Did Religion Evolve from NDEs?
***ANNOUNCEMENT:
On June 1, 2008, I will present a paper at the 33rd annual
conference of the Academy of Spirituality and Paranormal Studies, held at
DeSales University, Center Valley, Pennsylvania. My paper is entitled "Is
the Afterlife What We Think It Is: A Challenge from Near-Death Studies."
This paper will be posted on my website in the Article Section after June
1st, should you be interested in reading it. PMH
QUESTION:
"How are you today? My sister has actually asked me what books I'd like as a gift and I included your 'The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences.' I've been interested in NDEs for some time now, reading about them on websites or in books (such as your other one, 'Beyond the Light'). I suppose I've always had an interest in the Hereafter to a certain degree or simply the Unknown. If you are able to spare some time, it'd be great to hear from you. I have some questions that hopefully you haven't been asked before (so I don't waste your time).
I have read different books stating that religions came from a 'reinterpretation' of extraterrestrials visiting us. Therefore, the God of the Bible, gods of other religions, and so on, are actually 'aliens.' My first question is: If near-death experiencers claim to see Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, or what have you, is it simply a creation of their mind or.....? That is, are these beings just 'concepts' to comfort the souls or are they actually themselves real? If these beings are simply (former) flesh-and-blood aliens, are they truly 'ascended masters' as many spiritualists claim, or are they just other spirit taking the form of the common vision of religious icons?
It is a bit strange to give the possibility that these figures were indeed aliens. Perhaps Jesus and Buddha were human, but if we go back to the other pagan Gods (Inanna, Enki, Enlil, etc.) what is the truth? Did the people a few thousand years ago actually believe in 'spirits' the same way we do? Or, were their 'Spirits" physical beings? Since 'angel' simply means 'messenger' in Greek, could those messengers simply have been aliens? It then makes all this integration into 'New Age' beliefs a bit misguided.
When we think of ghosts, God, and so on, I think modern people give way to a modern science 'other dimension.' However, I wonder if those people 'back when' were thinking of such things or simply 'another planet.' The 'heavens' was simply space, was it not?
My last question is whether there is an institute (in Canada, where I live), where you can learn about near-death experiences in detail?".....John Q.
ANSWER:
John, there is convincing evidence to suggest that religion may have evolved from near-death experiences, and that the Golden Age of Greece and the ethics and morals that emerged from that "explosion" of thought and subsequent explorations of thought, may also trace back to near-death experiences and how stories about them were shared with people. Dr. Raymond Moody, Jr., has done a great deal of work on this theory and so have a number of other researchers. Linkages Dr. Moody has made are impressive, so much so that the whole subject has garnered a great deal of interest.
The idea that ALL the great avatars/messiahs of history were aliens from other planets/systems is intriguing, yet it does not "square" with historical research or what can be offered through careful study and analysis, or even through intuitive guidance and mystical wisdoms. I have no doubt that advanced beings have "visited" our planet during important moments in our history (and these could have been referred to as "aliens" or "heavenly hosts" or "angels"); waves of them have entered whenever "dark" times were present and people were desperate or "lost." Nothing can really be proved here, still, what makes sense to me, considering evidence and the traditions we can trace, is that aliens could have participated in what jump-started human lifeforms on this planet, and may have visited again during certain timeframes for whatever purpose.
But the rise of great avatars/messiahs I connect more with what is possible when an individual chooses to awaken, transcend in consciousness, merge with his or her soul, and then operate from that higher vibratory frequency. We become the divine being we quite literally are as "Children of the Most High," and then have the potential to become/exhibit in earthly form our true identity - once we transcend the limits of our own thinking. Interventions from heavenly hosts occur in the sense of guides, guardians, messengers, light beings, and in the sense of synchronicity and spiritually transforming events that change us in significant ways, opening the door to even higher advancement and awareness.
Yes, there are children who almost from birth represent a higher form of human or were superior right from the start. Are these aliens? No one can say for certain, yet, if you study generational patterns, DNA/bloodtype groups, and the various traditions of "root races" (our genetic rootstock), as I have, you begin to recognize progressions of evolving intelligence and abilities that could produce what seems to be "alien," when in fact it is evolution itself - Mother Nature making certain we have what we need not only to survive as a species but to thrive and ascend even higher "ladders" of possibility and promise. There is a movement afoot to connect our newest generations with alien "interbreeding" or the like. Read over the research used to establish this, particularly the questionnaires submitted to people. This work, at least what I have seen and know about, is highly biased with leading questions and assumptions - very difficult to take seriously. (You might read my book "Beyond the Indigo Children" for other ideas about this.)
As far as near-death groups in Canada, yes, there are a goodly number of them. Please contact the International Association For Near-Death Studies (IANDS) for listings of groups near you. Their info: 2741 Campus Walk Avenue, Bldg. 500, Durham, NC 27705; (919) 383-7940; services@iands.org. If this address seems new, it is. They have recently moved from their former headquarters in Connecticut. Blessings, PMH
Labels: Aliens, NDE, Near-Death Experience, Religion