The danger in near death experiences

[pacunurse30]

Over on another SDA forum that I belong to, a young lady said that her mom had a near death experience. She now believes that the SDA position on the state of the dead is wrong. I went to a website that chronicles near death experiences and one of the disturbing trends that I noticed was the fact that regardless of belief and/or lifestyle, most ended up in the same place. Basically they all ended up in heaven in some form or another (although it wasn't always called this). Some went through a purification process in hell or purgatory, then went on to heaven. Others went straight to heaven. Another interesting thing to note was that these "heavens" were almost always tailored to the individual's pre-existing beliefs (eg a Hindu man met some of the gods of Hinduism).

Now here's the problem with this. These experiences, if believed to be legitimate, will serve to support the idea of universalism. In other words, everyone will be saved no matter what! This false sense of security will no doubt lead thousands, if not millions astray. It subverts the role of Christ in salvation. It supports the idea that all roads lead to God. Even Christian people are having these experiences and coming back with "revelations from heaven." I used to think that we would be immune to this kind of deception as SDAs, however the example I just gave you of a fellow SDA proves that I was wrong. One of the points that I brought up in that forum was we cannot rely on our senses for truth. The senses are the means by which the false Christ will deceive many with signs and lying wonders. Just because we see, hear, taste, smell, or touch something, doesn't mean that it's true. If it contradicts the word of God, then it's false! It's very important that we learn to fully trust the word of God, or we will be swept away by deception like everyone else.

[John317]

Good points. Eve went with her senses as opposed to trusting God's Word. As we get closer to the time when Christ returns, the battle between good and evil is going to intensify to the point where we will definitely be found on Satan's side if we follow our senses. We have to trust the Word of God even when our reasoning and our senses tell us the Bible is wrong.

Regards,

"John 3: 17"

[carolaa]

Actually, I see this issue becoming less of a worry as medical science is coming out with more evidence that these experiences are a normal part of brain functioning under certain circumstances. I wish I could remember where I read this just recently, but there was a study where the doctors discovered they could induce these experiences by stimulating certain parts of the brain. Maybe someone here has a reference for that study. It was really interesting.

[Woody]

Yes Carolaa. That is correct and actually has been known for some time. It has been going on for years but more may be known about it now. I am just not up on the latest. But I do remember studying about it at Loma Linda.

[pacunurse30]

I heard about that study. I can't remember which news program I saw it on (Dateline, Primetime, etc.). The thing is, some people will believe whatever their eyes are telling them regardless of the scientific evidence. I know that this is probably a brain dysfunction, but I don't doubt the enemy's role in seeking to minimize the necessity of Christ for salvation. That's my only issue with the whole phenomenon.

[David Koot]

Yes, one study was conducted by Swiss researchers around four or five years ago. They discovered that certain portions of the brain can be stimulated by electronic charges to cause 'out-of-body' experiences. Other studies have concluded that the brain hallucinates under extreme conditions--also including severe exhaustion. I believe the reason why the NDE's are tailored to a person's belief system is exactly that--hallucination. I do have a cite for that study, although it is a newspaper cite rather than the actual study.

Dave

[David Koot]

Ahhh, I did a quick check. That study, published by Blancke, et al., may be found in the journal 'Nature' in 2002. I'm not at the library, but I expect you could locate it online or hard copy at a decent library.

Dave

[aldona]

Yes, one study was conducted by Swiss researchers around four or five years ago. They discovered that certain portions of the brain can be stimulated by electronic charges to cause 'out-of-body' experiences. Other studies have concluded that the brain hallucinates under extreme conditions--also including severe exhaustion. I believe the reason why the NDE's are tailored to a person's belief system is exactly that--hallucination. I do have a cite for that study, although it is a newspaper cite rather than the actual study.

Dave

I am not expressing an opinion either for or against near-death experiences. I believe every case is different, and some are easier to explain than others.

But if we use information such as the above to discredit NDE's, then we should not be surprised or offended if others use similar information to explain away all religious and supernatural experiences, such as dreams, visions and experiences of God by the believer.

One of my husband's relatives, a firm atheist, has just such an explanation whenever someone claims to have experienced God or had a significant religious experience. He laughs it off as just a hallucination produced by a chemical imbalance in the brain.

Or are only the experiences that don't fit our theology classified as hallucinations?

aldona

[Gerr]

I don't remember if I read it or heard it, but if the same drugs and resuscitative procedures that were done on the dying were done to healthy people, they also go through the same out-of-body experience.

Gerry

[pacunurse30]

Interesting perspective. And actually, I do think some religious experiences are born out of extremely emotional or physically altered states. How many people claim that God spoke to them and told them to do or say such and such? Or they claim that an angel appeared to them and gave them certain instructions. Some of these people are clearly mentally ill, especially when the "vision" or dream led them to harm or even kill someone. So no, I don't just pick the ones that fit into my theological point of view. However, if something contradicts what I believe to be sound biblical interpretation, then I will chalk it up to a brain dysfunction (or demonic influence if that fits).

[tmolette]

My husband says he had a near death experience. And I have tried to convince him that it was a deception from Satan. This experience my husband had happened long before we married. For a long time I believed he had a "near death experience". But that was before I came to the relationship I have now with Jesus. I know by my own experiences in the past, that these things are from Satan. As an adult, I used to be very deep in Paganism and the Occult. But, as a kid, I was also raised in and out of the church. It wasn't until I finally decided to make my stand for Jesus a few years ago and got in to some deep Bible study and prayer, that I realized these things were deceptions of Satan. I hope and pray that some day my husband can be convinced of it.

[Nightingale]

I agree with you. We all need to be firmly established on God's Word, instead of on our senses or human reasoning, or else we'll be misled by all kinds of deceptions and lies. The Bible is like a road-map of how to get from earth to the kingdom of God. We'd best stay on the right road no matter what.