8 Million Americans have Near Death Experiences according to Gallup Poll

[spidergoat]

The percentage of Americans who believe weird things isn't encouraging:

JFK was killed by conspiracy 51 percent 160,096,160
Bush intentionally misled on Iraq WMDs 44 percent 138,122,178 [Should be higher-SG]
Global warming is a hoax 37 percent 116,148,195
Aliens exist 29 percent 91,035,072
New World Order 28 percent 87,895,931
Hussein was involved in 9/11 28 percent 87,895,931
A UFO crashed at Roswell 21 percent 65,921,948
Vaccines are linked to autism 20 percent 62,782,808
The government controls minds with TV 15 percent 47,087,106
Medical industry invents diseases 15 percent 47,087,106
CIA developed crack 14 percent 43,947,966
Bigfoot exists 14 percent 43,947,966
Obama is the Antichrist 13 percent 40,808,825
The government allowed 9/11 11 percent 34,530,544
Fluoride is dangerous 9 percent 28,252,264
The moon landing was faked 7 percent 21,973,983
Bin Laden is alive 6 percent 18,834,842
Airplane contrails are sinister chemicals 5 percent 15,695,702
McCartney died in 1966 5 percent 15,695,702
Lizard people control politics 4 percent 12,556,562

http://www.thewire.com/national/201...-believe-lizard-people-run-our-country/63799/

 

[Mazulu]

What people call supernatural today will be neanderthal tommorow. When you know the process behind the "trick" it's not magic anymore.

Do these hot delicious babes look like neanderthals to you?

 

[Mazulu]

So, you believe in magic because it's sounds fun and inspiring. That's fine, but to try and convince anyone magic is actually real is just plain childish.

I see no survival benefit to being a crusty old fart. Actually, chicks dig magic.

 

[Mazulu]

Not necessarily. If they for example communicate via telepathic images. Then even mice can do it.

I've had psychic telepathic communication with girls I've dated in the past.

 

[Bebelina]

Do these hot delicious babes look like neanderthals to you?

As a matter of fact yes.
Loved that series though.

 

[dumbest man on earth]

1. I don't know, what "tricks" do they use?

The same as they have used for thousands of years - telling weak minded and easily duped people WHAT THEY YEARN TO HEAR.

2. No, that is an old concept that belongs in the textbook burning pile, along with the Bible.

So..."Attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena*", is an "old concept" - but you choose to employ it in your #3 - below! * - http://www.thefreedictionary.com/anthropomorphizing

3. Why shouldn't we assume that? Humans are animals too, we evolved the same way and carry so many similar features. Or do you think humans are "special" and apart from the rest of the life on the planet?

One should never "assume" anything - refer to your question/my answer #1 above. Check it out, investigate, test hypotheses, find the facts - never just "assume".

Different species of animals evolved by the same "rules", but along divergent paths, and there are indeed similarities. But, they are not the "same" as humans.
Do I think Humans are "special"? Yes, but not in a "better" way - I think most if not all other forms of life are more attuned to their actual "role" in the scheme of life/nature on this planet. They do not seem to suffer the various self-produced calamities of Humans - though they do suffer the consequences of Human produced actions.
So...yes, I do think Humans are "special" - as in a, please pardon the expression, short-bus "special" kind of way - although we think of ourselves as superior, we constantly show our inferiority, to each other and to everything else in nature.

4. Yes, what relevance has that in this discussion?

Are NDE's not a psychological/emotional phenomenon that a Psychic would/could be consulted about.
The late Psychic Sylvia Browne, was renowned for contacting/speaking with deceased relatives/family members/loved ones was she not?

Well, you have a point about the namecalling. I will rephrase, the things we call supernatural today will be called neandethal tomorrow, meaning new things will have emerged to fit the term "supernatural" since we most likely have found logical explantations for the ones we label as such today. Allthough I have a feeling the word "supernatural" will be forgotten.

Bebelina, the term "supernatural" literally means ""of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe *",so unless we somehow are able to get "outside of" or "beyond the visible observable universe*"...

* from : http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supernatural

Bebelina, if you celebrate them, may you and yours enjoy a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season.

 

[Dazz]

Yes, we are special. We can communicate in language, read and write. You don't see mice, elephants or whales writing books about the afterlife. Therefore, if an animal has a near death experience, it gives no benefit to it's herd. Therefore, NDE experiences will not be propagated by evolution.

:facepalm:
Reading and writing is not big deal, did you know that dogs are able to travel by subway? Per example. They associate the train lines to their destination, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT WE DO. Wether if they comprehend that it is a text or not is non important, wether if they know if that alphabet is cyrillic or WEIRDO does not matter as well. Plain and simple, we are able to put words together but that's it.

 

[Mazulu]

:facepalm:
Reading and writing is not big deal, did you know that dogs are able to travel by subway? Per example. They associate the train lines to their destination, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT WE DO. Wether if they comprehend that it is a text or not is non important, wether if they know if that alphabet is cyrillic or WEIRDO does not matter as well. Plain and simple, we are able to put words together but that's it.

So you think dogs are as smart as humans? I'm not buying it.

 

[(Q)]

Where is your proof?

Proof of what? You're the one making the childish claims.

 

[(Q)]

You don't see mice, elephants or whales writing books about the afterlife.

Obviously, they are far more intelligent than those who do.

 

[(Q)]

I've had psychic telepathic communication with girls I've dated in the past.

:roflmao:

 

[(Q)]

I see no survival benefit to being a crusty old fart. Actually, chicks dig magic.

Yeah, stupid chicks.

 

[dumbest man on earth]

So you think dogs are as smart as humans? I'm not buying it.

Mazulu, you obviously can't even afford to pay attention(which is free - to most human beings!) - so why would/should anyone expect you to buy anything?

 

[Mazulu]

dmoe is on my ignore list for lack of content and too many baseless insults. I feel no inclination to lift the ban. Guess what Q, Mr "I got banned for flaming". Say bye bye.

 

[Dazz]

So you think dogs are as smart as humans? I'm not buying it.

There is no arguing with you, is it? You have the discernment and the rhetoric skills of a ten year old Mazulu. Please, pay attention to what i post, i try to summarize and do it as few as i can for easier understandment, still, you don't get it. When you understand it i will be more than glad to reply. We have already gone too far from the OP, and, as far as we know, dogs (as we are talking about them) also dream, why wouldn't they also have this damn NDE? Tell me.

 

[Mazulu]

There is no arguing with you, is it? You have the discernment and the rhetoric skills of a ten year old Mazulu. Please, pay attention to what i post, i try to summarize and do it as few as i can for easier understandment, still, you don't get it. When you understand it i will be more than glad to reply. We have already gone too far from the OP, and, as far as we know, dogs (as we are talking about them) also dream, why wouldn't they also have this damn NDE? Tell me.

How can natural selection select for NDE experiences when the only way to convey the benefits of an imagined afterlife is to talk about it. But animals can't talk. They also can't write books. Therefore, the NDE experience is not a genetically selected trait.

 

[spidergoat]

How can natural selection select for NDE experiences when the only way to convey the benefits of an imagined afterlife is to talk about it. But animals can't talk. They also can't write books. Therefore, the NDE experience is not a genetically selected trait.

It could be included in the behavior of the brain under any traumatic conditions.

 

[Monimonika]

Do you look like your avatar? Just curious.

Ha! I wish! It's from a scan (using a cheap scanner) I did off of a color page from a manga series I was following waaaaaaay long ago (never finished reading the series).

I think I should stop coming to this website. I like my beliefs in an afterlife. It's not my fault that medical science and physics are trying to sterilize everything magical, everything inspiring about the world; I've fought this battle and I'm losing.

Human beings were meant to see and hear the echos of our passed loved ones, our ancestors, our wise teachers. These things are natural and normal for the human spirit, but to science it is an aberration, a hallucination by a sick and troubled mind. But it is really the scientific culture that is psychologically sick; they suppress religion and spirituality (which bring peace and happiness); they replace it with anti-depressants and worthless knowledge of useless things.

What is uninspiring about medical science trying to save lives and reduce needless suffering? Before effective anesthesia, people who could've been saved to live long, happy lives with their loved ones instead chose to die rather than go through the pain of life-saving surgery. A lot of what we have today took some painful trial and error to achieve, but the thing about the more "feel-good" type of practitioners is that they want to ignore all the "bad results" and focus on the "good results".

People who strongly believe that resurrection through prayer is real (magical and inspiring!) make headlines as they allow their own children to suffer and die in front of their eyes for hours, days, weeks from ailments that cold, harsh medical science could've not only cured but prevented. And then these same people (if they haven't been jailed already) decide to ignore the one or two previous deaths of their children and do the exact same thing as before for when their next child gets sick. Because they like their beliefs and find criticism of said beliefs far more unpleasant than watching their children die.

Belief in the afterlife is, of course, not as harmful as the above example, but the tactics of brushing aside inconvenient facts is distressingly similar. I'm not going to say that belief in the afterlife is completely harmless, especially since:

As for all the atheist scum, I hope to see them suffer in a hell created by the God that escaped their notice.

:fright:...yeah, psychologically not pleasant. And that unpleasantness tends to come out in words that affect our moods, which in turn affect our stress levels and overall health however subtly (whether it's you yourself or the one being condemned to hell by you). You might want to follow that idea of yours about not coming to this site anymore... I'll continue to see how much more I can tolerate before bailing out (via either "ignore list" or "avoid threads").

The egghead nerdy dictators of reality and the reality police are just overwhelming my arguments with their cold callous responses to my ideas. Even though you, Monimonika, are the one to discourage me, I still think your sweet.

I sincerely thank you for the sweet comment.

It is my opinion that science-atheism will fail to sterilize the world of God/magic/fun/love/mystery;

I agree, if only because as a functioning society not all of us have to be scientists in all parts of our lives in order to make advancements in technology, medicine, politics, etc. Just a fraction of the population being specialists focusing in narrow fields of study are enough for most of us to reap the benefits (even if we don't understand them most of the time).

Monimonika, don't be fooled by their attempts to brainwash you; they will take your soul and your personhood.

I'm only human, by which I mean that I also tend to believe what I want to believe, and believing so makes me happy. It's just that what I believe (and want to believe) disagrees with your beliefs for reasons you would most likely find unpleasant (and that's fine!). I recognize that I have this tendency and fully admit it...occasionally!

By the way, I noticed something from your earlier reply to me:

Yeah, Pam was nowhere near having a flat EEG yet when the bone saw she described was used to open her skull up. In case it's not crystal clear, general anesthesia (the time during which Pam's OOB descriptions match the events) is NOT when all brain activity is stopped.

Wait a minute. What doctor is going to leave a patient in a semiconsious state when he's using a bone saw on her head? If you were in brain surgery, would you want to be in and out of consciousness while you listened to the whining sound of a bone saw cutting through your head? That sounds horrific! It sounds like something you might see in the horror movie SAW. If the patient partially wakes up during the bone cutting process, she could panic, move around, and then sue the doctor for malpractice for allowing her to wake up during bone cutting.

I thought I had left open the possibility of Pam's OOBE being real. Why did you immediately assume that a non-flat EEG meant Pam was witnessing her operation details from within her body? It can't be that you think NDEs are required for OOBEs to occur, right?

 

[dumbest man on earth]

dmoe is on my ignore list for lack of content and too many baseless insults. I feel no inclination to lift the ban. Guess what Q, Mr "I got banned for flaming". Say bye bye.

Mazulu, you know when I Post, but claim I am on your Ignore list!?!?

At any rate, just PM the Mods/Admins with your Proof of my "lack of content and too many baseless insults." and they will be more than Happy to Ban or even Perma-Ban me.

Come on Mazulu, after all, what you Posted ^^above^^, could it not also be construed as "lack of content" or a "baseless insult" or at the very least "Off Topic"?

Anyway, there is a saying that "cats have nine lives"! So...Mazulu, would the end of the first eight be considered as NDE"s?

Also, Mazulu, you ask if dogs are as smart as humans. Well, I have never had a dog be dumb enough to even try to lie to me or put words in my mouth, or bear false witness - but there is this Poster I know of that is dumb enough to do it repeatedly, get caught doing it, again repeatedly...by numerous Posters, and still that Poster persists in doing that dumb thing over...and over...and...ad infinitum

So...yes Mazulu, most dogs are quite a bit smarter than some humans!

 

[Monimonika]

Mazulu, you know when I Post, but claim I am on your Ignore list!?!?

Hi! Just in case it's not known, what Mazulu sees if you're on Mazulu's ignore list are your posts but shrunk down and containing only the message:

This message is hidden because dumbest man on earth is on your ignore list.
View Post
Remove user from ignore list

So Mazulu would know that there was a post from you, but would have to click "View Post" to see what you typed.

I only know this because I have placed one member so far on my own ignore list.