Originally Posted By: Ellis Master of the Obvious
"Thanatology seems to be the observation of death from the perspective of the living."

Look I don't wish to be rude, but doesn't that statement belong in the Awards of the Bleeding Obvious?
Ah so... You could be a master of the obvious. However, from what level of possibility in human understanding and awareness?
Originally Posted By: Ellis the Unindoctrinated

The whole problem with the doctrine that promises life after death is that there has only been one case of life after death with some degree of plausibility in the history of human knowledge, and, if you believe that one example is true and proves something, you believe the person who did it is a god, or perhaps even *the* god. Which is really cheating isn't it?

Actually the history of Spiritual Science is full of testimony to the reality that life and death of the physical body is a projection of Consciousness.
From the Hermetic texts which inspired Egyptian sciences and religion, The teachings of the Buddha, Hebraic writings which preceded and spoke of the appearances of Jesus as a follow up to Melchezidek 2000 years prior, and the Teachings of Advaita Vedanta. There are testimonies to life prior to birth, during earthly life, and after physical death, that has been and always will be beyond the limited senses of the human who is hypnotized by the idea of physical time and space and living in the house of the mortal ego.

Plato's allegory of "The Cave" was his description and testimony to his understanding of the science, and the study which could reveal the science in the personal experience.

Psalm 82:6 "I have said, 'Ye are Gods'; Children of the most high."

It ain't cheating if it's in you and you use it.
It's a sin if you go about thinking you are living, only to reach the goal of death, doing it over again and again till you awaken to the reality that the world just ain't flat.
To go to the edge is not to end in oblivion unless you subscribe to the beliefs of the living who have no experience of death beyond the mechanical aspects of limited biological observation.

http://www.bigthink.com/ideas/what-is-real-scientific-understanding?page=all

I was addicted to the Hokey Pokey, but then I turned myself around!!