I thought Iâd try to bring up a spiritual subject where there is an ever-growing body of significant clinical support. Let's take a look at Near Death Experiences (NDE's). This is actually one in which I have some immediate association as I had a friend who had had a classic (but terrifying) NDE experience. (Only about 15% of adult cases have such negative experiences.) There are currently about a dozen or so well-respected researchers (almost entirely non-Christian M.D.'s and Ph.D. psychologists) who are very seriously studying NDE's and feel that they definitely have solid evidence for a spiritual side of man and the afterlife. Although NDE studies have not made it into the top tier of psychological journals, they have made into many peripheral publications and the phenomenon at least is widely accepted. Of course, there are certain well-know events in NDE's that these researchers have discovered and that have subsequently made its way into the popular press (and all of which I believe my friend experienced): 1. Light 2. Communication with beings/God. 3. Tunnel 4. Life Review
But it's actually not these four items that I want to focus on because the above four items can actually occur (although to a significantly lesser extent) through drugs, rapid acceleration, etc. To me the above four items are primarily associated with the body's preparation for death and are therefore a mixture of the spiritual and what is existing already in the brain of the experiencer. But I am certainly open to the opinion of anyone who has experience one of course â I am just going off of what I have read. I want to offer the following four evidences that NDE's are worth considering: 1. Many of the NDErs have out of body experiences and hover above the operating table, wrecked car, etc. where the scene of the near death event occurs. And they quite often see events that would not be possible to see from the vantage point (not to mention the fact they were unconscious and their brain was flatlined). These events have been corroborated by the researchers and other people involved. 2. Some child experiences that have survived botched abortions and the like have come back to question their mothers with questions like, "Mom, why did you want to kill me?" 3. NDE experiencers almost all universally experience unprecedented mental lucidity during the NDE event (which can last for a significant period of time). Far from feeling that their brain is oxygen deprived and "gasping for life" - they all state that it is as if they can think unbelievably clearly. Keep in mind how remarkable this is considering that their brains are almost always flatlined, i.e. there is NO activity in the brain. Again, it as if the body is has been prepared for death rather than being snuffed out by death. 4. NDE experiencers are almost 100% profoundly changed by the NDE event. This is NOT the case with drugs, etc. It's too long to go into here, but child experiencers are particularly and directly changed.
So I ask these questions: 1. Why should we throw out the work of these 12 researchers? 2. Why couldn't they be right? 3. Isn't this research worth looking into it since it seems to be saying ever more clearly that there is a growing and accelerating body of evidence that is somewhat "labratory repeatable"? And, finally, would anyone who has actually experienced an NDE or knows someone who did be willing to relate anything about it? (I wouldnât blame if the answer was ânoâ â this is a rough crowd!)
1. These crackpots want to be published, PUBLISHED and thats bought it. 2 Anything is possiable but this is a streeeeeaaaaaach 3. I don't think so
I suppose that dreams in which one appears to oneself to be outside of oneâs bed are to be taken as evidence of the soul or mind actually leaving the body during sleep too. you got lot of squirrels in that head of yours shoe. :-/
During an OBE, people usually experience a loud buzzing sound followed by sleep paralysis, this happens right before your "soul" leaves your body. I usually have one every now and then. I'm not saying it's my soul leaving my body or any of that stuff, it might be just lucid dreaming, but the experience is very frightening.
I THINK: Satan is the force behind these messages that are deceiving people, and behind these supernatural events and revelations that supposedly verify these NDEs and their messages!! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! SATAN !
If you use this "argument", you can throw out anything. NDE's are either spiritual in nature or they're not. If they're not, then you are throwing them out without even looking at the research. Of course, you can think what you want, but I don't think you should be so quick to throw it out...
Appeals to Authority are a weak argument. If and when NDEs and life-after-death are proven using scientific methods, I'll believe. Until then, sorry, it's just phlogiston physics.