What do you make of the Near Death Experience?


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Do you believe people who claim to have had NDEs or do you think they are liars and made their stories up? These are usually told by people who are in comas or clinically dead for a little bit, yet their stories sound amazing and wonderful and enlightening. Two recent popular Christian movies are Heaven is For Real and Miracles From Heaven. Both are about children who were close to death and had these experiences. Would these innocent children lie and make up stories about such experiences or do you believe them? I want to believe these people that have NDEs. I wouldn't let it replace the gospel of Jesus Christ, but I want to believe that these people are telling the truth and aren't fabricating lies about something so personal and sacred. What's your take on people who claim to have had Near Death Experiences?

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I tend to think that anyone who actually had a holy experience (as in, walking with God or Jesus and learning a bunch of stuff about our lives before and after Earth) would realize how sacred that is and keep it to themselves. As in, not try  and make money off it. And I tend to think that, as a rule, God wouldn't reveal Himself to someone who couldn't keep it to themselves (and especially someone who would go out and try to make money off it). 

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I have no overall take on the people who claim NDEs. In some cases, they are lying for the sake of getting attention. In other cases, I expect at least some are genuine. But as a general rule, I do not trust NDE accounts, even those I like and tend to believe. We are nowhere near understanding how our brain works; my opinion is that we will never develop a really robust model for human brain function (though I realize that is exactly the kind of prediction people in future generations like to point and laugh at). How does the brain react at or near death? An "inactive brain" is not necessarily inactive; the mere fact that we don't have tools sensitive enough to measure brain activity does not therefore mean there is no brain activity.

NDEs are an interesting phenomenon. I do not consider them at all reliable as far as indicating or describing a post-mortal state of consciousness.

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Someone's NDE made it into a General Conference talk once, more than 50 years ago.  I am ashamed that I've lost the link, it was quite a cool thing.  Guy saw Joseph and various family members all engaged in hard work for those of us still on earth.

[update - here it is!  http://emp.byui.edu/davisr/121/Vision of H Hale.htm   "Genealogical Conference", not General Conference.  Sorry.  But apparently someone in the presidency of the church asked him to give the talk, so that counts for something, yes?]

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39 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

Someone's NDE made it into a General Conference talk once, more than 50 years ago.  I am ashamed that I've lost the link, it was quite a cool thing.  Guy saw Joseph and various family members all engaged in hard work for those of us still on earth.

[update - here it is!  http://emp.byui.edu/davisr/121/Vision of H Hale.htm   "Genealogical Conference", not General Conference.  Sorry.  But apparently someone in the presidency of the church asked him to give the talk, so that counts for something, yes?]

I just finished reading. Now that is a NDE I can get behind. One that contains the gospel and temple work.

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On 4/26/2017 at 4:09 PM, Zarahemla said:

Do you believe people who claim to have had NDEs or do you think they are liars and made their stories up? These are usually told by people who are in comas or clinically dead for a little bit, yet their stories sound amazing and wonderful and enlightening. Two recent popular Christian movies are Heaven is For Real and Miracles From Heaven. Both are about children who were close to death and had these experiences. Would these innocent children lie and make up stories about such experiences or do you believe them? I want to believe these people that have NDEs. I wouldn't let it replace the gospel of Jesus Christ, but I want to believe that these people are telling the truth and aren't fabricating lies about something so personal and sacred. What's your take on people who claim to have had Near Death Experiences?

it's hard to figure out sometimes where the border between genuine OoB experiences and self halicinutory experiences lie. still i think there is value in reading or knowing their experiences.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I believe that NDE's occur and happen. 

I think it is something that the deceiver is strongly attacking and putting up false ones to also deceive us.

The problem with NDE's these days are there are those who are part of a New Age religion that teaches that people can leave their body at will and go galavanting around the heavens.  MANY OF THESE claim to have had an NDE.  I DO NOT BELIEVE most of these people are being honest in regards to a true Near Death Experience.

However, I think there are those who truly have had an NDE, and if you can find those who are reliable and truthful, it may be enlightening if you also have the spirit to help you discern truth and knowledge.

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Do NDEs happen? Yes

Do I believe in NDEs? Yes, as long as they are sound in doctrine. There are some that give me pause to think, meditate further. Some I outright reject due to them not being sound in doctrine. I came across one saying that Utah will be hit by a nuclear bomb, SLC in particular. I highly doubt this, but you never know, but I highly doubt it.

I believe in the same Spirit of confirmation with NDEs as I do with any other truth. If the Spirit doesn't not confirm it, I do not accept it.

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32 minutes ago, Anddenex said:

Do NDEs happen? Yes

Do I believe in NDEs? Yes, as long as they are sound in doctrine. There are some that give me pause to think, meditate further. Some I outright reject due to them not being sound in doctrine. I came across one saying that Utah will be hit by a nuclear bomb, SLC in particular. I highly doubt this, but you never know, but I highly doubt it.

I believe in the same Spirit of confirmation with NDEs as I do with any other truth. If the Spirit doesn't not confirm it, I do not accept it.

To be fair...I think the sound doctrine thing is a better judge than seeking spiritual confirmation on such things. If something is sound doctrine then, hopefully, a believing member already has had past spiritual confirmation of the truthfulness of said doctrine. Seeking for spiritual confirmation outside of the Lord's appointed means for revealing truth strikes me as dangerous.

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3 hours ago, The Folk Prophet said:

To be fair...I think the sound doctrine thing is a better judge than seeking spiritual confirmation on such things. If something is sound doctrine then, hopefully, a believing member already has had past spiritual confirmation of the truthfulness of said doctrine. Seeking for spiritual confirmation outside of the Lord's appointed means for revealing truth strikes me as dangerous.

Agreed; however, I am highlighting a similar concept as described in scriptures regarding the the Apocrypha, "Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you concerning the Apocrypha—There are many things contained therein that are true, and it is mostly translated correctly....Therefore, whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth."

When presented with concepts, theories, ideas, teaching that have the appearance of truth, sound doctrine, but one is not sure, there is nothing dangerous in approaching God or seeking manifestation from the Spirit of truth to confirm the mind, will, and voice of the Lord.

I fully agree though, that seeking a spiritual confirmation "outside" the bounds or appointed means the Lord has set is dangerous. I am not able to share the experience on an open forum as the experience wasn't mine and shared in private conversation; however, a friend of mine once read the scriptures and said to herself, "I don't believe it," when reading a passage in scripture. She was enticed by the Lord to pray. She was given witness that this passage of scripture was true. This is an important part of the gospel, to study, to seek, and to pray for more knowledge. This is the concept I was sharing.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 4/26/2017 at 4:23 PM, Eowyn said:

I tend to think that anyone who actually had a holy experience (as in, walking with God or Jesus and learning a bunch of stuff about our lives before and after Earth) would realize how sacred that is and keep it to themselves. As in, not try  and make money off it. And I tend to think that, as a rule, God wouldn't reveal Himself to someone who couldn't keep it to themselves (and especially someone who would go out and try to make money off it). 

This represents current thinking in the Church, and for periods of time it may well represent the reality of our current society.  However, if it were generally true or truth, we would have no writings in the scriptures about seeing the Son, touching the marks, hearing or seeing the Father.  There clearly are things that are forbidden, but there is also a realm of holy experiences that are shareable as plainly evidenced by scriptural testimony.  I think such stipulations on keeping things to ourselves represent our collective unbelief and as a protection for the individual who has seen against the wolves that might rend them.

I think as we progress to the second coming there will more and more individuals and families that experience Him, and who are commanded to share with certain parties, perhaps even in some public manner, that others may hear their testimonies and seek Him, that their unbelief might be lifted and also experience Him.  When we have congregations of such people, He can freely walk among us.  It is only such a people that can build the New Jerusalem.  At some point, we have to turn that corner.

I used to hold a view similar to yours, about being cautions about book sellers, etc.  Where money and recompense might be involved.  One day when I was venturing forth such an opinion I had the spirit ask me.  "So what is it you get paid to do?"  (I am a back end dev for lds.org/scriptures and lds.org/music) Well... I'm paid to spread gospel works, the core content.  That question was quite penetrating to me, it taught me to stop trying to judge people's motives in this manner.  I would never be able to do this work as a volunteer, the compensation does provide for my family and do a good work that is more rewarding and productive in this world than most.  It is enough to review and judge their works on their own merits alone rather than judge them on a shallow type or if money might be involved - that is their personal affair between them and the Lord.  Further unbiased reflection will show that the church sells books, GAs sell books, etc...

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