(March 30, 2022 at 7:03 pm)HappySkeptic Wrote:(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.
You seem to answer your question in the last sentence. My research was based on almost four hundred NDE experiencers. I only considered those who had been pronounced dead. Many returned to life without medical intervention. How do you get a conviction without physical proof in a court of law, by overwhelming circumstantial evidence.
Your assumption that my studies were "armchair" shows you make judgements without knowing the facts. My study of NDE has been ongoing for over forty five years. Research with an open mind, observe many people at the time of death and you just might come away with a different perspective. Why is it that the majority of atheist that have a NDE experience are no longer atheist? Theology and Science doesn't work well together, I'm sure you understand that.
