davidbu@loowit.wr.tek.com (David E. Buxton) (03/13/91)
Many of you have read the stories of those declared to be clinically dead,
who tell of being separated from their bodies. Perhaps they float away and
look down from the ceiling or they think they are on their way to heaven and
then get called back when the doctor revives them.
Scientific studies show that these "near death experiences" are similar to
the stories told by those on "recreational" hallucinatory drugs. The noise,
the tunnel, out-of-body experience and encounters with spiritual entities
are similar to descriptions given by Mescaline, LSD and PCP users. Ronald
K. Siegel, a research psychologist at the University of California, has done
extensive work in the field of hallucinations and has come to the conclusion
that the phenomena that Dr. Raymond Moody describes in his book "Life after
Life" are not related to an after life, but rather to "altered states of
consciousness produced by variable stimuli".
In his book "The Enemy Disguised", Robert L. Gram has stated it this way:
"Moody's findings have more affinity with Greek religion than Biblical
faith. Unlike Greek religion, the Bible stresses the unity of the
individual - mind, soul, and body - under the Lordship of God. Discar-
nate entities floating above bodies and spiritual junkets to the world
beyond are foreign to its theological landscape."
Many dying people stories fit their personal theological beliefs. Many of
these stories are similar to the stories from witchcraft and spiritism.
According to the spiritism of the Greeks, man not only leaves his body on
earth at death, but is a spiritual complex which keeps on existing indepen-
dently in the Astral World. Scripture gives no support to this theory, but
links these phenomena to the exceedingly deceptive powers of Satan and his
host.
More recent studies with children show that children who have not yet
developed expectations of an after life describe their experiences more
objectively, without the adult overtones of perhaps a spirit world or
heaven.
A few scientific studies:
Psychedelic Mushrooms - Dr. Timothy Leary, after eating certain Mexican
mushrooms wrote: "I realized that I had died, that I Timothy Leary . . . .
could look back and see my body in bed. (John Kobler, "Saturday Evening
Post", Nov. 2, 1963, pp. 31,32)
Someone on an LSD Trip - "My ideas of space were strange beyond description.
I could see myself from head to foot as well as the sofa on which I was
lying . . " (Sanford M. Unger, "Mescaline, LSD, Psilocybin and Personality
Change", Psychiatry, Vol. 26, May 1963, p. 113)
Carbon Dioxide - L.J.Meduna administered thirty percent carbon dioxide to a
large number of subjects and reported: "We definitely can see that the form
constants in Mescaline vision . . . . are present in the sensory alterations
produced by Carbon Dioxide." (L.J.Meduna, "Carbon Dioxide Therapy", Thomas,
1958, p.50) A typical response by subjects on carbon dioxide was: "I felt
as though I was looking down at myself, as though I was way out there in
space . . feltsort dioxide research "Again, as with the drugs and near death
experience, there were reports of caves, tunnels, visions of other persons,
luminaries, reliving of the past, etc." (Jack W. Provonsha, M.D., PH.D.,
"Is Death For Real?, Pacific Press, 1981, p. 26.)
Dr. W. Penfield reports that he has found that there are "neuronal connec-
tions that, when electrically stimulated, produce the sensation of being
outside the physical body." One man who suffered from seizures was electri-
cally stimulated and spontaneously exclaimed "Oh, God, I am leaving my
body." (Penfield W, "The Role of the Temporal Cortex in Certain Psychical
Phenomena", Journal of Mental Science, 1955. Vol. 101, pp. 457-465)
Those involved in occult phenomenon and astral projection describe similar
experiences.
God deals with us through His word, the Bible. Satan deals with us through
our senses and influences our emotions. Do not go by feeling. Go by the
Word of God. Authenticate all things by the Word of God.
JESUS said - Our friend Lazarus sleepeth. I go to wake Him. If He sleeps
he will get better. "So then He told them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead'" . . .
(John 11:11-14) Lazarus was clearly dead. If he had gone to heaven I am
sure that he would have told his friends about it and the story would have
come down to us. It seems inconceivable that such a story would have been
lost to history if it had been told. What about the others that Jesus
raised from the dead. None of their stories of heaven have been recorded.
Nobody told any such story.
What about 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 where Paul talks about a man caught up to
the third heaven. Many commentators find that Paul is talking about him-
self. Read this passage starting at verse 1. Better still start back at 2
Cor. 11:16 as the original King James had no chapter breaks. It is abun-
dantly clear, in full context, that Paul is describing a vision. It matters
not if it was his vision or someone else's vision. If you saw a full color
3D vision of heaven would you not wonder if you had actually been there? He
was not sure if he went there physically or in vision.
Dave (David E. Buxton)
From the Silicon RainForest of the Northwestrrmorris@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Rodney Raym Morrison) (03/19/91)
Just because satan uses spiritual experiences to decieve people
(outof body, etc.), it does not follow that out of body experiences
are 'evil' or products of only satan. satan uses all kinds of things
in daily life to decieve also, so should we deny all thingsya@s2{
God is a Spirit, and that implies that there is a spiritual world
that man is not always sensitive to (since we are not always sensitive
to it). Paul himself had visions 'in the spirit', and also many
others (the mount of transwhatever). This is an insight into this
spiritual world. Ask yourself, "what existed before creation?".
This must be the spirit world. I believe Jesus referred to this when
He said lay up for yourself treasures in heaven, WHERE DUST AND MOTH
DO NOT CORRUPT. The spirit world is greater than our present experience
in this creation; this present world is but a shadow of the true power
and reality of the spirit.
But it is true that satan can and will give decieving siritual
experiences to those who will open themselves to him. "Satan himself
appears as an angel of light". So I am not saying that we should
SEEK such experiences, but we should seek to know God and be conformed
into his image through His Son Jesus Christ. God will give such
experiences according to His own will.