Are religious claims about afterlife and rebirth falsifiable?

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svhyd's picture
Are religious claims about afterlife and rebirth falsifiable?

Here's an example from a Hindu scripture called The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:

Section X - The Path of the Departing Soul

Verse 5.10.1:

1. When a man departs from this world, he reaches the air, which makes an opening there for him like the hole of a chariot-wheel. He goes upwards through that and reaches the sun, who makes an opening there for him like the hole of a tabor. He goes upwards through that and reaches the moon, who makes an opening there for him like the hole of a drum. He goes upwards through that and reaches a world free from grief and from cold. He lives there for eternal years.

For what reasons is this claim falsifiable or non-falsifiable?

If this is non-falsifiable because of its metaphysical nature then are most claims that deal with karma, rebirth and afterlife (heaven, hell, etc.) also non-falsifiable?

EDIT:

While researching this I found something called Eschatological Verification according to which "a proposition can be verified after death" -- does this mean these 'after death' claims become falsifiable only after death for the person trying to falsify the claim? And for the living, the claim is non-falsifiable?

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arakish's picture
SV: "If this is non
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OK, check my edit about
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@ SV
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@arakish
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@ SV
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SV,
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@Diotrephes
Cognostic's picture
1. When a man departs from
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@Cognostic
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@SV
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@Cognostic
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SV: " I assumed " STOP
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@Cognostic
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@SV: I don't care what the 6
Nyarlathotep's picture
The claim that Russell's
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@ SV
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@Old man shouts ...
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@ SV
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@Old man shouts ...
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@ SV
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@ Old man shouts ...
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@SV: "This ātman is in the

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Yes
dogalmighty's picture
Everybody knows that physics
Sapporo's picture
Any claim that says something
Nyarlathotep's picture
@SV
Tin-Man's picture
Re: OP - "Are religious
dogalmighty's picture
Chortle.
arakish's picture
Unfalsifiability = NO
LogicFTW's picture
@OP by SV
Sheldon's picture
It falsifies itself, by

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