I've had two OBE's (out of body experiences): the two most profound experiences of my life. You will never be the same again, and neither will you accept ANY religious "teaching" as "Truth" because they are not! Religions want you to "believe because we say so", but they are all human-contrived belief systems, mere ideas, that have no relationship to Reality!
Please take Vonu's response seriously: THAT is the Reality! Your "we don't deserve mercy" statement is straight out of the early Christian church distortion- and brainwashing campaign from the fourth century trying to convince people of such falsehoods as "we are all undeserving sinners who will go to eternal Hell" if we don’t believe and do exactly like the church tells us to, and we have "just one shot at getting it right" so we had better take no chances and just "obey".
Everyone who has been on "The Other Side" knows that that is utter nonsense and just an evil church's control trip!
I'll stick with the historic Christian faith over some testimonies about out of body experiences or near death experiences, which I believe are strongly influenced by the hopes and desires of those experiencing them. My NDE came before my first birthday, so I have no recollection of it.
Nevertheless, I root for John 3:17 to be the most important verse of John 3:16-18. My desire is not universalism, i.e. a belief that all or many religions are equally valid, but rather that God applies the atonement of Jesus's sacrifice with great liberality.
Also, I expect that a positive OBE or NDE is a good sign, since it shows some positive things about the orientation of the person blessed by the experience.
Thank God he’s more merciful than we deserve.
On page 71 of Eben Alexander's Proof of Heaven, he discusses the beautiful butterfly that greeted him at the beginning of his NDE and told him that:
You are loved and cherished.
You have nothing to fear.
There is nothing that you can do wrong.
I would expect nothing more or less from a truly loving creator.
I had an NDE, never felt so much love and contentment.
Had a life review, I was the only evaluator.
The butterfly wasn't an "evaluator," just a greeter.
If it ever happens to me and I'm given the choice to stay or return, it will be easy to decide for the former.
How has the experience changed you?
I've had two OBE's (out of body experiences): the two most profound experiences of my life. You will never be the same again, and neither will you accept ANY religious "teaching" as "Truth" because they are not! Religions want you to "believe because we say so", but they are all human-contrived belief systems, mere ideas, that have no relationship to Reality!
By the literal definition of NDE, I had one; however, I was far too young to remember anything of it.
"Thank God he’s more merciful than we deserve."
Please take Vonu's response seriously: THAT is the Reality! Your "we don't deserve mercy" statement is straight out of the early Christian church distortion- and brainwashing campaign from the fourth century trying to convince people of such falsehoods as "we are all undeserving sinners who will go to eternal Hell" if we don’t believe and do exactly like the church tells us to, and we have "just one shot at getting it right" so we had better take no chances and just "obey".
Everyone who has been on "The Other Side" knows that that is utter nonsense and just an evil church's control trip!
I'll stick with the historic Christian faith over some testimonies about out of body experiences or near death experiences, which I believe are strongly influenced by the hopes and desires of those experiencing them. My NDE came before my first birthday, so I have no recollection of it.
Nevertheless, I root for John 3:17 to be the most important verse of John 3:16-18. My desire is not universalism, i.e. a belief that all or many religions are equally valid, but rather that God applies the atonement of Jesus's sacrifice with great liberality.
There is a good discussion of how one of my favorite authors thought about the subject in the answer portion of https://literature.stackexchange.com/questions/3701/how-does-emeths-presence-in-aslans-country-in-the-last-battle-fit-in-with-the
Also, I expect that a positive OBE or NDE is a good sign, since it shows some positive things about the orientation of the person blessed by the experience.
The Narnia books are fun to read, but just more religious ideology. Not Reality.
Nearly-dying is not at all the same as an NDE.