(March 30, 2022 at 2:08 pm)RBP3280 Wrote: As I stated elsewhere, my theist beliefs came about by the in-depth study of what is referred to as near death experiences.
Two problems with that.
1) How do your test your "study" of NDEs? How do you know your interpretation is correct? Is there science to back up the idea that NDEs are actual evidence of an afterlife?
The easiest person to fool is the one with "armchair" study. These people know some things, but are too ignorant of the shortcomings of their knowledge to realize that they are still ignorant.
I have a former colleague who truly believed in a new energy source - who "studied" it, had a degree in Engineering, believed the people associated with it. It is all complete bullshit, but having enough knowledge to be sucked in, but not enough to critique the failures, made him susceptible. With all my physics background, I could still not convince him (and he put money into it), because he was sure he "researched it".
2) Basing belief off questionable science is actually bad theology. What happens to your belief if a scientist demonstrated the exact physiology behind NDEs? You are essentially believing in a god because of ignorance about a particular physiological phenomenon.
Theology should never be based on the science of the day, the story of the day, or the cult of the day. Good theology thoughtfully searches for meaning through life experiences and perhaps a bit of philosophy or inspiring writings.
