Does it take death or the fear of to believe in a higher power?

Question

Ok, so athiests belong to a catagory in which they are NOT, rather that what they are. They are NOT Thiests. meaning they do not believe in a God or higher power... I'm a self-pronounced cured athiest by way of a near-death/post death experience... I am in a group of about 8 million people. I was dead for over 4 minutes and like many many other Athiests, after my experience I have absolutely no doubt in a higher power...

My question is, why does it take death for Athiests to start believing and why if that was my choice is the bible telling me that had I not died and experienced what I did, I would be going to hell? I'm here to tell each and every person, THERE IS AN AFTERLIFE! Personally, I don't believe in Hell. If anyone was going it would have been me. However, why aren't 8 million accounts of NDE's enough to convince Athiests otherwise?

-will it take dying for you to believe in an afterlife/higher power?

-Why does the bible preach about hell for wrong deeds?

Answer 1

I did not need to die, this was enough for me.
Several years ago I had an unusual experience concerning an uncle, a distant relative who lived over a thousand miles away.

While driving my car I suddenly felt the unmistakable presence of this relative that I hardly even knew. He was more like someone I had heard about than someone I knew. It was very strange; it felt as though I was momentarily lifted right out of my physical body. I seemed to be suspended somehow beyond space and time, bathed in a love so intense It felt like I could have just disappear into it at any moment if It would have let me. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it seemed to last forever at the same time. I realize how crazy this must sound. The experience was so strong that at first I was afraid I was loosing my grip on reality. I finally managed to chalk it up to an over active imagination.

Three days later I got a call from my aunt telling me that this uncle we are talking about had gone into a coma and died the day I had the experience. It felt like ice water had been poured down my back when she told me this. I had lost any real ideas of God or faith and had become somewhat of an atheist. Needless to say this experience caused me to rethink some of the conclusions I had come to.

I feel blessed to now understand that even in our darkest confusion something loves us so much that it went out of its way to assist me and bring me back to a state of absolute certainty about Gods love for us.
During the experience it seemed like there was a vast amount of information that I was somehow allowed access to. One thing that I came away from this experience understanding beyond any shadow of a doubt was that any Idea that God is unhappy with us or would judge or allow us to be punished for any reason is simply impossible.

I can’t explain the love I felt with words. They simply don’t make words big enough or complete enough to do this. The only way I can begin to convey this love to you is to say that there was simply nothing else there. Nothing but love. No hint of judgment, no displeasure of any sort. It is as though God sees us as being as perfect as we were the day we were created. It is only in our confused idea of ourselves that we seem to have changed.

I hope this is of some help to you. Good luck. Love and blessings.

Your brother don

Answer 2

Love.

A love for life....
Can't make anybody love anything, they either do or don't.
Share your story with openness....
Don't get mad if someone rejects it, it is their right.
Do what you can....
Do your best with an open heart....

Unfortunately, some never love until they almost lose....
What you are now trying to make people understand, is the same way you yourself came to know LOVE.

So let's ask you, Why does it take death or fear to believe in a higher power?

Some times that is the cure.
You shouldn't go about trying to prove your point so boldly and without a doubt for everybody because for some there is still doubt.... and you yourself were once where they are at and it took your own experience to bring forth such conclusions, didn't it.

Great story very inspiring, tell like it that.....
If you are gonna try to win more, share your knowledge of the game but don't act like you always knew... it's a turn off. Remember before these things happened to you..... If anyone was ever gonna win you over then, what would have been the best thing (you think now) that they could have done?

Some people never even know they are capable of love until there are no more chances for love....

Answer 3

Heavy!

Not all atheist believe in NOTHING. There are many who believe in an energy or a life force that runs through everything. There are also many who believe in the eternity of existence, and in life after this one. Death will not change these views.

I also believe that the experiences had during near-death experiences are different depending upon the beliefs that the person holds/ or was exposed to growing up. (For example, a Buddhist near death experience may not include a god or a heaven, but rather an energy or a pulse).

As for hell in the bible, well, it seems to me that it is an expression of what will happen to those who do bad. In the bible this place exists in the afterworld, but in other belief systems hell exists now. If I decided to go out and wrong people, I may end up in jail or ostrasized by my friends. In some belief systems this is a state of hell.

Answer 4

I guess, for some, it does take death, for them to believe.
If you have a computer Bible (like E-sword, available free at www.e-sword.net), do a word search for "hell". Every time the word comes up, substitute the term "grave". You'll notice how very well the term fits the context in all but a couple of instances.
Read about hell in Revelation...at the very end, death AND hell are BOTH tossed into a lake of fire, and destroyed (the last enemy to be destroyed is death). This is the SECOND DEATH...no coming back from that one!

Answer 5

It isn't just Atheists that come to God, a lot of Christians that have wandered away all of the sudden find their Lord again. Start reading the Bible again, going back to church.
When things are out of our hands we have to have someone to believe is in control.
After the death of Christ the only way you are going to hell is for not accepting Him. We can not do enough good deeds to get into Heaven. That's why God made it so easy. I'm very grateful for your experience that brought you to where you are now.

-s

Answer 6

The idea of hell is very real why else would God send his Son to die for our sins I mean really would you send your child to die for someone to save them from something that does not exist? God would not have done this ifwe could be with him without it so Hell is very real and the NDE's make you think that if there is a hell you may want to make sure you are right with God after allwhat 2would happen to me if I was wrongnot much but what would happen if an atheist was wrong.

Answer 7

Your experience was likely the result of the release of the chemical ketamine while your brain was shutting down. There are just as many reports of people dying and not seeing any visions as there are people who thought they saw the afterlife. How do you explain these people's experiences? Are they any less valid than yours?

I would have to have god appear to me for me to believe in such a thing. In fact, god would also have to prove that he was not the result of a mental illness before I would believe.

I also believe that a god, were there to be one, would not be interested in the common deeds and events in some unimportant human's life. Even were a god to judge people fitting for heaven or hell, I think such a god would be more concerned with how we lived our lives and how much effort we put into life, rather than a random affiliation to a mortal created church.

Answer 8

Why does it take death for athiests to start believing? Hmmm...
Athiests are generally the "I-Have-To-See-It-To-Believe-It" type.
So, you could double the number of NDEs and the chances of Athiests believing are still slim. They just don't want to. And after an NDE, they see what they have been disbelieving in, and believe it. I myself am debating right now weather I believe you or not, so you get my point. It's just the way things are.

Answer 9

Atheists generally rely on observable evidence to make their conclusions about the world; "8 million NDEs" won't cut it because any individual NDE is not verifiable. Many people go through psychosis when they fear death is near.

Answer 10

No, it doesn't take death or fear of it to believe in a higher power for some people.
We each have our own reasons for our beliefs. I think the natural world (flowers, animals,etc) is pretty amazing and possible evidence of the existence of a benevolent higher power.
I wouldn't worry about the Bible's preaching about hell if I were you. Believe what you believe.