CNN story: Near death, aided by ghostly companion

Interesting CNN story, about people being "helped" by an unknown presence during near death experiences.

www.cnn.com...

Thoughts?

HI,

Interesting piece. I vaguely remember something along similar lines on a TV show but of someone pre-warning people.

The one case that I do remember was of a voice telling a woman passenger on an airliner to put her seat belt on. (Not a tannoy announcement - a nearby voice). Although there seemed nothing untoward - no turbulance she did so and soon after, the emegency door or part of the fuselage blew out and the passenger next to her (without a seat belt) disappeared through the hole...

Peace!

I'm not one to believe such reports. For me to believe in them would require me to accept an extremely spiritually selective universe. Too few people report such alleged help and if this is the extent to which obvious spiritual aid is given, it leads me to conclude that the spiritual realm is just as unfair and selective as the living one. Why would one person's life be worth saving by an external invisible force over another? Is there some sort of lottery involved? I won't accept this.

To me these reports are more probably false memories of some external force giving aid and comfort created by trauma or extreme fear.

[edit on 12-11-2009 by Frith]

Originally posted by Frith
I'm not one to believe such reports. For me to believe in them would require me to accept an extremely spiritually selective universe. Too few people report such alleged help and if this is the extent to which obvious spiritual aid is given, it leads me to conclude that the spiritual realm is just as unfair and selective as the living one. Why would one person's life be worth saving by an external invisible force over another? Is there some sort of lottery involved? I won't accept this.

To me these reports are more probably false memories of some external force giving aid and comfort created by trauma or extreme fear.

[edit on 12-11-2009 by Frith]

Really? So even though almost every religious story of the afterlife have a psychopomp you still think too few people report such a thing?

I mean honestly!

# 1 List by mythology or belief system

* 1.1 African
* 1.2 Aztec
* 1.3 Celtic
* 1.4 Christianity
* 1.5 Egyptian
* 1.6 Etruscan
* 1.7 Greek
* 1.8 Hinduism
* 1.9 Inuit
* 1.10 Islam
* 1.11 Japanese
* 1.12 Judaism
* 1.13 Korean
* 1.14 Mayan
* 1.15 Mesopotamian
* 1.16 Native American
* 1.17 Norse
* 1.18 Persian
* 1.19 Polynesian
* 1.20 Roman
* 1.21 Slavic
* 1.22 Vodun
* 1.23 Zoroastrianism
* 1.24 Other

[edit on 14-11-2009 by HunkaHunka]

reply to post by HunkaHunka


None of that invalidates my reply. It probably only serves to strengthen my opinion. If reports of help from some spiritual realm have happened in most cultures it likely only shows that the human mind is similarly (but still quite rarely) affected all over the world with some type of false idea of spiritual help when something traumatic occurs.

For me to believe any of it I'd need to see a greater volume of reports with regards to such help. Again I do not feel that some people are more worthy of this alleged spiritual help than others. More people would need to report it more often. That just isn't happening. UFO reports are more common.

Originally posted by Frith
reply to post by HunkaHunka

 

None of that invalidates my reply. It probably only serves to strengthen my opinion. If reports of help from some spiritual realm have happened in most cultures it likely only shows that the human mind is similarly (but still quite rarely) affected all over the world with some type of false idea of spiritual help when something traumatic occurs.

For me to believe any of it I'd need to see a greater volume of reports with regards to such help. Again I do not feel that some people are more worthy of this alleged spiritual help than others. More people would need to report it more often. That just isn't happening. UFO reports are more common.

Well to be honest, if you look at all of those who have actually had near-death experiences and not full on death experiences, you will find that the psychopomp is listed in the majority of them.

There aren't many near-death reports to begin with... But in those that are... the majority include a psychopomp.

Now... does this mean that a psychopomp exists? no, just that this experience is common enough among humans.


As for your assertion about "If only some people are getting help then it ain't real", I think you grossly misunderstand reality. Many common and actual experiences are had in unique ways, both of assistance and detriment. So I'm not quite sure what you have against some people getting assistance and others not.