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Your personal views on the Afterlife
#11
RE: Your personal views on the Afterlife
Then thats your shot on it, it's possibly right, I have considerd finding a method of "Finding out" myself.
Is "Sonic the Hedgehog" a religion?
#12
RE: Your personal views on the Afterlife
One thing that also makes me think, is if every "soul" that exists lives on...wouldn't it get a bit crowded. Which, if I believed in souls, would make me think that if there was some type of "soul" it would probably reincarnate to follow the laws of conservation of energy, because I think a "soul" would be energy if it did exist.
"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason." Benjamin Franklin

::Blogs:: Boston Atheism Examiner - Boston Atheists Blog | :Tongueodcast:: Boston Atheists Report
#13
RE: Your personal views on the Afterlife
(September 6, 2008 at 2:38 pm)Mystic Monkey Wrote:
(September 6, 2008 at 12:32 am)solidsquid Wrote: Dreaming would require brain function though. Death is the irreversible cessation of all brain function. No brain function, no dreaming. Any "dream like" subjective state would be experienced in the few minutes to seconds before death. Some posit that the "tunnel of light" is a result of hypoxia on the brain - visions of a dying brain. They are a common report in NDEs. Also OBEs (out of body experiences) are often reported. This is found as a consequence of the breakdown of the parietal spatial filter and has been replicated in the laboratory.

How can their be "visions" of a dying brain if it's really a matter of hypoxia? That be like our eyes going inside our head to see hows our brains doing. Sure without brain function their will be no actual dreams but also remember that time spent dreaming varies compared to our actual timing, Im just seeing it on a bigger yet still logical sense.

By “visions”, I meant what is reportedly seen by these people is a product of a dying brain.

G.M. Woerlee (2004), an anaesthiologist, quickly describes what happens during incidents leading to oxygen deprivation or starvation to the brain:
Quote:During NDEs caused by oxygen starvation, a combination of brain malfunction, abnormal muscle spindle function, random movements due to convulsions caused by oxygen starvation, and movements of the oxygen-starved person’s body made by people treating and helping the person all combine to generate sensations of movement. When this is combined with a total loss of vision, tunnel vision, or the effects of pupil widening, sensations of moving through darkness or a tunnel toward light can occur. Some people also say they felt themselves being “drawn to the light.” This is quite possibly a result of the initial restoration of central vision, followed by an increasing restoration of peripheral vision as oxygen supplies to the eyes increase. A person undergoing such an experience would first see a small spot of light at the end of a tunnel which would gradually increase in size to envelop the whole visual field. This would give the illusion of moving toward a light at the end of a tunnel, and even of entering the light as retinal function was restored.

It has also been shown that the NMDA receptor complex seems to play a key role in NDEs as well having a central role schizophrenia and dissociative anaesthia (Bonta, 2004). Studies with the drug ketamine have been shown to reproduce the phenomena in NDEs as well (Jensen, 1996; Jensen, 1997; Reich & Silvay, 1989) by acting upon NMDA receptors and blocking activity.

If anything, it’s more of a dissociative, hallucinatory state rather than “dreaming”.

References:
Bonta, I. (2004). Schizophrenia, dissociative anaesthesia and near-death experience; three events meeting at the NMDA receptor. Medical Hypotheses, 62, 23-28.

Jensen, K. (1996). Using Ketamine to Induce the Near-Death Experience: Mechanism of Action and Therapeutic Potential. Yearbook for Ethnomedicine and the Study of Consciousness (Jahrbuch furr Ethnomedizin und Bewubtseinsforschung), 4, 55-81.

Jensen, K. (1997). The Ketamine Model of the Near-Death Experience: A Central Role for the N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor. Journal of Near Death Studies, 16, 5-26.

Reich, D. & Silvay, G. (1989). Ketamine: an update on the first twenty-five years of clinical experience. Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, 36, 186-197.

Woerlee, G. (2004). Darkness, tunnels and light. Skeptical Inquirer, 28, 28-32.
#14
RE: Your personal views on the Afterlife
(September 6, 2008 at 3:03 pm)Tiberius Wrote: I think the biggest argument against an afterlife is the fact that there have been many people pronounced medically dead who have been revived afterwards. They didn't experience heaven, they didn't experience anything.
One could argue that medical death doesn't equal "true" death, or spiritual death. I mean, they were revived after.

Why would god waste his time sending someone to heaven if he knew they wouldnt' really die.

Also, the after-life as described in the bible isn't really a "Die and go to heaven" deal. It actually details a prolonged state of unconciousness until the coming of Christ's kingdom or whatever, they you are spiritually "resurrected" and get to enjoy the party.

A lot of Christian sects have perverted this aspect of the afterlife to the point of no recognition.

Just playing Devil's advocate for discussion's sake.
#15
RE: Your personal views on the Afterlife
(September 8, 2008 at 7:54 pm)Meatball Wrote: One could argue that medical death doesn't equal "true" death, or spiritual death. I mean, they were revived after.

In the early 90's a man was found in a freezing river trapped inside his car. He would have about 10 minutes to live if he was lucky. It took 40 minutes for the team to rescue him. He's still alive.

Doctors have several different methods to make sure if you're dead. 300 years ago graves would come with a bell attached to a rope that would be placed in your hand. If you were still alive you'd pull the rope, ring the bell and be saved.

However, the methods of verification can be used incorrectly. Or our primitive hibernation abilities and our bodies own survival abilities can kick in. Which can have the charactoristics of death.
#16
RE: Your personal views on the Afterlife
I'm well aware of the history of these thing, I'm just saying that even if by clinical standards and medical standards you're nothing more than a chunk of meat, but you come back, you could argue that spiritually you haven't died and therefore would not have reached the afterlife. Not to mention predetermination and whatnot.
#17
RE: Your personal views on the Afterlife
(September 8, 2008 at 11:33 pm)Meatball Wrote: I'm well aware of the history of these thing, I'm just saying that even if by clinical standards and medical standards you're nothing more than a chunk of meat, but you come back, you could argue that spiritually you haven't died and therefore would not have reached the afterlife. Not to mention predetermination and whatnot.

That is of course we assume that we have "spirits"
#18
RE: Your personal views on the Afterlife
Obviously, as it's critical to all major religions with an afterlife.

I'm just saying it's not a valid point to say that people revived from medical death are disproof of an afterlife.
#19
RE: Your personal views on the Afterlife
I never said it was a disproof, I said it was evidence against it Smile
#20
RE: Your personal views on the Afterlife
The thing is, I used to really, really desperately wish there was an afterlife. But the thing is, I dont think we should dwell on whats after, you know? I think we should just live life to the fullest and enjoy it. While sometimes I wish there was an afterlife, sometimes I'm happy that there might not be. Only having one life gives us more of a purpose to love and cherish our time on this world.

Hang on, was that a bit off topic?

Okay, I just think that after our lives have ended, well, theres nothing. Nothing at all. You dont think, dont see, dont hear, dont smell... Nothing. Its the end. Credits roll. But after that, its just nothing. As I said, I sometimes wish as much as Christians, Muslims, anyone, that theres an afterlife. But shouldn't we leave it alone till we kick the bucket?



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