From: Be@Here.Now   
      
   On Wed, 21 Sep 2005 23:31:20 GMT, Alistair@nothere.com wrote:   
      
      
      
   >Not really. If I had had an NDE, would not have rejected it,. But   
   >neither would I use it as evidence of a continuation of consciousness   
   >and awareness after the death of the physical body.   
   >   
      
   A NDE is evidence, not proof.  It is based on subjective experience;   
   however, many things that we take for granted as being fact are based   
   off of less evidence.   
      
      
   >There may indeed be an afterlife, but since it cannot be proven to   
   >exist (so far) by any scientifically verifiable method, I choose not   
   >to spend the effort to...well...care.   
   >   
   >Put it this way...if an afterlife exists, I will be surprised and   
   >pleased. If one does not, I will have no consciousness with which to   
   >be disappointed. Either way, its OK because that is the way it is   
   >supposed to be.   
   >   
   >People are just afraid to consider the fact that someday the sun is   
   >going to rise, and they will not be here to see it. They want to   
   >believe that their loved ones will be waiting for them, or that they   
   >will see their loved ones again.The believe that because we have   
   >awareness, that we are somehow entitled to be aware for eternity in   
   >some "spirit" form. That is as silly as thinking that a God will   
   >punish someone by sending them to a place of torment for ETERNITY   
   >because of a 20-minute indescretion at a hotel in Vegas.   
   >   
      
   People's naive belief systems and mythology are an attempt to explain   
   that which they have experienced, but can not explain.  Every culture   
   in recorded history has some sort of belief in an afterlife and some   
   sort of belief in a higher or universal consciousness.   Now science   
   is saying that in its basic form all matter is really energy (or   
   potential), and that it is conscious in at least some states, maybe   
   all states.  So it follows that the basis of all is conscious   
   potential.  Could this conscious potential be another name for that   
   which some call God?  Perhaps!   
      
      
   >I'm not trying to convince you (or anybody). I'll admit that I   
   >sometimes envy people who do believe. If it gives people comfort to   
   >believe in an afterlife, I'm all for them believing. It is when the   
   >believe becomes abusive (e.g., "mediums" for money, a church selling   
   >of indulgences, suicide bombers motivated by after-death promises)   
   >that I get angry.   
   >   
   >Let's just agree to disagree....or not. I'm OK either way.   
   >   
      
   You don't have to buy into any religion to believe in a afterlife.  I   
   think that, at best, a religion is a metaphor for truth, not truth   
   itself.  It is just a vague pointer to that which is beyond our mental   
   grasp.   
      
   One thing that I suggest is not to get into a fixed belief system,   
   once your belief system is fixed you can no longer grow and develop.   
   These newsgroup threads rarely convince any one of a different point   
   of view, but that can stimulate thought and investigation, and I hope   
   you continue on the this path with an open mind.   
      
   Best of luck   
      
   >Be well,   
   >   
   >Alistair   
   >   
   >Alistair   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)