What's the only thing people love more than their gods? That's right, their lives. Immortality of one's consciousness is the single most valuable commodity ever traded in all the history of humankind, yet, not once has anybody ever received this precious prize. But, don't take my word for it, just listen to what the Scientific Method has to say about it:

Hypothesis: I theorize that immortality of consciousness may be possible

Our hypothesis appears to be acceptable in that it doesn't make any unsupported assumptions that do not extend from what is currently supported by the Scientific Method. So now that we have a qualifying hypothesis, we need to accumulate evidence to determine the validity of it.

Color Table:

Strong counter-evidence	Weak counter-evidence	Not useful	Weak evidence	Good evidence	Strong evidence	Not applicable

First-hand Evidence
Type of Evidence	Our instincts consider this to be..	The Scientific Method considers this to be..
Tangibility There is not a single living entity alive today that has existed longer than the full potential of a lifespan, nor do we have any reliable means to communicate with any potential immortal consciousness that may exist.	..irrelevant. This consciousness doesn't necessarily have to take a physical form.	..of no value if we can't 'directly' observe one of these immortal consciousnesses
Influence I believe I can feel the presence of my departed loved ones.	..compelling evidence. I can almost hear them influencing my thoughts.	..wild interpretations of emotional platitudes. The power of suggestion, even to oneself, can be a powerful source of misguided beliefs.
Interpretation Once death has occurred, the consciousness changes from a biological form, to an immortal form	..reasonable, considering it doesn't seem possible that our consciousness could cease to exist.	..unsupportive. There is absolutely no scientific data whatsoever that supports the notion of a persisting consciousness after death.
Intuition It just doesn't seem right or fair that we could simply cease to exist	..a valid statement. You don't ever trust your instincts?	..a poor explanation in the light of the science-endorsed and well-supported theory that consciousness is a product of the chemical and electrical activity in the brain, which ceases entirely upon death.
Desire I don't want to DIE!!	..strong motivation to believe in an immortal consciousness.	..the only reason whatsoever for the concept of immortality to exist. However, all the desire in the universe isn't going to change how consciousness is scientifically defined. Once you're brain stops working, so too will your consciousness.

Second-Hand Information Credibility
Type of Information	Our instincts consider this to be..	The Scientific Method considers this to be..
Distinguished Source Some scientists support the notion of immortality.	..strong evidence.	..inconsequential. Even scientists are not allowed to have meritable opinions unless they push those opinions through the Scientific Method.
Agenda Source Many centuries of many different religions, all point to the same thing, immortality after death. And even some non-religious scientific organizations suggest that our life-'force' may be immutable despite our mortal bodies.	..strong support. Time-tested concepts usually has some truth to them.	..a continuous source of revenue for those organizations. By offering the most valuable prize imaginable, with no way for them to be 'proven' fraudulent (except for now with the Scientific Method), they have maintained this control over the masses for centuries. The ultimate pyramid scheme.
Mass Support Virtually everybody believes in some type of immortality/reincarnation.	..pretty convincing. Again, how can all those people be wrong?	..inconsequential.
Hearsay, Rumor, or Opinion I've heard quite a few variations on what forms this immortal consciousness may take. Not all of them make sense to me, but some of them sound better than others.	..inconsistent, but some of the ideas are promising.	..inconsequential. Without Scientific Method support for any of those ideas, they are all worthless as evidence.

So there we have it. The instincts want immortality very badly, but even they are not as convinced as they could be. This is the very reason for the introduction of the concept of a god such that the perceived technical difficulties in becoming immortal can be alleviated by the guiding force of an all-knowing intelligence. Therefore, the most significant reason we humans even believe in a god, is so that we can believe in immortality! Simple. Except, the Scientific Method once again punishes fantasy by exposing the degree of agenda and desire behind the concept of immortality, and quickly reveals that there is nothing else to support it. Immortality, is just a dream.

Instinctual Conclusion

It just feels right.

Scientific Method Conclusion

Virtually no credibility whatsoever.

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