How do you describe the smell of coffee? It depends on who you are. A scientist might outline the anatomy of ingesting and processing scents. A sommelier may break down the elements of aroma, flavor, acidity, body, and aftertaste. But if you’re just being you, uniquely designed you, defining the smell of coffee will be as personal as your preferences between Dunkin’ and Starbucks, fresh brewed or pour over, and regular or decaf. Why? Because, as author Sharon Dirckx shares, personal experiences cannot be explained by physical descriptions alone. And, in the new documentary, The Case for Heaven, she poses the provocative question, “If the forces of nature aren’t enough to explain the human mind, then maybe our explanations for the human mind lie beyond the forces of nature.”
Just one of many experts interviewed in the Case for Heaven, Dr. Dirckx – who holds a Ph.D. in brain imaging – asks many questions that help us all to see beyond the surface. Questions like:
- “Is free will an illusion?” and
- “Why can we think in the first place?”
According to Dr. Dirckx, many scientists would tell us that we are our brain. She agrees that we indeed all have brains. She adds, however, that we also have minds, something neurons alone cannot explain. And The Case for Heaven asserts that much of life, as well as the afterlife, consists of realities that go far beyond physical explanation. For instance, 1 in 25 Americans has had a near-death experience – that equals more than 13 million people. A recent survey in Europe showed that about 1 in 10 people in Europe have had such experiences. And out of the individuals that described these experiences, 92 percent of them were completely accurate in the details they experienced while apparently dead or near death. Evidence like that is difficult to deny.
“Biblical faith is taking a step in the same direction the evidence is leading,” says Lee Strobel, author of The Case for Heaven, on which the documentary was based. Through his many interviews, Mr. Strobel shows powerful evidence that leads to life after death – a true case for heaven, and the One who created it all. Interested in learning more? The documentary can be rented on Vimeo.com.
— The Sublime Soiree © April 2022