Call it what you like Thomas. No great secret that the various religions agree on many things.
If you look at the Tibetian Book of the Dead it also reveals what the NDE's speak of.
Have you read the accounts of the
delogs?
According to the records,
delogs surpass the NDE in that they can be dead for several hours or even several days, then revive spontaneously to tell of their otherworldly journeys. Their accounts are framed in Buddhist otherworldly landscapes and interactions with Buddhist persons, and emphasise the moral and spiritual teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. In that sense
delogs combine contemporary NDE imagery and and ancient shamanism.
A review in the
Journal of Near Death Studies notes:
"... comparing the Clear Light in The Tibetan Book of the Dead (or
Bardo Thodol) and the experience of light in some near-death experiences (NDEs) does not adequately acknowledge either the diversity of NDEs or the possibility that the content of The Tibetan Book of the Dead may be metaphorical."
This criticism applies to every account that assumes a religious connotation to an NDE.
"Similarities ... may reflect similar underlying neural mechanisms and does not provide validation for either description. Any relevance of these descriptions to enlightenment is speculative."
I would also add that the universal aspect of symbolic imagery, such as 'light' and 'dark', should not be overlooked.
The point here is I applaud the efforts of the Journal, and others, in trying to discern what are valid interpretations and what aren't.
NDEs, like Quantum Physics and Neuroscience, attract a huge amount of popular interest which clouds the field with all manner of unfounded assumptions and assertions.
Kenneth Ring, a Professor of psychology, co-founder and past president of the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) and founding editor of the
Journal of Near-Death Studies addressed an open letter to the NDE community pointing out that the "issue of possible religious bias in near-death studies" has attracted a variety of religious and spiritual affiliations, from a number of traditions, which makes ideological claims that has compromised the integrity of research and discussion. ("Religious Wars in the NDE Movement: Some Personal Reflections on Michael Sabom's Light & Death".
Journal of Near-Death Studies, 18.4, Summer 2000)
If you find comfort in the reading of NDE accounts, then that is your personal and subjective take on the issue, but it is neither a proof nor infallible.
The original Earth was different, in their situation of Paradise. (Re: The timeless).
But not
physically timeless, I think. The evidence is there in Scripture: "And God said: Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years" (Genesis 1:14). This was before the creation of the first humans, and they were placed in time and space ... that was their experience.
Remember Paradise is not Heaven.
And in that regard, I read 'timelessness' in the spiritual sense.
The greater reality and truth is not reflected in this predator/prey... temporary,...superficial... consequence, within this illusory, time and space paradigm.
I happen to think you're sadly pessimistic, and wrong.
Because you cannot see the light, as it were, does not mean the light is not there.
As the Ancients said: 'As above, so below'.
It's a question of 'those with the eye to see'.
Blake:
Auguries of Innocence:
"To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour"
I have my own experiences, more real and more meaningful to me than any NDE. But I do not present them as definitive statements of anything.
Modern humanity, since the Fall, is in a much diminished state from what was original.
But that state is always accessible, in an instant. God knows us better than we know ourselves, He is closer to us than our jugular vein.
It's been stated that Adam glowed.
I happen to think so, although possibly not as you see it. But that is speculation/interpretation/supposition from Scripture, nowhere 'stated'
in Scripture, which is the final authority.
Nobody ought to argue Evolution either, because it exists, and yet it doesn't in the greater reality and truth.
No, but then that does not mean God does not utilise the finite and contingent to bring His will into play in the finite and contingent realm.
... why would you state that NDE's, "aren't Christian"?
Some are, some aren't. I don't read them through
a priori Christian suppositions. I try to let them speak for themselves, not say what I want them to say.
With respect how in the greater reality and truth, Thomas, your future is a known.
Agreed, but that doesn't answer the question as to whether you believe we are pre-determined/pre-destined.
