I guess this happens often enough that there are many books written by come-back-to-lifers. One of the most famous is 90 Minutes in Heaven, a New York Times Bestseller. Don Piper, a baptist pastor, talks about being crushed by a semi truck, dying, and experiencing heaven. He saw loved one, gold roads, and of course, the pearly gate.
On the other end of the spectrum you could read 23 Minutes in Hell, and no it's not about my experience sitting through a Drew Barrymore movie. I'm telling you, there are plenty! Ones written by monks, ones written by women, and I'm pretty sure a mormon lady wrote one that my friend had, but I can't find it online anywhere (look for me to post a comment with that info.)
So here's the question: Do you believe this stuff being written? If you are not sure... let me ask you this: Do you think the fact there are so many of these books is a good thing or a bad thing?
Lemme know. Peace out.
Do I believe the stuff being written? I'm not quite sure, honestly. I do believe that people have out of body experiences, but as far as seeing the pearly gates and the roads being paved in gold, I don't believe that. If they had really died, they would see a world much like our own aka/ the Spirit World. So is it a bad thing they're being written? I guess it depends on if the author was telling the truth or not...
ReplyDeleteI think that there is a strong possibility that these stories can be real, however, I also believe that if you are lucky enough to remember such an experience, it is probably something too intimate to share with the rest of the world; especially for profit. I think this is a good example of the theory of commodification where something like such a strong personal experience is then taken into something where their is a new monetary gain. Because of this monetary gain, it is hard to take these experiences as real because they loose their credibility. I think they should only be shared with those close to the person who has the experience and not taken so lightly as they are when they are published in a book for profit.
ReplyDeleteI think that it depends on the book. Some are obviously written in order to make money while others want to share their story. I honestly believe that some are real. I think that it is a bad thing that they are written. In the case that they are false (I think most are) it is inappropriate to fabricate a story about something as sacred as heaven. The true stories should also be guarded as sacred and not used with the intent to make money.
ReplyDeleteLike some of the other people have mentioned, I think the merit of one of these stories would largely depend on the author and their credibility. Originally, my thought was that these people must just be crazy, but the fact that they have been able to publish a book is a testament to some level of business sense or at least their ability to tell a good story.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the second question, I think that anytime we can have a more open discussion about life’s big questions such as what happens after death, people will have the opportunity to learn more and maybe happen upon the true plan of salvation.
You've got me confused on this on Mr. Rothfels. Drew Barrymore has always been one of my favorite actresses, and for you to talk about her that way! But I guess I'll let it slide. As far as these books go, I'm not too sure. After all, our religion is huge on visions and manifestations. But at the same time, anyone who writes a book is after one thing - money. Coming back from the dead is a fascinating topic and obviously a hot buy. I don't think we'll ever know if these accounts are real.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a hard questions to answer. Like the others, I do believe in out of body experirences and because of MY religion, I beleive that al people can have spiritual experiences and that God will speak to them the best way they understand.
ReplyDeleteBased on what I know, We do not die and go to heaven, but to paradise. We understand this as a state of being, but what it looks like, is not quite clear. It's hear on the earth, but it's... better, a terrestial state if you will. Isn't it possible that in God's house are many mansions, and that my paradise may be a big family gathering as we watch the best moments of the football history, while another may enjoy the peace of now a life without pain, or hurry, or worry? I don't think it's that people had these experiences that brings me concern, it's their reason and manner of sharing them.
Well, i love it when people come back from the dead. But, i dont think that an omniscient god would be caught off guard by modern medicine. Could you see God saying "welcome to heaven, steve. Let me show you everything. oh, wait a second. the doctors on earth are much more proficient that i thought. I guess you aren't dying yet. Oops, i just showed you all this stuff. oh well. guess i just got you a book deal. my bad."
ReplyDeleteNo, if anything the person would be placed in a place where they can't see heaven and God would say something like, "well, steven, you are dead for now, but you wont be in the next five minutes (omniscient). So, i would love to have you go and visit all you dead family members and what not, but i have a feeling you are going to try and make bank off my kingdom and the secrets of heaven, which i am not really too keen on. Priestcraft? so, yeah, youre just gonna have to wait here until they bring you back to life."
So, based on the idea of an omniscient god i claim these writers to be liars.
I think most of the people who have these near death experiences and choose to write books about them or go on TV to tell their tale are bogus personally. Don't forget that all of these people who are on their deathbeds have recently gone through some sort extreme trauma and in almost every case are under the influence of heavy medication.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I have a firm belief that at times the barriers that separate heaven and earth can be very thin. When someone is close to death is a time where I especially think this is the case. Although some of the accounts may not be legitimate I don't think that its a bad thing in that it causes people to wonder about what happens to people when they die. I dont agree on basing your whole belief system on these accounts, but for a person struggling with a recent death or for someone sincerely seeking answers to life's "greatest mystery," these tales can be a source of guidance and direction.
Josh Scott
First off, I completely agree with you about the Drew Barrymore thing.. having said that I'll actually contribute to this post.
ReplyDeleteDo you believe this stuff being written?
I believe that there are cases where people have technically been pronounced dead and then were revived. Do I believe they went up to heaven? Not entirely. With all of the media nowadays with things like Ghost Whisperer and movies coming out about people dying and then helping cops find their murders, etc. it's hard to figure out if authors are seriously telling an experience that they had, an experience they thought they had but actually fabricated, or simply something that was completely fabricated with knowledge.
Sometimes when fiction gets mixed in with fact so well, and not to mention the subject - afterlife - people are bound to either think it's all true or that it's all fake. Personally, I'm leaning more on the "an experience they thought they had but actually fabricated, or simply something that was completely fabricated with knowledge" side. Plenty of times things have happened to me that I thought were one way, or I saw a certain thing, but in reality none of that never happened. If people are looking for concepts of afterlife through books, due to the general nature of books (for commercial gain), it's going to cause a lot of conflicting stories, beliefs, etc., and that seems really confusing. People tend to go to sources they find credible though (ie: the Bible) for things that are religiously bound to a sense, so I don't know why people would base that concept on something like a novel.
From an entertainment aspect, I think these books are fine - my mom loves the Ghost Whisperer tv show.
Chelynne Renouard
That is a very hard question to answer because in order to answer it we would have to figure out what happens when we die.
ReplyDeleteJust the fact that when Christians die and then come back, they claim to have seen the pearly gates or saint peter or Jesus and when some one of another faith dies they see something that they always imagined heaven and hell to be, should tell us that there isn't a lot of consistency in what people see( or claim to see) when they are between the physical and the metaphysical worlds.
I personally believe that many of the books written on this subject are full of crap. This is not to say that it is not possible to have legitimate after life experiences or that some of the books written on this subject don't tell the story of something real. All i am saying is that to separate the legitimate experiences from the made up ones is pretty much impossible.
As for my opinion on whether it is possible to have these experiences... the only way to find out is to have one myself ... and that is one intellectual exercise i am not too keen on pursuing.