Where do Near-Death Experiences Fit in?

[edens]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRRgWV2lIvc

There are a whole bunch of videos here too: https://www.youtube.com/user/NDEaccounts/videos


What I'm curious is how do these fit into the bible? I find most christians view is if there is no Jesus in the experience it's a trick of satan and if there is only watch those types of NDE's and dismiss the rest as fantasy.

I can't say I've seen any with buddha or other gods in them but I'm sure they are around.

What are your thoughts? Are these good experiences to learn from?

 

[True Scotsman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRRgWV2lIvc

There are a whole bunch of videos here too: https://www.youtube.com/user/NDEaccounts/videos


What I'm curious is how do these fit into the bible? I find most christians view is if there is no Jesus in the experience it's a trick of satan and if there is only watch those types of NDE's and dismiss the rest as fantasy.

I can't say I've seen any with buddha or other gods in them but I'm sure they are around.

What are your thoughts? Are these good experiences to learn from?

For some really interesting reading do a google search for near death experiences in different cultures.

 

[edens]

I'm surprise no interest in the afterlife on here.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Hi,

I have not done extensive study into NDE's. But the ones that I have seen back up the biblical account of heaven and hell.

I have seen 3:

1) Ian McCormack - Ian McCormack - Heaven Hell and the Box Jellyfish he was bitten by box jelly fish and went to heaven and saw Jesus
2) A guy I met on a forum who had a NDE where he saw hell, he called it the abyss, he described it as a firey palace with beasts there, he was not a Christian, he saw a bright light that he believed was God. He went in search of a God of light, after his experience, but did not find the Christian God.
3) A guy I met in the street (a criminal) he had a NDE when he had an operation in hospital, he said he went down to a place where there were hot rocks (I say the entrance to hell), he saw an angel with a sword, then came back to life.

 

[Snake75]

Near death experpeinces have already been explained by science. From my understanding they are a burst of brain activity just as death comes in or something like that

 

[Eudaimonist]

I can't say I've seen any with buddha or other gods in them but I'm sure they are around.

It is worth noting that the religion of Buddhism does have hellish realms -- many of them.

Any reports of hell from NDEs would, of course, be ambiguous. And there is no reason to think that one would "meet the Buddha", since that is certainly not a belief requirement of Buddhism.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[jax5434]

Paul says that it is but once to die and then the judgement. Being nearly dead is not the same as being dead and so I don't think the experiences are of any real value so far as understanding the afterlife is concerned.

God Bless
Jax

 

[DogmaHunter]

Where do NDE's fit in?

I'ld say in brain chemistry going beserk.

 

[Aldebaran]

Paul says that it is but once to die and then the judgement. Being nearly dead is not the same as being dead and so I don't think the experiences are of any real value so far as understanding the afterlife is concerned.

God Bless
Jax

He also said something about being brought up to Heaven and seeing things that he said were too wonderful for words. It sounds much like a near-death experience to me.

 

[jax5434]

He also said something about being brought up to Heaven and seeing things that he said were too wonderful for words. It sounds much like a near-death experience to me

.

I don't doubt NDEs' happen. I just don't think they are really experiences of the afterlife. What Paul had was prophetic vision, similar to the one one the Damascus road.

God Bless
Jax

 

[myjourney]

NDE's are difficult to truly classify. Do I believe in them? Yes. From an analytical point of view I would dare say that some would call me biased as I believe that those which do not support the Bible are not real. Yet at the same time there are those what would support the Bible are also not real. In the case of the story behind the movie and book "Heaven is for Real", I do believe that case to be a very true and real NDE.

Why are they difficult to classify? There is no way to know or prove if it is real. NDE's surrounding other gods or idols such as Buddha are easy to explain away if you ask me. Yet someone who is not Christian would also explain away NDE's from the Christian perspective the same way. Even upon physical death if the brain still has life it can produce very strong "visions" that are mere dreams. This is known. So how do you know if an NDE is real?

The only way to know for certain that a specific NDE is real would be to take the case behind the book and movie behind "Heaven is for Real". In this NDE the little boy brought back information from Heaven that was given to him or shown to him. He met family members of which he had no knowledge of and could give details which baffled his parents. In this case there is evidence of the NDE being real.

Is it possible? Yes. Can they be real? Yes. Are all the stories presented online or at youtube real? No. Yet I promise you that there are a lot of people out there who believe that they have had them.

 

[Ana the Ist]

NDE's are difficult to truly classify. Do I believe in them? Yes. From an analytical point of view I would dare say that some would call me biased as I believe that those which do not support the Bible are not real. Yet at the same time there are those what would support the Bible are also not real. In the case of the story behind the movie and book "Heaven is for Real", I do believe that case to be a very true and real NDE.

Why are they difficult to classify? There is no way to know or prove if it is real. NDE's surrounding other gods or idols such as Buddha are easy to explain away if you ask me. Yet someone who is not Christian would also explain away NDE's from the Christian perspective the same way. Even upon physical death if the brain still has life it can produce very strong "visions" that are mere dreams. This is known. So how do you know if an NDE is real?

The only way to know for certain that a specific NDE is real would be to take the case behind the book and movie behind "Heaven is for Real". In this NDE the little boy brought back information from Heaven that was given to him or shown to him. He met family members of which he had no knowledge of and could give details which baffled his parents. In this case there is evidence of the NDE being real.

Is it possible? Yes. Can they be real? Yes. Are all the stories presented online or at youtube real? No. Yet I promise you that there are a lot of people out there who believe that they have had them.

That kid didn't actually die.

 

[Aldebaran]

That kid didn't actually die.

That's why it's called an "N" DE. The "N" stands for "Near".

 

[Ana the Ist]

That's why it's called an "N" DE. The "N" stands for "Near".

Actually, those experiences refer to when a subject dies and is brought back to life. That kid didn't die.

If you believe in some sort of soul that exits the body upon death, I don't see how you can reconcile that problem.

 

[Albion]

Near death experpeinces have already been explained by science. From my understanding they are a burst of brain activity just as death comes in or something like that

I'm not certain what I think of NDEs but plenty of them defy the "burst of brain activity" theory.

I'm referring not to people who report seeing something akin to what they'd always been told heaven or hell would be like, but those who report things about their body's surroundings that they couldn't know, for example the look of parts of the hospital that they'd never been in.

 

[ALoveDivine]

Near-death experiences are real, but they are just experiences. As Christians we do not judge truth solely on the basis on experiences. Mormons and Muslims may have experiences, but we don't therefore acknowledge their claims as true.

We judge truth by scripture and reason, not by the claims of men or their claims of various experiences. I don't know what to think of NDE's exactly, I tend to see them as being visions. Visions can be from God, they can be demonic, they can be purely hallucinatory.

I don't think its very profitable to take much of an interest in these things, lest various experiences come to shape our theology. We ought to stick to scripture and reason in our search for truth.

 

[Aldebaran]

Actually, those experiences refer to when a subject dies and is brought back to life. That kid didn't die.

If you believe in some sort of soul that exits the body upon death, I don't see how you can reconcile that problem.

So you're referring to a "death and resurrection" experience rather than a "near death" experience.

 

[Ana the Ist]

So you're referring to a "death and resurrection" experience rather than a "near death" experience.

Never heard of a "death and resurrection" experience...you go ahead and call it whatever you like.

The point is that obviously if one believes the soul doesn't leave the body until the body is dead....then that kid's story didn't happen. Rather simple really.