Ex-atheist describes near-death experience

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

[protest1]

Luke 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

[realpatriot71]

sounds like New Age

That's because it is; even the devil can reveal himself as an angel of light. Unfortunately, too many people think these NDE's are from the one true Holy God, but they're not.

[RinaseaofDs]

It shows up on scales. I can tell you that.

Scales are guages that measure the gravitational pull of a certain object.

[g35x]

Was this one of those e-mails that gets periodically circulated? If so, it's probably been debunked by Urbanlegends.com

The book is on Amazon.com, and the book's description matches the story.

[whd23]

I had a similar experience when administered "laughing gas" when I was 18.

Didn't like it too much!

[U S Army EOD]

If you walk into the main office of the Democratic Underground wearing a FReeper T-shirt, the same thing will happen to you.

[Riverman94610]

PLEASE,Realpatriot.I confess to having a "psychedelic"experience or two way back in ancient times and the whole NDE-dream state is nothing like that.
Or at least it wasn't for ME!
Riverman,who finds reality WAY more fascinating than drugs.

[stanz]

Not convincing to me.

[stanz]

There's a lot of fiction on Amazon.com.

[Enterprise]

"I've also heard that NDE's of people who attempt suicide are often very different that the normal NDE's"

They are immediately met by a relative of History Channel's Gunnery SGT. R. Lee Ermey who says: "What the grabasstic hell were you THINKING?"

[Tench_Coxe]

I've read this in slightly different form. Can't remember where.

[AmericaUnited]

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.

Then George W. Bush took out a huge banner with TAX CUT emblazoned on it, and the demonrats went even wilder! But at the same time they were backing away. Dubya realized that saying things about TAX CUTS was actually driving them away, and he became more forceful. "TAX CUTS!, TAX CUTS!" They became more rabid, cursing and screaming against TAX CUTS, but in time, they retreated back into the distant gloom beyond his hearing.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

Most NDEs experience very pleasant sensations. I've heard that most do not want to "come back."

Meanwhile many dismiss the experiences as brain chemical induced events at time of death to ease the fear and make death more tolerable. Nothing more.

I have always wondered if that's true then why? We evolve through many generations in order to survive. What would be the reason for any experience at time of death except to be clicked off like a light bulb. What's the point? if there is nothing after. Death has nothing to do with evolution.

It doesn't take a lot of googling to find that near death experiences have been researched by real scientists.

[Froggie]

When my son was barely 2 years old, he sufferred a head injury with skull fractures complicated by meningitis. The second night in the hospital he was virtually comatose all night..his mother and I held him all night and he didn't move a muscle....very shallow breathing - high fever. He aroused the next morning, about 10 hours later. When he did, he looked at us and said, "Jesus told me to tell you that I wasn't going to die!" When we said what? He repeated, "Jesus told me to tell you that I wasn't going to die!" He was only 2, and not being a particularly religious family, I'm not sure where he would have gotten the concept of Jesus at that age.
For the next year or two, although he didn't recall being in the hospital much, whenever he'd see a picture depicting Jesus, he'd get mad...and say "Why do they always show Jesus with Blue eyes? He really has brown eyes.
Take that for what it's worth, but I am convinced our little special boy met The Lord, and the Lord smiled on him!

[Bosco]

Anticipating this very thing, God, in all of His wisdom, included the following for us in Luke chapter 16, verse 19 and following...

"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'

"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'

" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "

Now who said that the Bible wasn't relevant for life today? What Jesus said in the above passage is this: listen to what the Scriptures say about this life and the afterlife. Don't depend on the 'miraculous sign' when you have God's testimony available already.

[!1776!]

Unfortunately, too many people think these NDE's are from the one true Holy God, but they're not.

Two questions.

Was the wording "too many" meant to imply that some do?

Even if it was the devil "pretending" isn't there something that could be said about the glorious power of Christ, even if represented imperfectly??

[adam_az]

"As the question goes: If, at the end of his life, he finds that he is wrong, what has he lost? On the other hand, if at the end of your life, you find that you are wrong, what have you lost?"

Allah will sure be pissed if you made the wrong bet!

As would Shiva, Zeus, and all the other aspiring deities.

[stevio]

He's one of the lucky ones.

[Dr._Joseph_Warren]

They began to tear off pieces of his flesh, ...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. ... He realized that saying things about God was actually driving them away, and he became more forceful. .....in time, they retreated back into the distant gloom beyond his hearing.

I'm just glad to learn that you can wait and convert at the very last second before entering hell!!

[AnalogReigns]

Abba, the name in Aramaic for "Papa" or "Daddy" or even "Dad," is the preferred New Testament name of God...

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'" (Romans 8:15)