Must one first believe in the supernatural in order to regard near-death experiences as real?

Must one first believe in the supernatural in order to regard near-death experiences as real? August 30, 2020

 

Image of Fibonacci spiral, based on Fibonacci sequence
A Fibonacci spiral (Wikimedia Commons public domain)

 

A chambered nautilus shell, cut away
A chambered nautilus shell, cut in half. The chambers are clearly visible and arranged in a logarithmic spiral.

(Chris 73/ Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

 

This 2.5-minute-long video vividly introduces an astonishing fact:

 

“The Mind-Blowing Mathematics of Sunflowers …From Scientific American Magazine on Their 175th Birthday”

 

And even seemingly simple little animals still pose surprising puzzles:

 

“High-Tech Tracking Reveals ‘Whole New Secret World of Birds’: A study of Kirtland’s warblers found that some continue exploring long distances even after they reach their breeding grounds”

 

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Some short notes from J. Steve Miller, Near-Death Experiences As Evidences for the Existence of God and Heaven: A Brief Introduction in Plain Language (Acworth, GA: Wisdom Creek Press, 2012):

 

According to Dr. Bruce Greyson, now Chester F. Carlson Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia and one of the foremost researchers in the field,

“Most near-death researchers did not go into their investigations with a belief in mind-body separation, but came to that hypothesis based on what their research found.” (cited at 38)

 

Here’s an NDE-experiencer named Chen, from China, in his own slightly non-standard English:

“I believed in Marxism.  I joined the Chinese Communist Party when I was in university and I had a great ambition when I was employed.  I deeply believe[d] in materialism and I strongly rejected anything that relate to idealism.  Neither did I believe in God.  However I experienced an NDE and it has changed me completely.”

“After the NDE . . .I started to concern about the suffering in the world.  I comfort others who is in despair. . . .  I filled my life with love and I loved to help others.  I don’t care about money or fame anymore.”  (cited at 102)

 

This is Victor, from Russia, who had no religious background.  Previously, he had been plagued by depression, especially related to his difficulties in completing his college education.  “I simply didn’t see the point of my own existence,” he says of his state of mind before having a near-death experience:

“The light was extraordinary.  In it were love and peace.  I was completely enveloped by love and I felt totally secure.”

“Some invisible force had opened up new paths along which I must travel, something to strive for, that my life was not in vain, and that I should have goals that fill the needs of those around me as well as my own, and that every day should be filled with good and meaningful activities.”  (cited at 102)

 

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Finally, two important articles from the Deseret News:

 

“Who gets a vaccine? A simple question with complicated answers, and why your reaction is just as crucial as the experts’ work to create it”

 

“Inside the newsroom: When it comes to COVID-19 and a vaccine, what’s the most important number? With a week before Labor Day, this is no time to let up on the 55-day Moonshot Challenge”

 

I don’t live in Provo, but I work there, and the Provo City Council deserves praise.  Good for them!

 

“Provo City Council overrides mayor’s veto of mask mandate”

 

 


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