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Current time: March 29, 2024, 10:20 am

Poll: Does this testimonial change your belief in God?
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Yes
3.17%
2 3.17%
No
96.83%
61 96.83%
Total 63 vote(s) 100%
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Near death experience of Howard Storm
#21
RE: Near death experience of Howard Storm
Well, it's an interesting story but nothing that really jumps off the page to me. Maybe I'm just desensitized, having grown up in religion. I've known people who claimed that they were visited by angels and Jesus himself while they were fully conscious. I've also known people, who I think are sincere, who have claimed to have dreams or "visions" along these same lines that were just as vivid and made no less of an impression on them. Honestly, I learned to dismiss most of these experiences even back when I was still a believer.
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#22
RE: Near death experience of Howard Storm
(January 28, 2016 at 10:55 pm)scoobysnack Wrote: Here's another interesting video. I'd be happy to read any links you post as well by the way. Like I said, I'm open to other interpretations. All I'm posting is what I've come across so far.

To hell and back:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NRub9z8hPA

Just throw it in the attic with the others. We've had so many of these shared just this month as well as over the years -every year- that it is hard to work up any enthusiasm for talking about let alone killing any more brain cells by actually watching them again.

As for your art professor/painter, I suppose he wouldn't have been able to make up an account of heaven just from his imagination, hey? Angel
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#23
RE: Near death experience of Howard Storm
I once had a near-death experience. I was being operated on when my heart stopped. I was legally dead for over 3 minutes. In those minutes, I experienced something pretty surreal and it affects me to this day. I no longer felt limited by my body. I was the most relaxed I had ever been. I became hyper-aware of everything that was going on in the universe, but it wasn't an overwhelming feeling. It was the most peaceful I had ever felt. I saw everything at once. I shifted my view up into the stars and I heard a voice. Well, I didn't really hear it so much as I felt it within me. It said, in a calm, smooth tone, "Howard Storm is a hack."

And then I came to.
[Image: nL4L1haz_Qo04rZMFtdpyd1OZgZf9NSnR9-7hAWT...dc2a24480e]
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#24
RE: Near death experience of Howard Storm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoF_a0-7xVQ
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#25
RE: Near death experience of Howard Storm
I'm always really skeptical of people's personal supernatural experiences, especially NDEs. Nonetheless, this was a very interesting read and I enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing, and welcome to the forums.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly." 

-walsh
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#26
RE: Near death experience of Howard Storm
(January 28, 2016 at 11:25 pm)Old Baby Wrote: Well, it's an interesting story but nothing that really jumps off the page to me.  Maybe I'm just desensitized, having grown up in religion.  I've known people who claimed that they were visited by angels and Jesus himself while they were fully conscious.  I've also known people, who I think are sincere, who have claimed to have dreams or "visions" along these same lines that were just as vivid and made no less of an impression on them.  Honestly, I learned to dismiss most of these experiences even back when I was still a believer.

Hey Old Baby,

I'm not here to push anything on anyone, only provide information i've come across to share. Thank you for reading through the testimonial! I hope you continue to research near death experiences though, because personally I believe they can be beneficial. One story I will share came from my aunt. She went to my highschool. After a dance, her date took her out to the field behind the gym, and through her on the ground and started to rape her. She told me she started to pray to Jesus, and suddenly he stopped, looked up and behind her and ran away. She had no idea what happened but went home afterwards. The next day she asked him what happened, and he said a giant man in white light was standing behind her and scared him away.

There are many other experiences to research of atheists, here:

http://www.near-death.com/religion/atheism.html

The only thing we all desire is the truth. The hard part is getting to that, since perceived truth is so hard to come by. Is there an ultimate truth? I think so personally, and that's what I'm after. That's what this forum is all about, trying to find absolute truth. In my opinion, researching countless near death experiences will form a better idea of what that is.

Either way, I'd be interesting in hearing your perspective, and talking further.

(January 28, 2016 at 11:50 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: I'm always really skeptical of people's personal supernatural experiences, especially NDEs. Nonetheless, this was a very interesting read and I enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing, and welcome to the forums.

Thanks Catholic lady for reading the story! I grew up Catholic, and still identify as Christian, although have met a lot of resistance from researching NDEs. To me it's surprising that Christians don't take NDEs seriously, and I have heard that lucifer can show himself as a spirit of light to deceive those who have had NDEs. Not saying it's not possible, as anything is possible, but for me looking at the atheists who start to believe in God is evidence that there is more to the story. I'd be curious to hear more from you though.
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#27
RE: Near death experience of Howard Storm
NDEs are NDEs, not DEs. They indicate nothing except that oxygen-starved brains do weird things.There is no evidence that any of that goes on "outside the brain". There is however, evidence that it doesn't
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition

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#28
RE: Near death experience of Howard Storm
(January 28, 2016 at 11:41 pm)Aegon Wrote: I once had a near-death experience. I was being operated on when my heart stopped. I was legally dead for over 3 minutes. In those minutes, I experienced something pretty surreal and it affects me to this day. I no longer felt limited by my body. I was the most relaxed I had ever been. I became hyper-aware of everything that was going on in the universe, but it wasn't an overwhelming feeling. It was the most peaceful I had ever felt. I saw everything at once. I shifted my view up into the stars and I heard a voice. Well, I didn't really hear it so much as I felt it within me. It said, in a calm, smooth tone, "Howard Storm is a hack."

And then I came to.

okay, I lol'ed ... the punchline was good.

ETA: Also, it'd be cool if we had a member who was named "Scooby'sBoobies.". Just for laughs, you know.

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#29
RE: Near death experience of Howard Storm
"God is changing the hearts of people to love around the world.*"

*Except in the middle east, where terrorists will start killing innocent people. Including the attacks on September 11th 2001 and the attacks in Paris in 2015. Also this love is not extended to gay people. Or Black people. But we forgot to mention this because these events hadn't happened when the book was published in 2000. Long after the Cold War had ended.

An Atheist in America might have a Christian NDE, while an Atheist in India may have a Hindu NDE. Something tells me that an afterlife would not be a CYOA. So why do we get Islamic NDE's of their version of Paradise? What makes Storm's NDE 'authentic' and the Hindu Woman's NDE 'not authentic'?

"The Devil can show people NDE's" defense is stupid too. Maybe the Devil showed Howard Storm this NDE. Maybe the Devil wrote the bible to fool people into following it. Maybe the Devil is really Yahweh, and getting people to worship him instead of Satan, who is actually God. You could make all sorts of claims that the devil is doing, yet none who use this defense seem to consider it unless it benefits their position.
The whole tone of Church teaching in regard to woman is, to the last degree, contemptuous and degrading. - Elizabeth Cady Stanton
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#30
RE: Near death experience of Howard Storm
What is God then?

I can't possibly know if this changes my opinion of it unless I know what God is supposed to be. If God is just an intelligent creator, that's cool. No, it doesn't change my opinion of that at all. I consider it an unknowable proposition.

What has a bunch of weird things the brain does under the strain of almost dying got to do with the nature of creation of our reality?
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