Near-Death Experiences As Proof of a God

Various Places | 8/18./2024 | By Laz A. Mataz

[Lazamataz]

I've been a fan of watching YouTube accounts of Near Death Experiences lately. There are certain common elements:

• Leaving your physical body and observing people operating on them. In some cases, people were able to leave that location and see other people and places. One young lady left the operating room, travelling through walls, and went to find her father in the hospital.
• There is, of course, the tunnel you travel through and the bright light at the end of it.
• There, TO A PERSON, they describe a Life Review of all your significant actions, but not from your perspective, but how the OTHER person experienced it. Your best and your worst actions are all covered. Incredible peace and joy. Living forever in that doesn't sound so bad.
• In some cases, they describe vastly increased sensory perception. Vision beyond anything we can experience. Sound unlike anything we currently can hear, although all communication with other entities is telepathic.
• Most examples detail Entities that some describe as 'angels' and others describe as 'guides'. In many of the cases, they are reuniting with deceased relatives, including some that the subject doesn't even know... ancestors such as great-great-great grandparents.
• Since these individuals 'come back', they are given either the choice to decide to come back or to stay, or they are directed to, and in some cases, given a laundry list of things they are to accomplish. One example was striking; she was given a glimpse into her future that actually manifested. The primary lesson from the Near Death Experience was that only the love you gave others (including to animals) was important to the entities on the other side. One major entity, most desribed as 'God'. It was the single most powerful, loving, non-judgemental entity of the entire group.
• In some examples of NDE's, they were informed that we are sent back time and time again, to other lifetimes, to live and learn new lessons.

Various neuroscientists have stated that simple biological processes of death produce these effects. Maybe the tunnel and the light can be explained by this, but the rest? No way. I cannot think that mere biological processes could manifest such a detailed series of accounts. Nor is there any evolutionary benefit to these processes, obviously... you are dead, right? Evolution is highly unlikely to be a factor here.

So this, to me, seems like quasi-scientific proof of a God. Now, religions have added all sorts of nonsense around these concepts, since almost to a person, the subject of an NDE describes a God that is utterly nonjudgemental and loving. So, take the 10 Commandments: Seems like the 10 Commandments were written to make OUR lives better, and it is not some cosmic scorecard that God is judging us on.

One person I know personally that had an NDE, would not talk a lot about it, but the one thing he did relate is that 'all the nonsense religion spouts? The beings on the other side, they don't care. Just be loving.'

And that aligns with what Jesus said: To love God with all your heart, and to love your fellow man.

[mosaicwolf]

Sounds like a laundry list of things they want to experience.

[Lazamataz]

One thing for sure. Heaven will have one heck of a band.

Furthermore, it is Open Bar and Free Buffet EVERY DAY.

[alexander_busek]

How would such a morse code come into being?

.. / -.. --- -. - / -.- -. --- .-- / -.- -. --- .--

Regards,

[GOPJ]

You’re missing the point.

You don’t have to ‘love Never Trumpers’ or Charles Manson for that matter. Most judgements come from loving and being decent with the people within your circle of spiritual growth... well, unless you’re powerful and your actions damage or lift many. How fair and decent ARE YOU when you think no one is watching? It’ll matter.

[Ezekiel]

In case things got a little mixed up in my replies, that quote was actually from Laz's original post.

You brought up a concept that connects right back to my exended 'Avalon' post:

At that higher level of understanding, not only all religions, but also all sciences, psychology, medicine, and physics all combine into one unified body of knowledge.

From a mystical perspective, we light 36 candles to remind ourselves that our mission is to rectify the cosmos and reveal the primordial holy light of God. We remind ourselves that we should strive to return to being like the original Adam and Eve, who glowed with this light, and who looked past the deceptive skin to see the pure light within each other. When we learn to recognize each other's inner glow, then we will merit a return to the luminous Garden of Eden.

https://www.mayimachronim.com/chanukah-the-light-of-creation/

There is much in the above essay about the first light of Creation and how it is identified with "36", and where else "36" appears. Plus there's also the tradition of the hidden "lamed-vavniks", the 36 hidden righteous people who keep the world going.

Therefore, the lamed-vav, the letters that spell the numeral 36, represent the hidden light. This light is variously known as the Ohr Rishon (First Light), the Ohr HaGanuz (the Hidden Light), otr the Ohr Mashiach (Messianic Light).

Which is another reason why "mythical" Avalon (where the sword in the stone was created) is more tangible and down-to-earth that it may appear. Even though (or because) the name's etymology is "foreign" to Hebrew, and open to much conjecture, the basic idea is that it was/is a place of apples. How foreign is it, really?

Because... back to the sword which hailed from Avalon, only removable from the stone by the legitimate heir to the throne...

inside the

stone: אבן

is the 36, "lamed-vav" light: לו

Avalon

אבלון

An intrisic property of light is that it escapes on its own, given the chance. (Work smart, not hard.)

It's not any work at all if it is love.

There are no fewer than 36 righteous people in the world who greet the Shekhinah in each generation.

Sometimes I think
That love is somewhere
Livin' on an island all alone
I can see it in the darkness
I can feel it in the distance
And then it's gone

And then I know that it is time
For me to go and find my favorite girl
'Cause when I look into her eyes, I see
All the love there is in all the world..

It Always Will Be ~ Willie Nelson & Ray Price (Medley)

"At that higher level of understanding, not only all religions, but also all sciences, psychology, medicine, and physics all combine into one unified body of knowledge."

[Lazamataz]

.. / -.. --- -. - / -.- -. --- .-- / -.- -. --- .--

ང་ལའང་མེད།

[GOPJ]

LOL - that’s great. Thanks for sharing.

[Big Red Badger]

“We’re Not Worthy!”

[generally]

LOL.

I think a lot of us care about God .... and also about getting a good night’s sleep!

[daniel1212]

In my opinion, the best at-length documentary on this is To Hell and Back! Dr Maurice Rawlings - NDE aside from Howard Storm and the Russian. The atheist (see below) and Ron Regan are the best cases.

Ian McCormack, A Glimpse of Eternity is #2.

Atheist Dr. Donald Whitaker in the video To Hell and Back with Dr. Rawlings:

It was February of 1975, at that time I was an alcoholic out of control. I was also using recreational drugs. But primarily, alcohol was my drug of choice. I was totally out of control. I had a lot of friends in the entertainment business; Ringo Star and a bunch of other people.

They were having a TV special on the west coast. Hoight (a friend) had called me and asked me if I would like to go. I told him that I would love to, because I knew there was going to be a lot of booze, and partying. While they were doing their special, I was doing my thing.

After about three or four days out there, I became ill. I had sever e pain in my abdomen. I flew into Oklahoma city, called a senator friend of mine, and asked him to send a car for me because I was sick. They sent a car and took me home. And I checked into Whatley hospital in Texarkana, Texax in February of 1975. I ch ecked in with electrolytes, which means that the chemicals in my body were so far out of balance that they had to give me IVs to build me up

At that time of my life, I was atheist. I was hard core atheist and was living for myself. Atheists are sel f centered, they live for themselves. This is where I found myself in 1975 in my hospital.

After 3 days they operated me. Later, I found myself in the intensive care on a respirator, which means it was breathing for me. I couldn’t speak. I’ve been th ere in a comma. I heard these people talking about how sick I was and how I was going to die and how I wouldn’t get out of the hospital. At that time my hair was very long because I just wore my hair long. And I heard one guy say, “ My, his hair is long. ” And another guy said, “ Not nearly as long as it is going be before he gets out of here. ” And the third voice said, “ He's not going to get out of here. He's going to die. ”

And after 3 days, I could breath on my own. I remember my doctor, my surgeon, Dr . Donald Dunkon said to me, “ Don, if you have anything to get right, if you have anything to get signed, you get it done because we are not sure how long you have. ”

I knew I had a condition which is that was called Acute hemorrhagic narcotic pancreatitis. You don’t live with this disease. You could live with pancreatitis. You could even live with Acute pancreatitis, but you do not live with Acute hemorrhagic narcotic pancreatitis. Dunkon had told my two sons that I would be dead before morning. They d idn’t expect me to survive.

I was laying there, a professed atheist. I didn’t believe in God. I believed in the power of the universe because I’ve seen it. As a physician, I’ve dealt with life and death. I believed in something, but don’t talk me ab out God. And surely don’t talk to me about resurrection, virgin birth or these type of things because I am in research and science. The Majority of PHDs in research and science don’t believe in God. They do not believe a supreme being. They are beginni ng to believe there is an order in the universe because the further along we go, we see the order

It is very easy to be an atheist when you are successful. You have worked your way from Oklahoma welfare to be one of the most powerful men in your part o f the country – one of the most powerful men in the state of Oklahoma, politically. It is very easy to be an atheist when you have done all of that. A man could sit back and say " I don’t need God. What is God

But it is very difficult to be an atheist when you are lying on the death bed, because you began thinking " what if these people are right? " There had been one man named Ron Short, that stood between me and the gates of hell. One man had witnessed to me about the love of Jesus for 5 years, befor e I became ill. I would debate him and I liked him, because he did what he said he was going to do. He was the only one that I saw that profess to be Christian and lived what he said he was going to do. I really respected him. I didn’t believe what he said but I respected him.

When I was lying on my death bed and knowing that I was going to die, guess who I thought about? I thought, " what if Ron is right? What if there is a Heaven and a Hell. " Almost immediately the most pressing thought in my mind is how do I get saved. What is saved? How do I get saved?

So I sent people out to get Ron Short. I wanted him to come down because I wanted him to do whatever he had to do. I had no idea how a man hanging on a tree in Israel 2000 years ago could save m e. What is that to me? But I knew he had something that I had to have. That night Ron wasn’t home, he was in Alabama. So I had people go and get Ron.

That night was the longest night that I’ve had in my entire life, before or since. As I am laying t here in bed, I had begun to fade away into darkness. It was so, so dark. It was like the darkness just penetrated into your very being. I can tell you that I left my body because I remember coming back into my body. I don’t know where I was out of my body.

There are people that talk about a light, or floating above, a feeling of warmth or love. I didn’t feel any of that. I felt none of that. I felt untold terror, untold terror. I knew that if I went all the way, if I slipped all the way, I would never get back. In my being of beings I knew that. So I fought all night long

They told me later on that I not only pull the mattress cover off the mattress, I put the mattress upon me. I had to stay, I had to wait till Ron got there. Whatever he h ad to do, I had to wait

But again when I would leave my body, I would be going down into deep dark terror. My skin began to get cold. Not the kind of cold you feel when you walk out in the air, no, this was bone chilling cold. And I could feel the co ldness began to come up my legs.

Again I would begin to leave my body and would be in the darkness, in that void. I remember one time entering back my body, I felt my body thud, my physical body thud. Believe me, believe me, that was the most horrifyi ng terrifying experience that I had ever encountered

I fought all night long. The next morning around 9:30 or 10 o’clock, Ron came in. He said, “ Dr. Whitaker, what do they say are your chances? ” I said, “ Ron, they tell me I have none .” He said, “ Now is the time. ” I said, “You're right

Before, I had cursed him, I had spit on him, but now it was the time because I had to have whatever he had. I had a short period of time left on earth and I didn’t have any idea when I might make that trip and go al l the way.

At that time Ron simply led me in a sinner’s pray. I had no idea what a sinner’s prayer was, but I trusted Ron. He led me through the sinner’s prayer and told me that Jesus had died for my sins. He had died for the sins of the world. I di dn’t quite understand that. He showed me in the word of God where that was written.

You have to understand that I am a man of books. I’ve spent big part of my life, 25 or 26 years of life in books, all types of scientific books. I have degrees in Chem istry, all the way up to medicine doctor to practical medicine

He told me and I believed him because it said so in this book. It was a new book to me, it was called Bible. I had Ron lead me, and I said the sinner’s prayer. I can tell you one thing, t here was a peace that came over me like I have never known

I’ve searched for that peace in the bottles, alcohol, needles, drugs, and women. I’ve searched for it in all type of places. But there was no peace in my life. But once I accepted Jesus Chri st as my Lord and savior, I was no longer afraid. I still believed I was going to die because I knew the condition I had, and you don’t survive it. I knew that, I am a physician. I knew what I had you did not survive.

Ron showed me in the word of God where it says, “ These signs shall follow those that believe. They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. ” ( Mark 16:18 ) I walk around on planet earth this day , taking no insulin, taking no enzymes, eating whatsoever I want, and everyday God produces in my body the correct material for me to function without having to take medication.

When you see blind eyes open, you see the cripples walk, you see the lepros y cleansed, and you see them with your own eyes, then it doesn’t take a rocket science to figure out that Bible is true.

https://www.divinerevelations.info/documents/rawlings/to_hell_and_back_dr_rawlings.pdf

[little jeremiah]

This should be very interesting. I had two...

[little jeremiah]

Very beautiful description. Gave me chills.

I have not see this, but a very good friend tole me he was sitting with his mother at home when she died. He was also holding her hand. As she took her last breath, he saw the shining spark, the soul, leave her body and zoom through the closed window into the sky, towards the setting sun. It changed his life.

[thecodont]

Yes! Praise God!

[little jeremiah]

This might interest some FReepers. I used to have this book but probably gave it away. Fascinating. $11.

https://www.amazon.com/Life-After-Bestselling-Investigation-Experiences/dp/006242890X/ref=sr_1_1

Life After Life: The Bestselling Original Investigation That Revealed “Near-Death Experiences”
“It is research like Dr. Moody presents in his book that will enlighten many and will confirm what we have been taught for two thousand years - that there is life after death.” —Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D., author of On Death and Dying

The groundbreaking, bestselling classic, now available in a special fortieth-anniversary edition that includes a new Foreword from Eben Alexander, M.D., author of Proof of Heaven, and a new Afterword by the author.

Raymond Moody is the “father” of the modern NDE (Near Death Experience) movement, and his pioneering work Life After Life transformed the world, revolutionizing the way we think about death and what lies beyond. Originally published in 1975, it is the groundbreaking study of one hundred people who experienced “clinical death” and were revived, and who tell, in their own words, what lies beyond death.

A smash bestseller that has sold more than thirteen million copies around the globe, Life After Life introduced us to concepts—including the bright light, the tunnel, the presence of loved ones waiting on the other side—that have become cultural memes today, and paved the way for modern bestsellers by Eben Alexander, Todd Burpo, Mary Neal, and Betty Eadie that have shaped countless readers notions about the end life and the meaning of death.

[GBA]

Fascinating. Thanks for sharing this and your previous experiences, too!

Since reading the Bible, I’ve been trying to reconcile the Edgar Cayce material regarding reincarnation, which I first read and believed decades ago, vs that verse in the Bible, which I have come to read, study and believe now, which seems to say the opposite.

Eventually, I just gave up and added reincarnation to my pile of similar things I once knew for sure but now am not so sure about anymore.

Your comments are helpful for keeping my questions and questioning spirit alive! It’s better for me to not become too full of myself and what I “know” for sure.

[Sirius Lee]

NDE/OOBE Ping List

Please add me. I've had OBE's of a most genial nature, except for one where what looked like a Grey alien was sitting on a horse watching me as I flew out of my bedroom window. That was unnerving.

[NEMDF]

Laz, this is a fascinating thread. Thank you for opening up this conversation.

Maybe for a separate thread, but I do believe that we also see messages and works of God during our daily lives. Putting us in the place for certain experiences or meeting people, etc. I have a very rich history of dramatic incidents that fall under this category. I do think they are somehow linked to NDE’s, in that both are opportunities for us to learn and improve. Both types of experiences serve to confirm the existence of a “higher power”, IMO.

[null and void]

Done.

We had just finished taking a customer to lunch, on the way to the car somehow the topic of OOBEs/NDEs came up, I mentioned mine.

The customer said, “I’ve heard of those. Was it real?”

I shrugged and said, “It seemed real enough to me!”

[painter]

I do however know that Satan does deceived people and walks around loo,ing for subjects to deceived, and people dying are in a vulnerable place mentally and physically and can be susceptible to deceit more readily as a result

For you to say this you are giving satan more power than God.

What experiences have you had to make such a statement. I have had some experiences with Heaven. When people talk about the bright light, I have experienced it! It is brighter than the sun,Yet you can look at it,but mostly you can feel it. The brightness is LOVE! That is beyond anything that you can experience here on earth!

[aspasia]

How’d that Internet marriage turn out? I faintly recall some gif with brooms sweeping. Was that you?