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[Admin]

The story of the "death" of the 20th-century philosopher, Alfred Jules (A. J.) Ayer, is becoming legendary.

When the renowned atheist choked on a piece of salmon in 1988 in a British hospital, he went into cardiac arrest and technically died for four minutes.

As a leader of the dominant analytic school of philosophy, Ayer had been accused of "neutralizing" Western academic philosophers; encouraging them to focus on pure logic and avoid applying their big minds to the actual art of living. And dying.

But Ayer's near-death experience changed all that. After he was resuscitated in hospital, Ayer wrote a piece in the Telegraph newspaper describing wondrous images he had while "dead" -- of a beckoning red light and the collapse of space and time.

The atheist philosopher, known as "Freddie" to his friends, also quietly suggested his near-death experience (NDE) provided "rather strong evidence that death does not put an end to consciousness."

Just as importantly, Ayer's wife, Dee, told anyone who would listen, including journalists, that her husband had become much more pleasant company after his NDE.

As Dee quaintly put it: "Freddie has got so much nicer since he died."

In a Western culture that greatly fears death and distracts itself from thinking about it with endless entertainments, it's intriguing that scientific research into NDEs has expanded since Ayer enjoyed his profound out-of-body experience in 1988 (dying peacefully the following year at age 79).The British and U.S. governments, for instance, are examining near-death studies in 1,500 heart attack patient-survivors at 25 hospitals.

Such groundbreaking exploration of near-death experiences is a long way from the arid and abstruse subjects that many university-based academics often end up studying.

Excitingly interdisciplinary research into NDEs and related phenomenon touches on the kind of crucial spiritual, scientific, psychological and philosophical questions humans have been asking for millennia.

One of the obvious questions it brings up is: Do near-death experiences offer evidence of human consciousness after death?

And: Do near-death, or related experiences of human mortality, turn people into better human beings, encouraging them to live more kindly?

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[Epsilon]

I think like 90% of the worlds population to this day believes in an afterlife of some sort regardless if it goes against there core belief system.

You can go to any christian, any Jehovah to any catholic and so on so forth. They all talk about two major places you will go to when you die, heaven or hell.

How ever, I think there is a strong resentment towards spirituality by any means with the JW's faith. Yet they are practicing and witnessing stuff that their society doesn't agree with. From my understanding personal knowledge while they do in fact believe in heaven or hell they do not believe in the afterlife. I find this to be contrary to their beliefs and quite confusing. I do not critize nor speak ill against them but I do feel that the thought of a heaven and hell does support the idea of an afterlife regardless of the situation.

It's not just the Jw's either many people either believe in heaven or hell or believe in the astral plane, This is still a form of a life after death.

I'm a little skeptical towards Near death experiences how ever because I am under the impression alot of influence can be generated towards the general populaces and sway them towards their beliefs.

[Shincarra]

We as humans want to know if there is more then the life we have here.Is there a wonderful life after this one, and we look at the world around us for something better that is wonderful and and the final destation for our souls.
I don't know if I'am N.D.E., when I was 14 years old I had a bicycle accident, that put me into a coma for 6 weeks. I came out of the coma once and saw a priest giving me the last rites of the church. I look at the priest and knew he had no idea, that the rites he was performing, had no real value. In my young mind, I smiles, and looking at the priest and thought to myself he has no idea what he is doing. So i thought I'am going back to sleep.
I found out after I came out of the coma that I had Flatline three times, and was given the last rites of the church all three times.
During that time in the coma, I do not remember any tunnels, or any such visions,but I do KNOW that when I die, I go home again. I also can tell you that, I have never been happy to be back here, in this life. I'am gratiful for my Children, friends, and my wonderful wife I have here, but I will be even happier to go home again.
I beleive God had a plan for me, and God showed me the plan, so I returned to this life. Perhaps he showed me all the people that were praying for me as I layed in the coma. I Thank them for their love and prayers, but I was home and there Prayers broughtme back here. So here is the answer I have for everyone. People come into your life, and you come into theirs, and the point is that you should means something to each other. Feed the love between each one of you, and know the value of the person in your life.

[Admin]

Shincarra, on 26 September 2010 - 02:39 PM, said:

People come into your life, and you come into theirs, and the point is that you should means something to each other. Feed the love between each one of you, and know the value of the person in your life.

Wise words indeed Shincarra and I thank you for them. Sometimes people don't understand this until the person they love is gone by which time it's too late. If you love somebody, tell them as often as you can.

[Loganinkosovo]

It's supposed to be a "White" light, not a "Red" one......

Good thing he didn't "Go into the "Light"!

[Shincarra]

Kurhah, on 26 September 2010 - 03:14 PM, said:

Wise words indeed Shincarra and I thank you for them. Sometimes people don't understand this until the person they love is gone by which time it's too late. If you love somebody, tell them as often as you can.

Thank You     Shincarra