Ex-atheist describes near-death experience

Standard-Times ^ | 1/31/2004 | LINDA ANDRADE RODRIGUES

[yonif]

DARTMOUTH -- A native son and newspaper carrier for The Standard-Times in Falmouth, Howard Storm went on to earn a master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and for 20 years was an arts professor at Northern Kentucky University. An avowed atheist, he believed that there was no such thing as life after death -- until the day in 1985 when he died and went to hell.

Speaking to about 125 people at Smith Mills Church last week, Mr. Storm became very emotional, often stopping to compose himself, as he described his near-death experience, which transformed his life.

In 1985, Mr. Storm, 38, and his wife, Beverly, were in Paris on the last day of an art tour. Buckled over by searing pain in the middle of his stomach, he was rushed to the hospital. Awaiting emergency surgery, he knew he was dying. He said good-bye to his wife and drifted into darkness.

Standing up, he realized he was between two hospital beds. He looked at Beverly, who was motionless, staring at the floor, sitting in the chair next to his bed. He spoke to her, but she didn't seem to hear.

As he bent over to look at the face of the body in the bed, he was horrified to see the resemblance that it had to his own face. But he knew that was impossible because he was standing over the person and looking at him.

Off in the distance, outside the room in the hall, he heard voices calling him. They were pleasant voices, male and female, young and old, calling to him in English.

"Come out here," they said. "Don't you want to get better?"

He stepped out into the hall, full of anxiety. The area seemed to be light but very hazy, and he couldn't make out any details.

He followed them shuffling along in his bare feet with the memory of pain in his belly, yet feeling very much alive. The fog thickened as they went on, and it became gradually darker.

Overwhelmed with hopelessness, he told them he would go no farther and that they were liars. He could feel their breath on him as they shouted and snarled insults.

Then they began to push and shove him about, and he began to fight back. A wild frenzy of taunting, screaming and hitting ensued. As he swung and kicked at them, they bit him.

Even though he couldn't see anything in the darkness, he was aware there were dozens or hundreds of them all around and over him and that his attempts to fight back only provoked greater merriment.

They began to tear off pieces of his flesh, and he realized that he was being taken apart and eaten alive, methodically, slowly, so that their entertainment would last as long as possible. In that wretched state he lay there in the darkness.

Suddenly remembering a prayer from childhood Sunday School class, he said, "Yea though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me."

To his amazement, the cruel merciless beings were incited to rage by his prayer. They screamed at him, 'There is no God! Nobody can hear you!" But at the same time they were backing away. He realized that saying things about God was actually driving them away, and he became more forceful. They became more rabid, cursing and screaming against God, but in time, they retreated back into the distant gloom beyond his hearing.

Alone, destroyed, and yet painfully alive in this horrible place, he yelled out into the darkness, "Jesus, save me."

Far off in the darkness, he saw a pinpoint of light like the faintest star in the sky. The star became brighter and brighter. As it came closer, he realized that he was right in its path, and he might be consumed by its brilliance.

This was a living being approximately 8 feet tall and surrounded by an oval of radiance. The brilliant intensity of the light penetrated his body. Ecstasy swept away the agony. Tangible hands and arms gently embraced him and lifted him up. He slowly rose up into the presence of the light, and the torn pieces of his body miraculously healed before his eyes.

After his words of personal witness, Mr. Storm answered questions for an additional two hours.

"He told me that he has given this talk hundreds of times, but whenever he describes these creatures, he just comes apart," said the Rev. Michael Robinson, pastor of Smith Mills Church.

After Mr. Storm's near-death experience, he entered United Theological Seminary and was ordained as a minister of the United Church of Christ. Since 1991 he has been pastor of Zion United Church of Christ in Cincinnati. He documented his near-death experience in the book "My Descent into Death and the Message of Love which Brought Me Back," published in 2000.

Earlier in the day, the Rev. Storm spoke to about 30 area faith leaders at Smiths Mills Church on the topic "Bringing Passion of the Gospel into City Ministry."

"Jesus weeps for New Bedford," he said. "He can heal addictions, broken relationships and poverty. I broke every one of the Ten Commandments. Jesus can fix what's wrong with us."

[oyez]

bump

[missyme]

So you have died and came back ? is this correct?

[!1776!]

Take that for what it's worth, but I am convinced our little special boy met The Lord, and the Lord smiled on him!

Sounds to me like The Lord smiled upon you, for your son was probably home. I am heartened by your experiences.

[feedback doctor]

He "broke every one of the ten commandments" including murder? Wow.

Matthew 5

21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder,[1] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother[2] will be subject to judgment.

I think we are all guilty of breaking all 10. Their purpose was not to show us how to be good, but to show us that we were in need of saving!

[HungarianGypsy]

Your experience reminds me of what happened the day my husband's grandmother died. At the time my husband, son, and I were living in her house, while she was staying with my mother-in-law. I had the window open as I played on the computer. Suddenly the oddest feeling came over me. I heard the birds singing outside more clearly and smelled the oranges from outside the window. The weirdest thought came into my mind, "This is a nice day to die." I felt a presence in the room. After that I got up and started looking outside, because I had a sudden feeling that my husband would probably be home early because his grandma just died. Of course, his family never believed that she had "stopped by" on her way out of this world.

[mtbopfuyn]

I've posted this before. When my grandmother died, no one "felt" that she was gone until my grandfather died and it seemed she went on with him. I was given her briefcase and when I opened it there was an envelope facing down so I couldn't see who it had been addressed to. Somehow I knew what was in it and started laughing. Mr. M asked what was so funny and I said granny just wanted me to have a good laugh. What was even odder was the envelope was a letter granny had mailed to her sister 30 years earlier about something I'd done that I'll never forget. It had been delivered and the stamp was canceled so why was it back in granny's briefcase and the briefcase was now mine? Very strange, or maybe not so very strange at all.

[missyme]

I also had a family member, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, this tumor was in a part of the brain that was wrapped around by surrounding blood vessels,
tissue an muscle it was the size of a small grapefruit.

When he was being operated on he prayed to Jesus asking him if it was his time to be with him on his death journey
and be with his family. He died on the operating table and felt his presence leave his body, he too was embraced by a "light" he also saw his father and grandfather and they had spoke to him saying it's not your time go back... We are with the lord and they faded away.

When he awoke up the tumor in his head literally rolled out of his head to the floor, the Doctors were totally amazed and baffled. He is alive and well and suffers no loss from this tumor

[Flightdeck]

Existence of consciousness outside the body would have some decidedly religious significance for those that believe once your body is dead, your mind is dead.

[ColdSteelTalon]

When my father was dying of cancer in 2000. I prayed that if it were Gods will that my father was to indeed die that he would send a guardian angel early before my Father's death to comfort him. I prayed this because he had suffered so much. I finished the prayer in Christ's name knowing that I could never know that this prayer would be answered until I got to heaven... or so I thought...

That next morning when I went to the hospital to see him. And he seemed very agitated I thought it was the pain of the cancer that was consuming his bones and his brain.

He struggled so hard to speak to get the words out but he said only this...

"An angel came to me in the night. It was a covering (guardian) angel."

After that my Father no longer spoke and died a few days later.

So there are some of you who think that there is no God. Well I know that there is a God. And he is a God answers prayer, and his only begotten son is the Lord Jesus Christ.

My father died a saved man and I pray that those of you who do not believe will open your hearts, seek after God, and come to know him as I do.

[Flightdeck]

"The Afterlife Experiments" by Gary Schwartz is a decent book to read inasmuch as it's the first to examine the issue of consciousness after death in under strict scientific protocols. The author has been a professor of psychiatry at Harvard, Yale, and U Arizona. The conclusion is basically that the chances of some of the mediums doing what they did without being in communication with certain deceased people are 1 in trillions. If the skeptics are so sure, they should welcome strict scientific experiments.

[missyme]

I believe what we are un-aware of or ignorant here we will be aware of in death before our final eternal sentence.

No arguing with G-d when your time is up...

[RightOnline]

Too many smart-mouthed smartasses here who haven't the slightest clue what they're talking about. Be careful what you poke fun at, boys and girls, and be damned sure you've done your homework on this one before dripping your wit here.

[EUPHORIC]

"We know there is no supernatural, because it does not show up on instruments"

9/10'ths of what liberals bleat about in class and preach as science does not show up on instruments either.   :)

[Ichneumon]

I don't believe gravity shows up on instruments either,

Oh?

[cmak9]

There's nothing Biblical about being able to be saved once you're dead.

From "Biblegateway.com":

Matthew 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[ 16:18 Peter means rock.] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[ 16:18 Or hell] will not overcome it.[ 16:18 Or not prove stronger than it]

One of many similar verses. They're in there, you just have to be looking for them with "new eyes" so to speak. My opinion only, take it or leave it.

[gcruse]

I don't know if it is a bogus story, but I have read many accounts of nonbelievers having a perfectly uranic NDE. Believing in religion seems to be no requisite for a happy ever aftering.

[RightOnline]

That's not gravity being measured. That is the effect of what we call gravity on a particular mass, registering the amount of mutual attraction using units that we came up with many years ago.

It doesn't show "gravity".

[CyberCowboy777]

oxygen deprivation?

I have had oxygen deprivation and I never had any visions. Is there any study that shows at what levels of oxygen deprivation one might "see" things? Any data on those who have been strangled, put in a sleeper hold or drowned?

You sound so sure you know the truth - please give us some factual backing for your matter of fact statement.

[gcruse]

Exactly how does one measure the supernatural?

By how credulous it makes an ordinary person?

[CyberCowboy777]

What shows up on our instruments concerning life on other planets?

I for one am thankful that we now have instruments that can detected and report on all things known and unknown.