Atheist Near-Death Experiences?

I'm an atheist, but I've always wondered whether or not something really does happen after we die.

I've heard many stories about people with near-death experiences, and it's always the same story: They see a bright light, they go through it and meet God. They feel happy and think it's the most beautiful think they've ever seen. Sometimes there are past family members present. Then God will tell them that they still have things to accomplish on Earth, so he sends them back.

The thing that bothers me is, in all the stories I've heard like this, the person in Christian.

Well what about people who believe in different gods? Do they see a different god, or is it all the same?


More importantly, what about Atheists?!


The reason I must know is because I'm starting to think this whore near-death experience thing is all physiological -- that it doesn't really happen, the person is just in a trance and they automatically think about the first thing they naturally would think about: God and heaven.

But what happens to Atheists? Does it just go black, or do they have similar experiences? Something else?


If you know anything about this (or have anything to add) please comment. If you know of any stories of atheists having near-death experiences, please share!

reply to post by nicolee123nd


well my mother used to say that she rose to the top of the room and would see herself being revived, she never mentioned god and she was a catholic. i cant talk for atheists as i havent had a NDE yet
edit:nice thread too

reply to post by nicolee123nd


Personally, I partially agree with the physiological aspect.

Look into the pineal gland. You will experience something that's for sure :] The pineal gland secretions occur causing a hallucinogenic effect. Christians see god, perhaps as an Athiest you will have the best "drug trip" of your life.

I am agnostic, and somehow believe the pineal gland actually provides a gateway into some sort of an after life... but as the word agnostic means, I don't know for sure.

I am/was atheist as far as any organized religion goes. I worship no one but the God within all of us, and I hardly call it worship, more like recognition.
This is because of my near death experiences and what I personally saw and remember.

I saw a large spiral swirl which looked like was in empty outer space, don't remember stars though just black background. Looked like nebula clouds in a swirl pattern with a very bright star like light in the center of it further off in the distance. There were several people floating at different distances from me. The closest to me was an uncle I never met who died before I was born, he introduced himself to me, spoke English. I was 8 at the time. Told my mother about him, she said it was her brother who died in 69', freaky true story.

Then I remember what I saw outside of my body, which was similar to the world we see but not exactly, some things added some missing. I was told this was the unfiltered light spectrum our bodies filter out via DNA sequence gaps not connected, like a cpu firewall. I know we exist outside of these bodies, that's good enough for me, whether God is out there or not is probably the journey of our souls to discover over many lifetimes.

I would recommend reading Dr. Moody's book called Life After Life. It's a pretty quick read, but that could also be because it's interesting.

The first half of the book basically covers all the different aspects of a NDE taken from hundreds of different reports from people who have experienced it. And these documented experiences have been from people from all sorts of different backgrounds - culturally, religiously, etc.

The second half of the book covers all the possibilities of what NDE's could be... other than NDE's. Whether it's a release of chemicals in the brain, or those who have experienced them are lying, or whatever... he approaches the topic of near death experiences skeptically in the second half.

_______________________

What I find most interesting... Is that all of the people who have had NDE's report experiencing similar things regardless of their cultural or religious or social background. Some might interpret this to mean that there definitely is an afterlife and all these people have experienced it temporarily and prematurely, while others interpret this to mean that the NDE's are symptoms of a chemical released in the brain of every person upon death.

Needless to say, NDE's are very interesting.

Right before you die there is a massive release of '___' (Dimethyltryptamine) which causes many people to see or experience god, or hear certain sounds and see crazy colors, sometimes traveling towards a white light. You ever watch that show, I survived beyond and back? You should check it out, it has to do with what your talking about.

What if your head gets blown off?

No '___' release, so no exit into the next life?

Energy never dies, it merely changes form.

reply to post by satron


Hmmm thats one to ponder... Who knows?

Originally posted by satron
What if your head gets blown off?

No '___' release, so no exit into the next life?

No head, no need for '___' release for a euphoric state to ease the transition when the body dies, the issue takes care of itself... unless you use a butter knife and it takes a good long time.

Also they say the head doesn't die immediately, can you imagine that?

Athiest means that someone has conluded that a deity does not exist.

I've noticed that especially people in the US give way more meaning to the word then what it actually means.
You can be spiritual and be an athiest at the same time.

Someone that denies to consider everything regarding spiritualism. is IMO ignorant. Unexplained stuff happens.
Us humans are simply not equiped to see every aspect of what is.

Two examples.

Infrared light, Sounds beyond our ability to hear.

Still it does not mean there is a deity that pulls the strings. All evidence shows that if there is a deity then there are more and these struggle amongst each other for supreme rule. A very human tendency.

Originally posted by gatewaywithin
Energy never dies, it merely changes form.

Indeed. Usually by getting digested first.

Edit to say that all human experience is coming from the brain and usually chemicals trigger it.

Here is an athiest that died and came back to tell his story. It is compelling and it gave me a lot to think about.

reply to post by nicolee123nd


I have been close to death. Had to deal with drowning and was brought back by my father. I am atheist and just so you know this happened to me at a young age. Before my parents tried to get me into the whole God thing.But when this happened to me, my experience was relatively short. I saw nothing but others people in the distance, surrounded in the darkness and huddled, and asleep. I felt tired and tried to keep my eyes from closing and just as they were I awoke to see my father above me as I gasped for air.
I have no idea how long I was out, but from what I've been told my heart had stopped for 2 minutes and I, obviously, wasn't breathing.
Anyway, if God existed, I think I would've at least seen something. A glimmer of light, someone at the end of a white tunnel, anything. But there was nothing. Just people and this odd sense of peace and fear.
I like being alive. Compared to that at least; I'd stay immortal if I could.

reply to post by Sinter Klaas

all human experience is coming from the brain and usually chemicals trigger it.

Yes, you are correct when describing the illusion of the human experience, but the illusion is only a fraction of the whole.

reply to post by gatewaywithin


My thoughts exactly . See the pos above that one.

enjoyed the video's but I never know what to think about this. I have noticed I have never read any NDE stories where it was Mohamed or Buddha that was seen. Anyone ever heard of any of these near death experiences that were not God and Jesus influenced?

reply to post by nicolee123nd


My NDE experience happened when I was an atheist. My heart had stopped by the time an ambulance took me to the hospital, and I remained in a coma for 48 hours afterwards.

It was basically an out of body experience where I could see everything clearly in the emergency theatre around me, and hear with crystal clarity every word they were saying. I remember a nurse leaning over me, lifting my eyelids, and saying they were losing me, and there was what I would call controlled panic in the room. Doctors and nurses moving quickly back and forth, and then someone whacking me extremely hard on my chest. (I had a painful chest from all the thumping for many months afterwards.) I tried to move a hand and speak to let them know that I was perfectly alright, no need to panic, but try as I might, I could not move my hand nor open my mouth to speak.

Two days later I woke up in an oxygen tent, and I told the nurse who attended me that I was quite conscious when they were treating me in emergency, but that I couldn't get through to anyone. I gave her very detailed accounts of the the area, as well as any of the names of the nurses/doctors that they were calling each other. She looked quite alarmed and perplexed about it, and that was the last I spoke about it.

As an atheist, I did not see anything spiritual about the experience, I just thought that it was an anomoly, and didn't give it another thought.

reply to post by jscott007


What IF the real story of the universe is that God created man, he fell and needed to be restored to him through the sacrifice of his son?

I had an experience with Jesus one time. I left my body and was in his presence. One word to describe him is LOVE. When I came back to myself I felt incredibly light, like a load had been taken off of me. I was so happy and felt so clean.

Since this time I have had my struggle with christians. If someone really knows Christ, they will LOVE everyone. Jesus did warn that many who claim to know him really do not. Then he will tell them, "Depart from me. I never knew you." Let love, peace and joy be the measuring stick when you want to know who the real christians are. Unfortunately a large percentage of christians are really not HIS.

If I had a gun and a stranger had a gun pointed at me I would not shoot him. I would let him shoot me instead. I would never take the life of someone because they could go to hell. Hell is such a bad place to be that we should not even want our own worst enemy to go there.

I would not stop looking for the answers until I was sure I knew the truth. I have had a long journey finding the truth. I would bet my eternal soul on the fact that I found truth in my savior Jesus Christ. I may sound crazy, but to you realize how brave it is of me on this board to make that proclamation? Why all the Jesus hate? Nobody talks about hating any other "diety" type like they do Jesus.

Have you ever heard a demon talk? They hate Jesus too. I have an old cassett of an exorcism where a demon was talking to the exorcist and when the guy told him he was defeated. Jesus defeated him on the cross he laughed and snarled, "Yeah I know, I was there. I saw the whole bloody thing." I need to get this tape cleaned up and made digital so I can put it on the internet.

Don't give up looking for the answers to your questions. Your soul is at stake.

Here is another video of an athiest who died and had and out of body experience. He went to hell and heaven.

Good thread. I was pretty anti-religion for a time, but I moved past that point. I have never had a near death experience, but I have has some pretty powerful spiritual ones.

I have come to believe that the physical body only represents part of "us." The soul, or what ever you like to call it transcends the body. That soul has specific purpose and lessons to learn in the physical. When people leave their body in a near death experience they are leaving their "clothes" for a bit. They return because they got some more to learn. Death is not the end, but the return home. We get so attached to the body(which is awesome by the way) that we forget where we came from. Once I realized I was like iron man then I stopped worrying about trivial things. You are on the biggest theme park ever, and you have got a front row seat on a wild ride. Who cares about money, power, or any distractions. Every day is a roller coaster ride to be ridden to full potential. Live and learn. We only get to visit the theme park once in a blue moon in our immortal life. Enjoy it while your here.