Near Death Experience

[Thirst_For_Knowledge]

I hope that this is posted in the right place. I wasn't really sure if I should put it here, or in GA.

Anyway, I got bored, and thought that I would do some research on near death experiences (NDE). From my research, I realized that NDEs usually colaborate with a person's religious beliefs. Basically, you will see whatever God you believe in.

Often on this site, I see Christians using NDEs as proof of their religion.

But my question is this, if people have NDEs based on their religious beliefs, doesn't this mean one of two things? Either they aren't actually NDEs, or every religion is all the same.





http://www.near-death.com

 

[TrueQ]

It could be that every religion is the same after death, but it would seem that followers of different religions have many differences while in the realm of life. Another explanation is that (religious) human minds just interpret what they experience after death in terms of whatever religion they belong to, different things entirely could be happening, probably involving weird **** that's more suited to sci-fi discussions than philosophy, like awareness of extra dimensions. But what you say seems reasonable as well, who knows?

How'd these people get their research done? I'm assuming that they didn't go out and cause NDEs, so did they just hang around emergency wards waiting to survey people?

 

[Velo Princesse]

The bright light and images you see during a NDE are just your brain 'distracting' itself from what is happening because at that point you are usually in a lot of pain or are just generally freaking out. Scientists discovered that astronauts see the same visuals when they are in that anti-gravity deal that spins them really fast. Their brain starts trying to protect them from what's happening and they will often see the same images that people see when they die/almost die. Since it's just a normal activity of your brain you'll see whatever you believe or think you would see. Which is also why everyone who has a NDE seems to go to heaven.

 

[Thirst_For_Knowledge]

The bright light and images you see during a NDE are just your brain 'distracting' itself from what is happening because at that point you are usually in a lot of pain or are just generally freaking out. Scientists discovered that astronauts see the same visuals when they are in that anti-gravity deal that spins them really fast. Their brain starts trying to protect them from what's happening and they will often see the same images that people see when they die/almost die. Since it's just a normal activity of your brain you'll see whatever you believe or think you would see. Which is also why everyone who has a NDE seems to go to heaven.

I'd tend to agree.

 

[Matt Never Existed]

The bright light and images you see during a NDE are just your brain 'distracting' itself from what is happening because at that point you are usually in a lot of pain or are just generally freaking out. Scientists discovered that astronauts see the same visuals when they are in that anti-gravity deal that spins them really fast. Their brain starts trying to protect them from what's happening and they will often see the same images that people see when they die/almost die. Since it's just a normal activity of your brain you'll see whatever you believe or think you would see. Which is also why everyone who has a NDE seems to go to heaven.

I agree, but to a point. NDEs have always intersted me, since from what my mother says, I was born dead, and the doctors brought me back to life. Of course, I don't remember any of that, but its always been a question I've had. "What does dying feel like?" You'd think I'd remember something like that.

Anyways, NDEs and the visions that normally come with them can be explained through what you've said, but what if its the brain's way of trying to interpet what is going on in the spiritual realm? ^.^

 

[iwishiwerejesus]

Quite false. People do in fact have NDE's of hell.....

 

[Thirst_For_Knowledge]

Quite false. People do in fact have NDE's of hell.....

Less than one percent.

 

[corvus_corax]

Quite false. People do in fact have NDE's of hell.....

Such recollections of hell or torment do not render the OP false.

Besides, if the majority of NDE's are to be believed, the vast majority of people are going to heaven (of some kind) regardless of religious belief or lack thereof.

 

[ptgd1st]

The bright light and images you see during a NDE are just your brain 'distracting' itself from what is happening because at that point you are usually in a lot of pain or are just generally freaking out. Scientists discovered that astronauts see the same visuals when they are in that anti-gravity deal that spins them really fast. Their brain starts trying to protect them from what's happening and they will often see the same images that people see when they die/almost die. Since it's just a normal activity of your brain you'll see whatever you believe or think you would see. Which is also why everyone who has a NDE seems to go to heaven.

I agree, All we ever seem to hear about is NDErs going to heaven. I am not entirely convinced that NDEs are apart of the death of the soul.

 

[Jarrodinabubble]

I remember a report a while back that described the scientific ex-plo-na-tion of NDE. They said most pe-o-ple saw white light, and thought they were in heaven. THey then proceeded to explain how lack of something going to the brain causes something in the something to cause white or black to show up. OK, IT was a LOONG time ago. I'll try to find it.

But I remember last year when I was playing rugby, I juked a dude and he busted me with a right on the side of the face. I didn't quite pass out right then, but after I got up I remember everything not going black as it happened in my last 3 concussions while playing rugby, but white. I ended up breaking a nose and lost lots of blood.. it was like water faucet they said. Cat-Scan turned up negative for damage, although I suspect otherwise. :0

 

[Velo Princesse]

Quite false. People do in fact have NDE's of hell.....

I've never heard of one, but let's assume that that's true. My post said that you will see what you think you'll see... is it possible that those people were afraid of hell and believed they would go there and that is why they saw it?

 

[mepalmer3]

I hope that this is posted in the right place. I wasn't really sure if I should put it here, or in GA.

Anyway, I got bored, and thought that I would do some research on near death experiences (NDE). From my research, I realized that NDEs usually colaborate with a person's religious beliefs. Basically, you will see whatever God you believe in.

Often on this site, I see Christians using NDEs as proof of their religion.

But my question is this, if people have NDEs based on their religious beliefs, doesn't this mean one of two things? Either they aren't actually NDEs, or every religion is all the same.

I have heard of other strange things with NDEs. Like people seeing things they wouldn't have otherwise known about.

But as far as making every religion the same... most religions, even the strange ones, have some sort of notion of God. So in a sense almost all religions do share that as a core belief. And similarly, most believe in some sort of soul. Now granted, after that they all start to go their separate ways. But to your question, it wouldn't mean they are all the same completely through or even mostly through, but it does mean they share a core belief. A jew, muslim, and christian are all a lot closer in their beliefs than an atheist is to any one of them.

 

[Allister]

I have heard of other strange things with NDEs. Like people seeing things they wouldn't have otherwise known about.

I remember years and years ago i watched a programme on TV about this woman who had a near death experience. This woman was blind from birth or from a really young age and she experienced this NDE at about the age of 35-40. She was in a hospital room undergoing some kind of operation and they had to revive her because she stopped living for a short while. Afterwards she recalls that she floated out of her body and viewed the entire room and then 'floated' towards a white light. She described the exact amount of people in the room, male/female, physical build, the size and shape of the room, the instruments on a table, where all the computer stuff was, etc etc.
does anyone remember anything about this? it was a long time ago.
the athiest in me can think of many explainations but the dreamer in me wants to believe.

 

[mepalmer3]

I have heard of other strange things with NDEs. Like people seeing things they wouldn't have otherwise known about.

I heard a story once of a woman who had a NDE where she felt herself sort of floating up out of her body and even up out of the hospital. When she came back to she said she saw a tennis shoe of all things up on the hospital roof. And sure enough it was right where she said it was.

As far as explanations, I guess we have a lot of options:

1. The people who had the NDE intentionally made it up.
2. The brain "tricked" the person into thinking that's what they saw.
3. In the case Allister mentions we could speculate that the doctors or people around her made up the hoax.
4. The story "grew" over time, just as a fish caught gets bigger over time.
5. Someone else just made up a story and posted it on the internet and nobody thought to check to see if there really was a blind girl that had a NDE.
6. The story really is true.

I guess there's probably some variations of those.

 

[Boomygrrl]

Yes, I remember hearing of an incident of a woman who had an NDE and envisioned hell. This was some 700Club like show I watched when I was a kid. The woman had two abortions, always felt guilty of it, and when she "died," she pictured herself falling in a pit and hearing loud screams, all sorts of things that made my young mind horrified.
My interpretation now: It seems that she was expecting hell, so her brain made up a hell for her.

Boomygrrl

 

[Fr0st2k]

i heard a cool story about a NDE in hell...

there was this guy , died on the table, he floated up(maybe down) he was engulfed in flames and little demons danced around him, jumping on him, and starting picking off his flesh. The guy was brought back, and eventually became a priest, turned his whole life around.

my mom told me the story...