The dead die not

The question “Do you believe in life after death?” must be one of those usually answered with, “Well, it depends on what you mean by…”  This one has been pondered for generations, especially by those who mourn: those for whom the loss of a friend or loved one leaves a gap in the soul which at first sight can never be filled.  They find their separation from the deceased unbearable.  They cannot accept what is death’s chief attribute: its finality.

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French martyrs

An atrocity in which scores of priests and their parishioners were forcibly drowned in the Loire took place at Nantes in late 1793.  I’ve devoted a page to the rantings of the zealot who ordered the massacre and some salient facts.

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Afterlife

A few days ago I visited the Book of the Dead exhibition at the British Museum, praised by the Guardian critic for its enthralling depiction of a culture making great art in the guise of religious enactment.  It was impressive, but left nagging questions in my mind.

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