# Your Thoughts On Re-Incarnation...What Are They?



## Dee64 (May 24, 2016)

Do you believe in re-incarnation? 

I've always felt that i have lived before, in another life. A few things lead me to believe this. First, i have always, as long as i can remember, had a flash of myself, with 2 other women, i think we were all sisters. Anyway, i see us walking along somewhere, perhaps a busy street downtown, or something, and in New York. This is all i have of this, but as well, i would have these weird dreams when younger, of being in a huge body of black water, (obviously night-time) and calling out for help. Sometime about 10 years ago, i started searching information about the Titanic and it's fate. I had always been fascinated by it, for some strange reason. As soon as i discovered about it, the dreams stopped. Odd! And, i've always been afraid to swim, never learned. As well, i think that whatever your fear in this life, has something to do with a past life. In this life, strangely enough, i felt as though my mother and my aunt were connected to me in my past life somehow....maybe we were sisters? Well short of sounding off the wall, so to speak, this is just my opinion. But, i also feel that the folks you come in contact with and meet, were somehow connected to you in a past life. I've also felt very much drawn to the "Victorian era" life. Always loved old-fashioned furniture and feel as though i may have lived in that time as well. Makes one wonder if we are re-incarnated more than once? Do we keep coming back and does this repeat itself? It's strange that we have no memory of our past lives, if that was so. But, on the other hand, why do we sometimes have just a flash of our last life, not enough to identify with it, but just to wonder...What are some of your thoughts on re-incarnation?


----------



## Guitarist (May 24, 2016)

I don't believe in it.


----------



## Ameriscot (May 24, 2016)

I believe reincarnation is a possibility.  It isn't any less believable than heaven and hell.


----------



## Shalimar (May 24, 2016)

I believe in the possibility/probability of reincarnation also. I have been drawn to South Asian things from childhood, and I have a memory fragment of being a young brown girl/woman, walking down a beach with the sea on my left hand side. Somehow, I 

know I am in Egypt. I think that sometimes memories from past lives leak into this one. There is an American psychlogist who
is researching children, worldwide, who report memories, sometimes intricate and detailed accounts  of earlier incarnations. I 

recall seeing a documentary about a young Scottish boy who remembered living on the island of Barra . He could describe the landscape, although he had never been there. Apparently, there are thousands of stories such as this. Most children forget 

these memories by the age of seven, but there is a ten year old American boy with phenomenal memories of his deceased grandfather's life---they have been checked out. He consistently states that he IS his grandfather. Interesting.


----------



## Underock1 (May 24, 2016)

The brain plays tricks on all of us every day. We humans love to make stories. Think about how reincarnation might work. First of all, despite all of the NDE stories, there is no hard physical evidence for any kind of life after death. All we are is the brain. A physical organ requiring a physical body to support it. When its gone, we're gone. Forever! Although there is no evidence for it, lets assume that somehow a "spirit" escapes the body at death. So its floating around out there with uncountable millions and billions of others watching women's wombs for the arrival of a sperm to create a new life for it to inhabit. "Hi there Cleopatra! Still looking?" There are probably hundreds of people who believe _they _were once Cleopatra. With the countless repetition of the Titanic story, there must be many more thousands of people walking around thinking they were on it than there were ever actually on board the original.
There are certainly a lot of believers out there. They are in good company. George Patton thought he was reincarnated several times as a various famous military leaders.
 For myself? Absolutely not a believer. This is a very uncertain world. I've had a good life. Not interested in pushing my luck by coming back to try it again as someone else.


----------



## Underock1 (May 24, 2016)

Ameriscot said:


> I believe reincarnation is a possibility.  It isn't any less believable than heaven and hell.



I agree. That's why I don't believe in Heaven or Hell either.


----------



## Shalimar (May 24, 2016)

To play Devil's advocate, what is interesting about most peeps memories of past lives---over eighty percent of them recall living mundane, everyday existences. Not famous world figures/rich/noble etc.  Often poor peasants, who lived rather brief grisly lives. Nothing romantic here. Lol.


----------



## Gail.S (May 24, 2016)

Ameriscot said:


> I believe reincarnation is a possibility.  It isn't any less believable than heaven and hell.



:dito:


----------



## Warrigal (May 24, 2016)

I agree with this sentiment. While it is not necessarily about our lives, I think is worthwhile to live as if there is no reincarnation in order to make the best use of the life that we are living now.



> I shall pass this way but once;
> any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being;
> let me do it now.
> Let me not defer nor neglect it,
> ...


----------



## Cookie (May 24, 2016)

So far I've had absolutely no personal experience that there is such a thing, so to me its all just theories and speculation or maybe wishful thinking.

My guess is that its something that is widely believed in in poor countries, hoping for a better life next time, or maybe to explain why they are suffering in this one (bad deeds/karma from a previous lifetime).  Like divine retribution.  So people that died in wars and holocausts had bad karma because they did bad things in past lives?  I don't buy it.


----------



## Lon (May 24, 2016)

I like the idea but don't believe in it.


----------



## fureverywhere (May 24, 2016)

I like to fancy the possibility that spirits are sent back to earth for spiritual lessons. Like a brawny braggart who comes back as a feral dog, a self absorbed woman comes back as a Persian, a hunter comes back as a deer, the truly evil come back as vermin.


----------



## Jackie22 (May 24, 2016)

....don't believe in it.


----------



## jujube (May 24, 2016)

I believe there are "old souls"....my father was one....people who are close to having finally "done it right".   

I'm pretty sure I have one heck a lot more go-arounds before I finally get to stagger off the celestial merry-go-round.  If I can just get to that beautiful white horse with the red saddle and golden mane before I throw up.......


----------



## Ruthanne (May 24, 2016)

I really am not sure.  Just like I'm not sure there is a God.  I think that anything is possible, though.


----------



## Underock1 (May 24, 2016)

Warrigal said:


> I agree with this sentiment. While it is not necessarily about our lives, I think is worthwhile to live as if there is no reincarnation in order to make the best use of the life that we are living now.



I agree whole heartedly with the quote you posted.
It can be stated so simply. What a wonderful world if we all did it. Somehow it seems to be beyond our grasp. Thankfully, there are those in the world who never stop reaching for it.


----------



## Underock1 (May 24, 2016)

fureverywhere said:


> I like to fancy the possibility that spirits are sent back to earth for spiritual lessons. Like a brawny braggart who comes back as a feral dog, a self absorbed woman comes back as a Persian, a hunter comes back as a deer, the truly evil come back as vermin.


I don't believe it, but I love your thinking. :yeah:


----------



## RadishRose (May 24, 2016)

I don't think so.


----------



## Butterfly (May 24, 2016)

I don't believe in reincarnation -- anyway, I'm not sure I'd want to come back.


----------



## Bettyann (May 24, 2016)

I can't imagine much of anything to much more AWFUL than living 'just one life'....what a narrow limited experience that would be... and then the old scary religious fables of a Heaven and or a Hell.... then 'if you are good' you get to go to heaven, wear a white robe and strut around on golden streets singing eternal praises to this narrow idea of a 'god' who demands constant praise. Oh my.... how you can control people if you keep them in enough fear.... and teach them to think 'realistically'...


----------



## mena (May 24, 2016)

So much in life hinges on that one word ... "Believe"  What a tricky word. 

We believe what our brains chose to believe. 

Then throw into the cauldron reasonable doubt and possible doubt.

Along with "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence."

Reincarnation? Get your coins out.


----------



## Guitarist (May 24, 2016)

Actually there is "hard physical evidence" of life after death -- Jesus came back from the dead and appeared to His disciples and spoke and ate with them. They wrote about it and I trust their eyewitness accounts.


----------



## Underock1 (May 24, 2016)

Guitarist said:


> Actually there is "hard physical evidence" of life after death -- Jesus came back from the dead and appeared to His disciples and spoke and ate with them. They wrote about it and I trust their eyewitness accounts.



Not meaning to be disrespectful of your beliefs in any way, but I believe that qualifies as hearsay, not physical evidence,


----------



## Underock1 (May 24, 2016)

mena said:


> So much in life hinges on that one word ... "Believe"  What a tricky word.
> 
> We believe what our brains chose to believe.
> 
> ...



I agree, but I will keep my coins in my pocket until someone comes up with a plausible mechanism as to how it might work. When do all of these floating entities enter another body? Is the embryo a blank slate having none of the characteristics of its parents? Are there just so many spirits that just keep recycling forever? With the constantly shifting numbers of the population, there would have to be spirits without available bodies to inhabit, or bodies without spirits to occupy them. Just a few thoughts.


----------



## Warrigal (May 24, 2016)

Bettyann said:


> I can't imagine much of anything to much more AWFUL than living 'just one life'....what a narrow limited experience that would be... and then the old scary religious fables of a Heaven and or a Hell.... then 'if you are good' you get to go to heaven, wear a white robe and strut around on golden streets singing eternal praises to this narrow idea of a 'god' who demands constant praise. Oh my.... how you can control people if you keep them in enough fear.... and teach them to think 'realistically'...


Egad, Bettyann. Where did you receive your religious instruction?

Anyway, what's wrong with just one life? Life is a great gift whether it is long or short and IMO it is much better than existing as a rock.


----------



## Capt Lightning (May 25, 2016)

I believe that when you're dead, you're dead.  End of story....  BUT....  I am more curious about the concept of 'self awareness' and also of the possibility of 'inherited memory'.


----------



## chic (May 25, 2016)

I tend to believe humans created this past lives and reincarnation theory because life is unfair and it's just too much for us to believe that some people endure joyless lives for no good reason. Therefore, the belief in heaven and/or reincarnation offers some kind of hope to the most hopeless. Of course I don't know everything.


----------



## Warrigal (May 25, 2016)

Inherited memory is something that interests me too. I understand that mitochondrial DNA, unlike nuclear DNA, can be altered during the lifetime of the organism. These changes are passed on by our mothers. 

I have always been surprised about the way I am stirred by the sound of the bag pipes. As a third generation Australian there is no reason why I should be affected by the music of the Scots. I am totally unmoved by indigenous music, including the digeridoo. Perhaps I have an inherited memory from my ancestors that is expressed by an affinity for Celtic music. It could be hard wired in my cells. Who knows?


----------



## IKE (May 25, 2016)

Non believer.


----------



## Ralphy1 (May 25, 2016)

Absolutely, you can call me Aristotle if you like...


----------



## Underock1 (May 25, 2016)

Warrigal said:


> Inherited memory is something that interests me too. I understand that mitochondrial DNA, unlike nuclear DNA, can be altered during the lifetime of the organism. These changes are passed on by our mothers.
> 
> I have always been surprised about the way I am stirred by the sound of the bag pipes. As a third generation Australian there is no reason why I should be affected by the music of the Scots. I am totally unmoved by indigenous music, including the digeridoo. Perhaps I have an inherited memory from my ancestors that is expressed by an affinity for Celtic music. It could be hard wired in my cells. Who knows?



Another thing we have in common. I have always loved the bag pipes too. One of our very first dates was going to see the Scots Guards in Madison Square Garden in NY. Still one of the most thrilling days of my life. One of my wife's first gifts was a record album "Scotland the Brave". It kind of became "Our song" Lol! I was helped along though. As a kid I saw a lot of movies about the Brits and Scots. "Gunga Din", "The Charge of the Light Brigade", the 1939 version of "Four Feathers". Still my favorite movies despite the now politically incorrect themes.


----------



## Shalimar (May 25, 2016)

I love the bagpipes too. Make my blood burn.


----------



## Gail.S (May 25, 2016)

Bettyann said:


> I can't imagine much of anything to much more AWFUL than living 'just one life'....what a narrow limited experience that would be... and then the old scary religious fables of a Heaven and or a Hell.... then 'if you are good' you get to go to heaven, wear a white robe and strut around on golden streets singing eternal praises to this narrow idea of a 'god' who demands constant praise. Oh my.... how you can control people if you keep them in enough fear.... and teach them to think 'realistically'...



:iagree:


----------



## Debby (May 25, 2016)

Guitarist said:


> Actually there is "hard physical evidence" of life after death -- Jesus came back from the dead and appeared to His disciples and spoke and ate with them. They wrote about it and I trust their eyewitness accounts.




Then do you trust the accounts of sane, normal, educated people who have had near death experiences and who come back from that and are profoundly changed in their philosophy, attitude, ways of living, etc?  A 1992 Gallup poll suggests that 13,000,000 Americans have experienced a NDE which at the time was about 5% of the population.  A German poll done around then says 4% for their population.  So would you believe them?


----------



## Cookie (May 25, 2016)

I think the study of paranormal occurrences including NDE is an area that bears much much more study, and so far there's no proof either way.  The brain is very very complex and there is so much we don't know about what is happening when someone is dying or when they come back after being revived.  I've heard the same kinds of things from people who are 'believers' and I'm sure its way more complicated than the idea of reincarnation and people turning over a new leaf after being in a coma because they got to see 'the other side'.  

Not long ago we knew nothing about flying, electricity, radio waves, telephones, television, computers, space travel ... all these things have come about in the past few centuries and at first it all seemed like magic.  That's how people view these NDE things now, like some kind of magical spiritual angels and sweet music and light at the end of the tunnel and stairway to heaven kinds of things.  In the future, I'm sure there will be more answers as to what is happening at the time of death and return from comas and will be treated more scientifically.


----------



## SifuPhil (May 25, 2016)

I'm not smart enough to know the answer - I'll keep all options open at this point, and maybe I'll find out when I die.

Or maybe I won't.


----------



## Underock1 (May 25, 2016)

SifuPhil said:


> I'm not smart enough to know the answer - I'll keep all options open at this point, and maybe I'll find out when I die.
> 
> Or maybe I won't.



Hey, Phil! Our paths haven't crossed in some time. Yeah. Maybe. Maybe not. To each his own. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm looking forward confidently to a very long nap. I find that idea much more comforting than spending eternity in Heaven, Hell or any place else for that matter or alternatively, coming back here in some unkown circumstances to do it all over and over again.
As human beings go, I've had quite a happy life. I'll just take my winnings and its off to bed. fftobed:


----------



## Debby (May 25, 2016)

Cookie said:


> I think the study of paranormal occurrences including NDE is an area that bears much much more study, and so far there's no proof either way.  The brain is very very complex and there is so much we don't know about what is happening when someone is dying or when they come back after being revived.  I've heard the same kinds of things from people who are 'believers' and I'm sure its way more complicated than the idea of reincarnation and people turning over a new leaf after being in a coma because they got to see 'the other side'.
> 
> Not long ago we knew nothing about flying, electricity, radio waves, telephones, television, computers, space travel ... all these things have come about in the past few centuries and at first it all seemed like magic.  That's how people view these NDE things now, like some kind of magical spiritual angels and sweet music and light at the end of the tunnel and stairway to heaven kinds of things.  In the future, I'm sure there will be more answers as to what is happening at the time of death and return from comas and will be treated more scientifically.




I read a book which was written to discuss and rebut the standard 'justifications' that doctors give when questioned.  I found it difficult to read because I'm not a medical person obviously, but it covered things like epilepsy, oxygen deprivation, brain shut down, random neutron firing and all kinds of other things....like what neuroscientists think, where consciousness exists, the function of the brain, etc., as well as observed effects on the brain during the episode. All terribly interesting even if a slow read for me. 

A few years ago, a book came out by a neurosurgeon named Dr. Eben Alexander who came down with a near fatal case of meningitis.  He talks of his experience when his brain had shut down entirely for a period of about 8 days while his body I believe, was basically on life support.  Apparently the infection had basically overpowered his brain.  But when he finally came out of the coma, he came back with tales of the most amazing and wonderful experience.  The thing to remember is that while he was 'having this most amazing experience', his brain was basically not functioning because of the raging infection.  

The clincher was in the story of his finally meeting his birth mother a year or two later.  The illness had opened him to wanting to meet her at that point and when he was sitting in the living room of her home, there was a photograph of a young woman whom he recognized from her having met him on the other side.  In their first meeting, she was a stranger to him, but she was kind and caring and helped him understand what he was seeing all around him.  The photograph in his birth mothers living room, was a photo of her daughter who had died when she was in her early 20's.  Dr. Alexander not only didn't know that he had a younger sister, he hadn't even known at the time of his experience, who his birth mother was.  (Pretty sure that is how he tells the story - in a nutshell)  

Before the illness, he was entirely a man of science, I don't think he was even a religious man of any sort and absolutely didn't believe that there is anything after this life.  He doesn't believe the same way anymore.  So I think when you ask for more study, I think having a man of science go through the experience himself is the foot in the door to credibility among the medical community.  And there are studies that have been done although of course, there will likely never be physical evidence that is every 'brought back'.  But at that point one would look at brain/body physiology, what science believes about consciousness and then all the verifiable 'evidences' like blind people seeing what is going on around them while their dead bodies are being worked on, who they see in the room, the psychological changes they experience, sometimes the dramatic hearings from terminal illness.  It's an utterly fascinating subject.

This is a video of one of Dr. Alexander's talks in case anyone is curious.


----------



## Shalimar (May 25, 2016)

Fascinating. Also, the thing about science is that it can only disprove.


----------



## Cookie (May 25, 2016)

http://www.skeptic.com/insight/proof-of-heaven/

Interesting, I read the Wiki info about this man and also an article in Skeptic, which is well worth reading.  

His life definitely did improve after the experience, he had been in a lot of trouble as a neurosurgeon and falsifying records etc., yet after he published his book he made a fortune.  Whose to say?  How can anyone know what was really going on with him.  People want to take him at his word, yet is his word reliable considering his professional history?


----------



## SifuPhil (May 25, 2016)

Underock1 said:


> Hey, Phil! Our paths haven't crossed in some time. Yeah. Maybe. Maybe not. To each his own. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm looking forward confidently to a very long nap. I find that idea much more comforting than spending eternity in Heaven, Hell or any place else for that matter or alternatively, coming back here in some unkown circumstances to do it all over and over again.
> As human beings go, I've had quite a happy life. I'll just take my winnings and its off to bed. fftobed:



Hi, Rock! 

Interesting that you twice refer to death as sleep - one of the oldest visualizations of death there is.

Of course, with sleep you wake up and regain consciousness ...


----------



## Underock1 (May 25, 2016)

SifuPhil said:


> Hi, Rock!
> 
> Interesting that you twice refer to death as sleep - one of the oldest visualizations of death there is.
> 
> Of course, with sleep you wake up and regain consciousness ...



The oldest visualization because its the obvious one. Its the conclusion that is unacceptable  so elaborate religious and philosophical arguments are erected against it in self defense. 

The fact that you don't wake up from death is not my problem. Its waking up from sleep! 

No. I'm not suicidal or depressed. Just looking for an easy way out when the time comes. :cheers1:


----------



## SifuPhil (May 25, 2016)

Obvious? I don't equate death with sleep. 

An easy way out for you and I, perhaps - it's our loved ones that do the suffering, no matter how easy our passing may be.

The living are always left with the crappy details.


----------



## Underock1 (May 25, 2016)

SifuPhil said:


> Obvious? I don't equate death with sleep.
> 
> An easy way out for you and I, perhaps - it's our loved ones that do the suffering, no matter how easy our passing may be.
> 
> The living are always left with the crappy details.



Obvious to me. Conscious/ Unconscious. You just don't come back from one.

I certainly know the "crappy details" from my own experience. Its something that all of us will face sooner or later. I have very few loved ones left. They all love me, but the inescapable fact is that my passing would simplify their lives and free up assets that would be enormously more useful to them at their stages in life than just sitting in my accounts "just in case".

Please don't think that I am sitting here morbidly depressed. I laugh at "The Simpsons" every night. The explosion of scientific knowledge keeps me interested. When I'm feeling low, I sit in my virtual Japanese garden via You Tube and meditate. I am just sharing some thoughts that, bearing in mind flawed perceptions, seem obvious and simple to me.


----------



## Underock1 (May 25, 2016)

Phil. I see you have a blog. Just went over there and already had a few chuckles. Glad to see you having fun with it, and you obviously are. I will be a visitor from time to time. Have fun!


----------



## Bettyann (May 25, 2016)

Well, Warrigal, it took me YEARS to overcome the damaging affects I received from 'religion' from various religions in my fear-motivated searching for 'the right one' to 'please god.'
.... I don't mean to insult anyone that is sold on religion (I have the greatest respect for Buddhism, which isn't actually a 'religion' but a philosophy...its just not my OWN thing....  If organized religion works well for some that's great. You and I may have a 'good gifted life' in the present moment... but many, many do not...in THIS one life!


----------



## Warrigal (May 25, 2016)

I understand Bettyann. I became an atheist around 18 years of age and remained one until the age of 33. When I returned to Christianity there was no way that I was going to have any truck with fundamentalism. Heaven and hell don't even rate a mention at my church. Fear doesn't motivate us at all. Love is the key, whether one attends church or not. Love heals and love sustains.


----------



## Bettyann (May 25, 2016)

We sure can shake hands or high five on that one, Warrigal!! :love_heart:


----------



## Underock1 (May 25, 2016)

I'm on board with that too. Be a good person because you are one works for me.


----------



## SifuPhil (May 26, 2016)

Underock1 said:


> Phil. I see you have a blog. Just went over there and already had a few chuckles. Glad to see you having fun with it, and you obviously are. I will be a visitor from time to time. Have fun!



Thank you for visiting, Rock.

Sometimes humor is my only defense, ya know?


----------



## Underock1 (May 26, 2016)

SifuPhil said:


> Thank you for visiting, Rock.
> 
> Sometimes humor is my only defense, ya know?



I know that story. Happy to be a recipient of the fall out. :laugh:


----------



## Debby (May 26, 2016)

Cookie said:


> http://www.skeptic.com/insight/proof-of-heaven/
> 
> Interesting, I read the Wiki info about this man and also an article in Skeptic, which is well worth reading.
> 
> His life definitely did improve after the experience, he had been in a lot of trouble as a neurosurgeon and falsifying records etc., yet after he published his book he made a fortune.  Whose to say?  How can anyone know what was really going on with him.  People want to take him at his word, yet is his word reliable considering his professional history?




Thanks for sharing that article Cookie.  It does throw a lot of shade on his story doesn't it?  I'd have to take his story under advisement in that case, but the one thing I could say (not in his defence) is that his is not the only incidence of NDE's reported over the years in other countries.  Heck, even the Bible has a couple of what appear to be cases of NDE's.  So while I'm going to quit putting this doctors name forward as an example, there are instances where people have reported similar events (and where they didn't go on to write books or start foundations).  Again thanks for the heads up.


----------



## Cookie (May 26, 2016)

Your welcome, Debbie.  Not trying to discredit the idea nor the doctor, and I agree I've also heard of many NDE cases.  My elderly (93 yr old) friend out in BC is passionate about this subject and talks about it constantly as well as all things 'spiritual' and occult.  I think many elderly people are looking for answers and are very quick to accept the stories and books about these kinds of experiences. Because I was once involved in a spiritual group to my misfortune (I really mean cult, but I'm getting tired of that word) I've become skeptical and try to learn about the techniques and methods of leaders of these groups to gain a following.  Interestingly these leaders and writers on the subject seem to become very very wealthy in the process. That's always a red flag for me. Of course there are many authentic people who have these experiences that do warrant our attention and study.


----------



## Bonzo (May 26, 2016)

All pony 
don't believe in any of it


----------



## Guitarist (May 26, 2016)

Warrigal said:


> Inherited memory is something that interests me too. I understand that mitochondrial DNA, unlike nuclear DNA, can be altered during the lifetime of the organism. These changes are passed on by our mothers.
> 
> I have always been surprised about the way I am stirred by the sound of the bag pipes. As a third generation Australian there is no reason why I should be affected by the music of the Scots. I am totally unmoved by indigenous music, including the digeridoo. Perhaps I have an inherited memory from my ancestors that is expressed by an affinity for Celtic music. It could be hard wired in my cells. Who knows?



I feel the same way about the bagpipes.  I have thought it is because of Scottish ancestors but so far haven't been able to trace the British branch of my family.  I also thought the bagpipes were designed not only to stir the souls/spirits of the Scots but also of their enemies (in a negative way!).  I love many kinds of music but the bagpipes ... well, not even a good pipe organ has the same effect on me.


----------



## Debby (May 26, 2016)

Bonzo said:


> All pony
> don't believe in any of it




I thought everyone liked ponies


----------



## Guitarist (May 26, 2016)

Bettyann said:


> Well, Warrigal, it took me YEARS to overcome the damaging affects I received from 'religion' from various religions in my fear-motivated searching for 'the right one' to 'please god.'
> .... I don't mean to insult anyone that is sold on religion (I have the greatest respect for Buddhism, which isn't actually a 'religion' but a philosophy...its just not my OWN thing....  If organized religion works well for some that's great. You and I may have a 'good gifted life' in the present moment... but many, many do not...in THIS one life!



Christianity isn't a religion. It's a relationship.


----------



## Underock1 (May 26, 2016)

Debby said:


> I thought everyone liked ponies



That's mean, Debbie...but also funny.:laugh:  I agree with Bonzo's conclusion, but I wouldn't go so far as saying its all "phony". There are charlatans embedded in every aspect of human life. I certainly believe that 99% of the people who have NDE's are relating what they honestly experienced. 
Being a total non-believer in _anything_ supernatural or spiritual, I just think there is a more mundane explanation. There is certainly enough there to bear investigation.


----------



## Butterfly (May 27, 2016)

Well, I believe that most of the people who claim they have had NDEs have certainly experienced SOMETHING quite profound.  I read somewhere that some docs explain it as basically a neurochemical thing as the body begins shutting down in the early phases of death -- the body firing off random neurons, etc., which could trigger a sort of hallucination.  OR, it could be an actual short foray into the "other side."  I don't believe this is a question that can be answered at this time.

However, I do believe SOMETHING has happened to these people, as many of them report very similar experiences, and many of them certainly did come back from death (on operating tables, after heart attacks or trauma, when doctors brought them back from that edge, and/or after a period when their brains were giving no clinical evidence of life).

Before my mother died, her oncologist explained to me that death of the body isn't an instant thing, as different bodily systems shut down at a slightly different pace, so maybe this is something that happens during that short interval. 

Very interesting.


----------



## Debby (May 27, 2016)

Guitarist said:


> Christianity isn't a religion. It's a relationship.




The way some practise it, it's a religion.  It all depends on the practitioner.


----------



## Warrigal (May 27, 2016)

Christianity is a religion. Just as a species has defining species, so do religions.

Here is one attempt to list them



> In his book *Religions of the World*, Niels Nielsen presents 12 common characteristics found in most religions.
> 
> 
> Most religions include belief in the supernatural (spirits, gods, God) or belief in some other Ultimate Reality beyond, yet connected to, human experience and existence.
> ...


----------



## Underock1 (May 27, 2016)

Butterfly said:


> Well, I believe that most of the people who claim they have had NDEs have certainly experienced SOMETHING quite profound.  I read somewhere that some docs explain it as basically a neurochemical thing as the body begins shutting down in the early phases of death -- the body firing off random neurons, etc., which could trigger a sort of hallucination.  OR, it could be an actual short foray into the "other side."  I don't believe this is a question that can be answered at this time.
> 
> However, I do believe SOMETHING has happened to these people, as many of them report very similar experiences, and many of them certainly did come back from death (on operating tables, after heart attacks or trauma, when doctors brought them back from that edge, and/or after a period when their brains were giving no clinical evidence of life).
> 
> ...



I think you have it down exactly right, Butterfly.


----------



## Underock1 (May 27, 2016)

Warrigal said:


> Christianity is a religion. Just as a species has defining species, so do religions.
> 
> Here is one attempt to list them



"All you need is love. All together now!
 All you need is love. Everybody!
 All you need is love love
 Love is all you need."
 :heart: 
Just having some fun here, Warri, but making a statement as well.


----------



## Warrigal (May 27, 2016)

Well, to some the Fab Four still constitute a religious experience.
Usually brought on by smoking a herbal cigarette. :grin:


----------



## Shalimar (May 27, 2016)

Don't bogart that joint, my friend......


----------



## Underock1 (May 27, 2016)

Warrigal said:


> Well, to some the Fab Four still constitute a religious experience.
> Usually brought on by smoking a herbal cigarette. :grin:



Truth is I never gave them much thought either way. They were _way _after my time. Now lets talk Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. _That's _a religious experience!


----------



## Warrigal (May 27, 2016)

Shalimar said:


> Don't bogart that joint, my friend......



Had to google bogart. I thought is was a Harry Potter reference. :grin:


----------



## Shalimar (May 27, 2016)

Warri, lolololol.


----------



## Warrigal (May 27, 2016)

I'm still very innocent, Shali, but I can google references to the Dark Side.
 May the Force protect me. :hide:


----------



## Linda (May 27, 2016)

I don't know but I kind of hope so, unless there is even something better out there than reincarnation.


----------



## Shalimar (May 27, 2016)

Warri, if the force won't protect you, I will. Lol.


----------



## Underock1 (May 29, 2016)

Shalimar said:


> Warri, if the force won't protect you, I will. Lol.



Whose that behind the couch? Why I believe its....:yoda:* darth *If there's anyone who doesn't need protecting...


----------



## Shalimar (May 29, 2016)

Ruunnnnn, runnnn awaaaaay! Lol.


----------

