Whatever the failings of individuals or institutions, the point I was making is the same: there is no scientific way to either demonstrate or disprove the concept that some part of us is eternal.

Anyway, the terms "enlightenment" and "being free" are actually not as simple as all that. I suspect you might get many different definitions depending upon who you ask. The question would be, are they all valid, or are some more correct than others?

One way of looking at "being free" is "freedom from self." In this view, life is more about what we can give to others than what we can get for ourselves. And properly understood, all the major religions endorse that view in some sense.