Blake

XIII. Meeting Loved Ones in the Afterlife. Early Recollections. Reunion with Loved Ones. Kingsley and the Romantic Movement. The Monotheistic Focus

XIV. General Review of Images of Afterlife. Increased Ethical Awareness. Immortality and Judgment. Ghostly Survival and Re-embodiment. A Personal View. Karma. Opposition to Reincarnational Beliefs. Rebirth. Salvation. Karma and Grace. The Problem of Evil.