I did, then I suddenly felt the urge to use the loo. I'm not sure what to extract from that kind of alleged response. |
NP. Yes. I tried this. I've tried meditation, prayer, other people praying for me, praying with other people, ritual, rosaries, Mass, fasting, hallucinogens, etc. I really mean it when I say I looked everywhere for God and concluded that he wasn't there. I looked hard and I looked for years. I was raised RC, became a mushy New Age Christian (Unity), became a pagan, became a Buddhist, tried to go back to Christianity several times, tried to go back to being RC a couple of times. I ended up as an atheist. I don't feel God and I don't perceive God through reason. It wasn't for lack of trying, though. |
A little OT, but this is the kind of response that makes those of us skeptical about religion throw up our hands in frustration. If you find God, great. If not - well, just try harder - "with all your heart." Still didn't work? You must not be trying with all of your heart! How do I know this? Because the Bible says so. |
I think, and it's also mentioned in the book that some things we're not able to learn, comprehend from our limited level of development. So the only thing left is to believe he's there. Take the word for it. |
He wasn't religious before the coma, didn't go to church, didn't believe in God. |
Then how do you know what it teaches? |
I'm not sure how that's relevant. |
Then what about hell? Who goes to hell? Those who didn't accept the sacrifice? That's not what they tell us. I'm an Orthodox Christian. I'm told by the priest that deadly sins lead to hell as well. |
therefore there must be a God? |
Stop trying, start feeling. Just pay attention to your feelings, that's all. |
Why would he believe in faith healing if he didn't have the faith? |
He came to that conclusion and wanted to share. So he wrote a book. He also started a non-profit for those who experienced NDE. |
FWIW I did this, and that's how I came to admit to myself that I didn't believe in any religion or any gods. When quite with myself, when I stopped trying, when I was still with my heart, admitting that I was an atheist was my most genuine feeling. |
Lots of people "have the faith" to simply gain notoriety, attention, money, prestige, respect, etc. |
God experience wouldn't exactly bring him popularity among his peers. Again, he's a medical doctor, a scientists, from ivy-league institutions. What do you think he colleagues will say? Most likely that he's crazy. |