"[T]he diverse religious stories do agree on one thing: survival [after death]. They differ merely on the details. So aren't they good evidence for survival? No. Agreement in this case merely shows that a common theme can be found in almost all the world's religions. Psychology can easily explain this common theme... People fear death. They fear it not just here and there, or once in a while, but everywhere and always. Fearing death, people have a strong motive to deny it... [T]he explanation in terms of human psychology is not only simpler, it is testable. The explanation in terms of survival, on the other hand, is speculative at best, more complex, and impossible to test either directly or indirectly. Thus believing in survival on the basis of religious stories isn't belief based on good evidence. It is belief based on faith. And it is based not just on faith, but on faith that goes contrary to the best available evidence." Daniel Kolak and Raymond Martin, Wisdom Without Answers, (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1998), p. 78