Posted on 06/10/2006 9:45:53 PM PDT by churchillbuff
Despite lifelong beliefs that have been ingrained in my faith since childhood, I have to admit that like almost everyone else I have from time to time wondered if my existence will simply come to an end on the day I draw my last breath.
There is, after all, no way to prove one way or the other that human life continues in another realm after the body ceases to function. Nobody has come back to testify about it, with one notable exception of course, and those who reject his divinity also tend to doubt what he had to say about life after death. And the late Madalyn Murray O’Hair, the infamous atheist, hasn’t weighed in on the subject lately either.
Some would insist such doubts are implanted by the devil himself. Others counter there is no scientific basis for belief in a hereafter in the first place.
But just about every time I entertain such doubts, something comes along to reinforce my long-held belief in the hereafter. It’s often the experience of a dying saint getting their first glimpse, as an old gospel song puts it, of what’s over on the other side.
I’m told the Rev. Dr. Hollis Pistole appeared to have one such experience at his passing a little over a month ago. According to the story, Dr. Pistole, after a long battle with debilitating illness, raised up and put his arms out just before he drew his last breath. Apparently he received that glimpse of what awaited him.
My wife’s father had a similar experience, opening his eyes and reaching heavenward just before his passing.
I also recently went over my mom’s notes made at the time of my dad’s death more than half a century ago. “Under me? Under me? Thank you, Jesus,” he said.
A whole category of what have been termed near-death experiences have been catalogued by those looking for insight into what happens at the end of life. A common phenomenon is a light-at-the-end-of-a-tunnel vision. Many claim to have seen friends or relatives but were unable to reunite with them when they were suddenly jerked back into life.
My Uncle Melvin had such an experience, claiming to have seen his brother and another loved one at the time he was suffering a severe heart attack from which he recovered.
It is impossible to figure out the working of the subconscious, thus rendering any attempt at concrete conclusions problematic. Are any or all of these phenomena merely the gyrations of an active brain or might they be an indication of a link between this world and one to come?
Belief in life after death has been part of human experience as long as mankind has pondered its existence. It has been reinforced by the most sacred writings of most of the world’s major religions, including Christianity, which bases its entire concept on the idea of God personally demonstrating life after physical death through the manifestation we call Jesus.
In this life, of course, our existence is tied to our physical body. But to define human life according to our physical limitations is an obvious understatement of our role in the universe. Human interaction is limited by our physical senses. But the true self that has developed over the course of our lifetimes would seem to go far beyond the senses.
And certainly there can be no doubt that the rationality of human beings and their capability to build on their life experiences place them in a category entirely separate from other living creatures.
Is there life after death? The question defies physical proof, to be sure. But there would seem to be glimpses enough into the future to show that our existence has only just begun.
And anyway, by preparing for eternity, I think I’m building a pretty good life here as well.
Jim Bailey’s column appears on Sunday. He can be reached by e-mail at jameshenrybailey@earthlink.net.
Well, nobody - except One particular Person.
"I walked down a long corridor, and into a room...and they had me take a number..."
If anyone were allowed to come back, would they be believed?
My much loved, Christian Grandmother, who had been a widow for decades, reached out (actually up toward the ceiling of her hospital room) and had a beaming smile on her face as she passed over. The realm of Angels is only an arms length away anyway don'tchaknow.
I need to get more monks praying for me.
The Transfiguration is all anyone needs to know that there is life after death. Moses and Elijah talking. What else does one need besides Jesus's promise? If a person denies this, than hearing about someone's experience from the otherside certainly isn't going to bring someone to faith.
not sure they would be believed, seeing as is someone doesn't believe Jesus came back, why would they believe a person came back...
"They have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them." If they can't listen to Moses and the Prophets, they won't listen even if a man came back from the dead.
Some people have had experiences that they know better than to talk about with others who have not.
Yes, there is more.
We have TWO bodies : physical and spiritual, like the particle/wave duality of matter. When the silver cord is snapped, the golden bowl broken, they go their separate ways; the "particle" to the junk car yard called the cemetary, the "wave" either up or down. From statistical studies of the NDE about 2/3rds go up to heaven(thru the tunnel, like the birth process itself), 1/3 go down to hell. It may have to do with the UP Quark(+2/3 charge)and DOWN Quark(-1/3 charge); but, hey, that's just a guess...Jesus will explain it all when he gets back as our ambassador to intelligent species thruout the universe.
(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")
There is, after all, no way to prove one way or the other that human life continues in another realm after the body ceases to function.
Creation is enough proof for me, every creation MUST have a creator!
BWAHAHAHAHA! I love that film! Nice to know that someone else remembers it!
That's what the Bible says. Remember the guy who wanted to go back and warn his kin? People would probably come up with all kinds of rationales to explain that someone hadn't really died.
I've read a number of books on NDE's - Near Death Experiences. Very interesting to read, especially the stories told by young children!
I have a DSL:')
- CS Lewis
I have a first cousin who had not one but two NDEs. He was an agnostic ass before the first one. Became a Christian following the first. Had a second one during which he claims several truths were evident: all animal and plant living things continue to recycle through the earth, over and over into the world, but humans only arrive once because we have a spirit that the rest don't have. OH, and Angels have bodies but unless they want you to know it, you cannot touch or sense them yet they can see you any time they choose. His 'intuition' now is astonishing also.
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