Near Death Experiences - make one believe in the supernatural?

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   Baileybearposted 13 years ago

   but not all those that have NDE become christians?

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      Kimberly Bunchposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you! They become spiritually minded and reach for what is the closest they can find to grasp onto it further.

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   ediggityposted 13 years ago

   I don't get it.  Are you asking whether a NDE will make you believe in the super natural, or make you a Christian?

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      Baileybearposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      No, I'm asking whether people believe in the supernatural after having a near-death-experience.  And if they do, do they become christian, or have other spiritual beliefs

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         Baileybearposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I see that that NDE differ with western and eastern cultures
         
         http://ed5015.tripod.com/SupernatNDEs116.htm

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         Beelzedadposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         During a near-death-experience, the brain is undergoing trauma, the patient is obviously in no condition to understand or surmise what is happening to them. Their neurological state causes them to hallucinate, which they claim as something that is really happening. All it is are neurons firing randomly as a result of the trauma.

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   PHDundermybeltposted 13 years ago

   I suppose it is up to what you experience in your NDE. Mine was a spiritual awakening. In the presense of something greater than "self" you realize there is more than you could imagine. I live to regret my past. All my years of study were in vain. God was imaginary to me until that day. My theory consisted of birth, reproduction, death, end. In my theory, science explained everything. In truth, my imaginary life ended that day.

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      Baileybearposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      so what made you pursue the christianity rather than other religions?  I see that people can "see" all kinds of deity figures (possibly to do with what culture they come from?)

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         PHDundermybeltposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I stood in front of Jesus, the son of God. He witnessed to God on my behalf to keep me from judgement. Therefore, I know Jesus is the son of God. I never gave Jesus a second thought before that day. He was a myth. A story told to children at bedtime. It became a reality to me. Since that day, I have felt a peace in my life. Nothing I have ever experienced before.
         
         I am a follower of Christ. If that makes me a Christian then so be it.

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            LightIsLoveposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I have had an experience that you may find in interest to you. Please read my hub.

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      Baileybearposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      so do you not believe anything explained by science anymore?

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   PHDundermybeltposted 13 years ago

   Science does not contradict God. It is people who contradict him. Science does not disprove the existence of a God. Science is based on facts be it physical or material ... God is not based on the physical or material world therefore science cannot answer this question.
   
   I can go on and on with a timeline and such but that will take much time. If you look closely at Genesis and incorporate the equation of time as "time" is described differently in the eyes of God than man then it makes perfect sense.
   
   I am in the same profession. Science is still important in my life. However, there is something greater than my brain could regard as truth.

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      Baileybearposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      what do you make of the scientific suggestions for NDE eg optic nerve shutting down; raised carbon dioxide levels giving rise to hallucination etc
      
      I see that nearly everyone has a pleasant NDE regardless of background

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         PHDundermybeltposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Science can explain many aspects of a phenomenon with a nerobiological Mechanism. One anomoly that cannot be explained is information gained during an "out of body experience".  The subject knowing things he cannot know without being present and not in the same area where the information has been given. Such as in my experience.

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            Baileybearposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I suppose that's a bit how identical twins can have a bit of a 6th sense eg feel pain when other feeling pain?

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   china manposted 13 years ago

   I hae had both a near death experience and out of body 'information' that I cannot explain.  But I do not see how, or why, either of these things would lead anyone to believe in some mythical super being as a result.  I do not see how they would even be a strong indication of anything that is outside my self, other than created from things I heard or thought or saw a picture of or whatever.
   
   I have a deep faith in the idea that most people who attribute such things ot a super being are naive beyond belief and many thousands of years of civilization and accumulation of knowledge have been totally wasted on them.

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   Jewelsposted 13 years ago

   NDE's and OBE's (out of body experiences) can certainly make one think outside the box.  I don't know many Christians, in fact I don't know any modern day Christians who have had one so I can't speak for them.  I do know many non-denominational people who have had these experiences and don't have a need or desire to become Christian.  Generally speaking I have more friends who seek our Hinduism or Buddhism because of their spiritual experiences.  Never Christianity as this sect is often greatly inhibiting.
   
   Mainstream science may not be the medium by which to get answers to metaphysical experiences.  The Munroe institute however, has done remarkable work on collating data on NDE's and OBE's.

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   Jewelsposted 13 years ago

   Perhaps it would be helpful to define 'supernatural.'
   
   Belief in the 'supernatural' is not confined to an arms and legs god created by a book.  Well I hope it isn't.
   
   There are documented cases of people who've had an NDE and come back and said "there is nothing on the other side."  Then others who have described magnificent places and spaces.  So not everyone tends to come back and starts believing in the supernatural.

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   Merlin Fraserposted 13 years ago

   I make Near Death and Out of Body Experiences subjects in my Inner Space novels and look upon the what if darker side of such things.
   
   During my research into the subjects and talking to many people who have had such an experience firsthand I can see many different aspects as to how different individuals might react to such an experience.
   
   For instance I met two people who saw the tunnel of bright light, as saw it as a passage to somewhere beyond. Neither of them said they thought it was heaven, no harps playing no angels, but both said it was not a frightening experience and yet both turned away from the light.
   
   
   I met a lady who died on the operating table during the still birth of her daughter. During the OBE she clearly remembers being a witness to the surgeon's struggle to save her life while regretting that someone was going to have a tough job explaining the death of her baby.
   
   When she awoke after the surgery before anyone else could speak to her she told them what she knew and what she had seen.
   
   I have long been an advocate of the sheer mental power of the human mind I can see that to some people such an experience may reinforce their spiritual beliefs and bring them closer to a conclusion that there is in some way some sort of hereafter.   While to others it is just a scary thing that has happened and one they have no wish to repeat.   
   
   In my book research I came across far too many incidences for them to be simply dismissed as bad dreams, or hallucinations.  Many incidents were dismissed as too fanciful and I’m sure quite a few stories were embellished with each telling.   But I kept asking myself one question, knowing that they might well face ridicule and disbelieve why would any sane person even raise the matter in conversation ?

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      paarsurreyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Please tell us if your research book mentions near-death or out of body experiences of Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists etc

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         Merlin Fraserposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Does it really matter ?
         
         You see to me a person’s religious belief is none of my business.
         I was researching a Paranormal phenomena as part of the plot line for a fictional story I was writing.    Out of Body Experiences are most common during some form of traumatic occurrence in a person’s life hence the term near death it never occurred to me to ask those responding what religion they belonged to.   Some who were of a faith felt the experience reinforced that faith, while others felt the experience called into question their lack of faith and they felt a need for answers.
         
         I was not looking for religious answers only observations and firsthand accounts.

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   spookyfoxposted 13 years ago

   I posted this video on this subject in another thread (can't remember which) where Todd Murphy talks about his research in the field, the different kinds of near death experiences (the tunnel, the void, an encounter with some deity, a revision of the persons life, etc.), out of body experiences and the God Helmet, a device which has artificially induced visions of god or Jesus into some people. Some people experienced a darkness with sort of a texture, and felt as if it was infinite. I think big concepts like god and infinity exist in the brain, but we're so out of touch with those areas that we might only experperience them after some extreme situation or after a huge time spent practicing (like meditation). If it happens all of the sudden, with no expectation and no explanation, it is understandable why we'd think it was caused by something external.
   
   Personally I agree with him, I believe this experiences are meant to make the person aware that they're facing death, which explains the different kind of experiences across people with different religious backgrounds. Some out of body experiences can't be explained in a scientific way, but the lack of a rational explanation doesn't serve as proof of another explanation. There is another talk of Tood Murphy where he talks about psychics and remote vision. I think there must be an underlying, common explanation for this kind of phenomena rather than to assume that just because they happen and we can't explain them, god exists and rituals for psychic abilities work.

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      paarsurreyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your input.
      
      I would also reques my Atheists Skeptics Agnostics brothers in humanity to express their near-death or out of body experiences, if they ever had one. Won't they?

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