Afterlife/ Near Death Experience

[Ibanez]

I'm an atheist, and I've always thought there was simply nothing when you died. If you've ever been knocked unconscious, or been under anesthesia for surgery, I've always imagined it felt like that, but permanent. No dreams, no blackness, sometimes you're aware time has gone by, other times you're not. But always just nothingness.

My dad went through a near-death experience years ago, and he's never talked about it until recently with me. He said he was brain dead for 3 minutes (I'm not sure if that's true or not, it seems like an excessively long time), but I know for a fact they did 'lose him' for quite a long time. He told me he remembered himself falling through a pit of fire, which he compared to a scene in the movie Spawn. He landed on a flat rock rock where he was a silhouette, just laying in front of an entrance to a cave, where there was a small light deep inside of it. And was surrounded by cliffs, where there were other silhouettes there as well, some of them like, beckoning their arms in the air angrily.

It seems pretty stupid, I know, if there was a hell, why would it be exactly like how you imagine it to be? I know, but it did scare the shit out of him, and me as well. I saw a documentary on near death-experiences, and the best theory I heard was that the brain releases your thoughts/chemicals like that in order to ease you into death. Most near death experiences are about the whole 'white light' thing, and you just have a calming feeling to go towards it. So that makes sense. But what about the ones like my dad went through, where it was 'hell' and all it did was make him absolutely terrified? I know this stuff hasn't been proven/ dis-proven. I really do hate organized religion and things, but it just feels so weird that someone so close to me went though that. Are there some other theories as to why your mind has these near-death hallucinations? Also, whether you're religious or not, do you think there's an afterlife? Or just nothing?

[Celestial.]

I can't say for sure whether what he saw is true, or if he even saw it at all, but I have a couple of ideas. There's a theory that whatever you believe happens after death is what happens to you. So, Christians go to Heaven, Buddhists get recincarnated, and so on - so that every religion is right, and your own afterlife experience is based on what you believe. Does that make sense? Failing that, it could just be chemicals. Or there could be some sort of 'in-between' stage, where you're transitioning from life to death, and what he saw was more like a dream.
Personally, given my own religion, I believe that death is only part of a natural cycle, sort of an extension of life. I don't believe it's final; I believe you keep getting reincarnated. So there's not so much an afterlife as there is just life. But that's just my opinion.

[John Osborne]

My personal opinion on the scientific reason behind this is the DMT theory. The brain produces the drug DMT naturally, and many scientists believe this drug MAY be both the cause of dreams and near death experiences.

I do not believe there is an afterlife in the traditional meaning. I believe we are reincarnated in our own personal evolution. My view on this is if our bodies are given back to the earth why shouldn't our "souls" (for lack of a better term) stay on earth. I also believe once we have finished our evolution we may become one with the universe similar to the ideas of Christian Gnosis, Buddhist Nirvana, and Hindu Moksha.

[MichWolverineFreak]

Wait, this happened to him, yet your still trying to deny it by asking for THEORIES? I dont understand atheists, you just denied absolute proof that theres an afterlife. How would his brain work if he was lost for a while, anyway?
Well, my theory is that he unfortunately went to hell. I dont know why youd try to hide from God, this was your dad your talking about here. Id trust him and what he saw.

[ReluctantPegasister]

I won't even attempt to hypothesize on near death experiences.

However, I don't believe in an afterlife.

The one and only time I have dreamed about an afterlife, it appeared as The Summerland (Wiccan afterlife), a sunny, grassy field with my namesake telling me to go back.

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

I've always thought there is a massive confounding variable often unexplored when it comes to such experiences, especially for the OP's father. He was in a hospital and all hospitals have bright lights. Doctors, surgeons and nurses are frantically moving around, which to me accounts for the bright light as well as the silhouttes moving angrily or frantically. I assume the fire was a result of the medical procedures or because of your father's critical health at the time.

Personally, I believe there is an afterlife, however, not a religious one. My view is the memory of someone remains within whoever knew the person and that is keeping the deceased alive, so to speak. As for what one experiences, I imagine it would be the same as when one is given anathesia: a fading reality and eventually nothing. Perhaps one could "wake up" as they're struggling to remain alive but their efforts eventually fail.

Originally Posted by MichWolverineFreak

How would his brain work if he was lost for a while, anyway?

The brain relies on naturally produced products, such as glucose and oxygen. The term, "brain dead" means the lack of oxygen caused such drastic damage either to the brainstem, the rest of the brain or both and there is no functioning or response, such as no pupil response. Many parts of the brain can form alternate neural connections as a form of healing itself but there is no healing a damaged brainstem or certain other areas (i.e. hippocampus).

The evidence does not indicate his father went to hell, heaven or anywhere else, that is merely a speculation based on the assumption the Christian god does indeed exist. I can just as easily say his father went to Patuninu according to Patuninism and you have no way of refuting me without refuting yourself.

[MichWolverineFreak]

Originally Posted by The Man And XX Master

The evidence does not indicate his father went to hell, heaven or anywhere else, that is merely a speculation based on the assumption the Christian god does indeed exist. I can just as easily say his father went to Patuninu according to Patuninism and you have no way of refuting me without refuting yourself.

Oh come on, the evidence is THERE! Its right there! He wrote down an exact description of hell according to the Catholic Church, and came back. I cant believe any of you would try to find a loophole when theres evidence right in front of you. Come on...

[ReluctantPegasister]

Originally Posted by MichWolverineFreak

He wrote down an exact description of hell according to the Catholic Church, and came back

Yes, and when I was under anesthesia I had a dream I was in Hogwarts, right down to some very specific details. Clearly this means that Howarts exists. Come on, the evidence is right in front of you!

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

Originally Posted by MichWolverineFreak

Oh come on, the evidence is THERE! Its right there! He wrote down an exact description of hell according to the Catholic Church, and came back. I cant believe any of you would try to find a loophole when theres evidence right in front of you. Come on...

If I said I was given anathesia and saw the Christian god having sex with Satan in hell, creating a hybrid angel-demon. At the same time, Adam stomped on the serpent and Eve burnt the tree down. You cannot refute that even if it violates the bible.

[MichWolverineFreak]

No, Im sayin that if he was dead, his soul was there, and his brain wasnt doing anything. otherwise, yeah, you could say anything exists.

[Of Mike and Men]

I've had similar visions. I then woke up in sleep paralysis and heard a voice talking and I felt like I was burning. I also had apnea. But, even as a Christian, I'm uncertain what this was. But I've been terrified to sleep ever since. I mean, I have difficulty believing a lot. I know of people prayed over who had blindness cured, demon supposedly cast out, and patalytics healed. And they are still healed. Yet I have difficulty elieving this. And this is atuff I know to be true.