At the point of death..............?

Question

What happens? We can break down the human body into organs, cells, cell constituents, molecules etc right down to a part of an atom and we know how a lot of the functions work (chemical reactions etc) but all the molecules, cells etc are exactly the same a few moments after death so what has gone to stop them functioning?
I'm not religious but believe we must have some sort of energy, life force, however you want to phrase it which goes as we pass away - what are your thoughts?

(Posted in Biology and Religion as it is probably a combination)

Answer 1

The short answer is: no one knows, and anyone who says differently is lying.

Answer 2

Everything has to work adequately in order for you to live. As soon as something in your body ceases to function sufficiently well to keep you alive, you die. Fortunately, in some cases, we can kick-start the body with chemicals or electric shocks and it will start to function again. If it's done within a few minutes then the patient can make a full recovery, but the body is a complex machine and its component parts deteriorate rapidly when the normal bodily processes stop, so any longer than a few minutes and too many other things fail for recovery to be viable. All this is fairly common knowledge.

What does this tell us about life? Well, it shows us that life is not just about component parts, it is about processes, and once the processes fail (because one component part has a problem), the whole system rapidly breaks down. If you're no longer breathing, your body runs out of oxygen to fuel the normal cell metabolism, and carbon dioxide builds up to toxic levels. If you are breathing but your heart stops, the same kind of problems occur. Life is a mass of interdependent chemical reactions, and if you interrupt one part of that, it rapidly becomes increasingly difficult to get it going again.

So, no, there is no 'energy' or 'life force', just a very complex system that has many different points of vulnerability.

Answer 3

Hello Kate

There are many things which can shut down teh body.... There are many good Biology Books....Read some.. We don't pass to anyplace.... The dead are dead... The dead are awaiting one of the Resurrections.

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Have a good day...

Answer 4

Well, it depends on the cause of death - there's usually a reason behind it. Sure the cells are still the same, but for some reason they are not functioning correctly - massive blood loss, infection, cancer, old age, etc. Eventually (or quickly) there are enough cells that are oxygen starved, cancer ridden, or infected, to where the body is no longer able to complete basic functions and dies.
Hope this helps!

Answer 5

Could be the spark of electricity that flows through everything? Some call it the soul. As in Science... matter changes (body decomposes after death) but energy is constant. The 'soul' is released and goes 'no direction home'....

Answer 6

Very good point, I hadn't thought of it like that, although the reason I couldn't be an atheist was that I reaslised that if the movement of every molecule in your body is controlled by the laws of physics, theres no way you can have free will if there's not something else to you.

Answer 7

when the heart stops pumping blood, the brain begins to die. As the brain dies, it can no longer keep the rest of the body together. It is why some people claim after death experiences when their heart has stopped and been restarted. The brain, without blood and oxygen begins to misfire - no telling what memories come out, and how they jumble together.

Answer 8

I believe there is more after death...but am not that religious either. I believe that it's all too complicated for us to ever fully understand... I believe that as animals and insects and plants can't understand us....that we can't figure out the supreme beings and what happens after death....so I don't think about it much anymore. I just enjoy life to it's very fullest.

Answer 9

I believe that we become something else, either a spirit or another person. Life is an endless search for knowledge and happiness. 1 lifetime is not enough to discover these secrets.

Answer 10

I CERTAINLY BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE A SOUL .......THAT IS FACT BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE DONT.............. BUT I'VE HEARD OF WHEN PEOPLE GO THEY MAKE A HUGE POPPING SOUND LIKE A BANG RIGHT AS THERE SOUL LEAVES THE BODY .......................... THE FAMILY ALWAYS SAY THERE GONNA GO OUT WITH A BANG AND THEY DO ...................................BUT I HOPE I NEVER FIND OUT WHAT HAPPPENS BEFORE WE DIE ........ I WANNA LIVE FOREVER ....................O I ONLY GET 80 MORE YEARS SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH11111111TTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 11

i believe in a soul. at death it leaves and goes to a better place (or worse...). but the other question is, where is it when a person is unconscious or in a coma? has it gone out for a walk?