Is there are open discussion area on the forum?

[Antipas]

Originally Posted by Amanah

Your beliefs remind me of the teachings of Joseph Campbell. Did you at one time attend an Apostolic Church?

Yes, I did attend an Apostolic church. My first mystical experience was speaking in tongues. A memory I will forever cherish. Did you know that other faith traditions experience speaking in tongues? Personally, I found that fascinating.

I am familiar with the works of John Campbell. Much of what he has written resonates with me and my own experience.

However the most significant reason for my beliefs stems from a NDE I had years ago. Since that time I've explored NDEs and comparative religion & spirituality. I've also studied ADC and mediumship, psychometry, and other "psychic" phenomena. Religion really didn't help me understand or reconcile my experience with my Apostolic faith tradition.

This caused me to seek answers elsewhere. Surprisingly, understanding Modalism (multiple modes of a single divine being) was instrumental in helping me along this path.

[Amanah]

Does it concern you that the experience you had of receiving the Holy Ghost in an Apostolic Church could be contrary to Spirits you are encountering as a medium?

1 John 4:1-6(KJV)
4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

[Antipas]

Originally Posted by Amanah

Does it concern you that the experience you had of receiving the Holy Ghost in an Apostolic Church could be contrary to Spirits you are encountering as a medium?

1 John 4:1-6(KJV)
4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Let me clarify.

I’m not a medium. I only studied the concept as it relates to death and near death experiences.

Near death experiences are experienced by thousands of people all over the world. While many of them have imagery that can be different they all have similarities. For example, the experience of calm and absolute peace. Being out of body and being able to observe their body, surroundings, and actions taken by others around them like emergency responders. Remembering what was being said by those present after their death. They report being able to sense thoughts, move as fast as thought, and even see the “big picture” of life and spirituality on earth in all its varieties. Then, the sense of being “taken” to a place of pure bliss and joy. The presence of spiritual beings, departed loved ones, or angels being present to greet them. The “life review”, a kind of reckoning with the life they lived on earth. And then the Light…a Light so living, beautiful, loving, kind, and all knowing. The Light often reflects or responds to their individual religious understandings. The realization that “religion” (whatever religion they were) is of little consequence and the epiphany that love is all we are called to do. Many report being given a choice to return or being told that they must return. All of these factors seem to be commonly present in every experience regardless of culture or religion.

My studies on mediumship was in relation to ADC, or after death communication, and what happens after death. Do those spirits on the other side commonly report the very same or similar realities experienced by those who had near death experiences? That was my primary interest in the subject. What is interesting is that no one that I know of who has had an NDE denies that Jesus is a mode of God in the flesh. No medium that I know of refuses to see Jesus as a mode of God either. Most involved in these things don't see a Trinity. They see a God who is a singular divine Source with all spiritual revelation, light, and understanding, regardless of religion emanating from him. Thus in this understanding the founders of all the great religions were either human prophets inspired by what they could understand about God, or they were modes of God's own being, functioning in a given cultural context.

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Antipas

Let me clarify.

I’m not a medium. I only studied the concept as it relates to death and near death experiences.

Near death experiences are experienced by thousands of people all over the world. While many of them have imagery that can be different they all have similarities. For example, the experience of calm and absolute peace. Being out of body and being able to observe their body, surroundings, and actions taken by others around them like emergency responders. Remembering what was being said by those present after their death. They report being able to sense thoughts, move as fast as thought, and even see the “big picture” of life and spirituality on earth in all its varieties. Then, the sense of being “taken” to a place of pure bliss and joy. The presence of spiritual beings, departed loved ones, or angels being present to greet them. The “life review”, a kind of reckoning with the life they lived on earth. And then the Light…a Light so living, beautiful, loving, kind, and all knowing. The Light often reflects or responds to their individual religious understandings. The realization that “religion” (whatever religion they were) is of little consequence and the epiphany that love is all we are called to do. Many report being given a choice to return or being told that they must return. All of these factors seem to be commonly present in every experience regardless of culture or religion.

My studies on mediumship was in relation to ADC, or after death communication, and what happens after death. Do those spirits on the other side commonly report the very same or similar realities experienced by those who had near death experiences? That was my primary interest in the subject. What is interesting is that no one that I know of who has had an NDE denies that Jesus is a mode of God in the flesh. No medium that I know of refuses to see Jesus as a mode of God either. Most involved in these things don't see a Trinity. They see a God who is a singular divine Source with all spiritual revelation, light, and understanding, regardless of religion emanating from him. Thus in this understanding the founders of all the great religions were either human prophets inspired by what they could understand about God, or they were modes of God's own being, functioning in a given cultural context.

Dr Penfield. Neurosurgeon who discovered he could create OBEs and NDEs by electrical stimulation of various centers of the brain.

Ketamine and PCP. Can induce OBEs and NDEs.

DMT. Chemical found in certain mushrooms, a type of sage, some cacti, other plants, and the human brain. Creates OBEs and NDEs, especially when combined with MAOIs.

Bardo Thodol. Tibetan "Book of the Dead", a millennia-old religious text for reciting into the ears of the recently deceased to explain what's happening to them d
so they don't get trapped in the wheel of reincarnation. Also used as a focus of meditation and contemplation to simulate the death experience in preparation for it. Remarkable similarities to DMT or Ketamine induced NDEs. Reading it while on LSD can induce dissociative NDEs (observing yourself having an NDE as if you were s third party).

Ayahuasca. DMT-MAOI compound taken orally, induces NDEs that last over 48 hours in most situations, used by shamans in S. America. Usually has negative digestive/cathartic effects, however.

THC. In high concentrations from resins obtained from certain strains of cannabis can induce OBEs and mild NDEs.

Alcohol. Makes people think they know things they don't know.

Learning. Too much maketh thee mad.

Mobile phones. Increases likelihood of stupid typos.

[Esaias]

According one researcher, almost 1/5th of all NDEs are negative, terrifying, painful, or otherwise "less than positive". So it is a factual error to say "all NDEs have a common theme of bliss, calm, peace, at one ment with divine love" etc.

http://www.near-death.com/science/ex...ra-rommer.html

[Esaias]

Increasing melatonin and decreasing CO2 levels stimulates production of religious experiences. The difference between melatonin and DMT is one carbon and two oxygen, ie CO2.

Fasting increases melatonin and decreases CO2.

As does extended periods of physical stillness and sensory deprivation, like meditating in a cave.

The dying process often evokes spikes in gamma EEG readings.

Increased gamma EEG readings are also observed in mediums.

Also observed under some anesthetics.

Also observed with certain meditative practices and hypnagogia and sleep paralysis.

Certain repetitive vocalizations can cause intracranial vibrations that stimulate the pineal gland, which can induce increased melatonin and thus natural DMT production leading to religious experiences.

[Esaias]

BTW, I grew up as a kid spending time with my dad at work who was an EEG technician at the Sleep Lab in a major hospital in Houston. He later went into EMG for Baylor, worked with Michael Debakey, pioneered certain EMG techniques, and whose living room was filled with Plato, Evans-Wentz, the Urantia Book, and many others, who learned yoga in India and Buddhism in Japan, who was experienced with LSD and DMT and etc back in 1960s era San Francisco, helped distribute LSD for professor Owsley (CIA researcher in California), and more.

That was my upbringing as a child.

I was practicing mediumship and geomancy, psychometry, Tarot, and Gardnerian magick, and inducing OBEs, back in middle school.

By high school I had graduated to Enochian high magick, Golden Dawn style qabala, entheogenic shamanism, and traditional Satanism aka a mix of mayomberia and tantric Shaivism, and some Chaos Magick before it was called that popularly.

Thank God He delivered me from all that nonsense. Now I'm a Bible thumping fundamentalist Pentecostal. And eternally grateful.

[Antipas]

Originally Posted by Esaias

Dr Penfield. Neurosurgeon who discovered he could create OBEs and NDEs by electrical stimulation of various centers of the brain.

Ketamine and PCP. Can induce OBEs and NDEs.

DMT. Chemical found in certain mushrooms, a type of sage, some cacti, other plants, and the human brain. Creates OBEs and NDEs, especially when combined with MAOIs.

Bardo Thodol. Tibetan "Book of the Dead", a millennia-old religious text for reciting into the ears of the recently deceased to explain what's happening to them d
so they don't get trapped in the wheel of reincarnation. Also used as a focus of meditation and contemplation to simulate the death experience in preparation for it. Remarkable similarities to DMT or Ketamine induced NDEs. Reading it while on LSD can induce dissociative NDEs (observing yourself having an NDE as if you were s third party).

Ayahuasca. DMT-MAOI compound taken orally, induces NDEs that last over 48 hours in most situations, used by shamans in S. America. Usually has negative digestive/cathartic effects, however.

THC. In high concentrations from resins obtained from certain strains of cannabis can induce OBEs and mild NDEs.

Alcohol. Makes people think they know things they don't know.

Learning. Too much maketh thee mad.

Mobile phones. Increases likelihood of stupid typos.

I'm aware that NDE-like experiences can be induced by various means. However, they are not true NDEs. Drugs can induce religious-like visions too, but they are not true religious visions.

To relegate these spiritual phenomena to biochemical reaction is to build a rather strong case for atheism. After studying this, I had a period of entertaining scientific pantheism, an atheistic devotion to the innate sacredness of the natural universe. But still, I feel the draw of something spiritual.

I think that in some ways the spiritual and the natural intersect. But a drug induced, or artficially induced, NDE is quite different from what is experienced in clinical death. It doesn't bring the peace and life changing effect of the real experience.

[Antipas]

Originally Posted by Esaias

According one researcher, almost 1/5th of all NDEs are negative, terrifying, painful, or otherwise "less than positive". So it is a factual error to say "all NDEs have a common theme of bliss, calm, peace, at one ment with divine love" etc.

http://www.near-death.com/science/ex...ra-rommer.html

You are correct. I should have said "most".

[Esaias]

So in other words, long story short, all religious experiences, defined as internal perceptual experiences or "ecstatic" experiences and perceptions, are biological processes within the brain. In fact, ALL mentally perceptible phenomena take place within the biochemical structures and processes of the brain.

You can prove this by either eating some psilocybin mushrooms or hitting yourself in the head with a ball peen hammer.

This is documented, observable, testable, repeatable, scientific fact.

And 100% Biblical. NO OTHER RELIGIOUS TRADITION OF HUMANITY RECOGNISED AND EMBODIED THIS NOW PROVEN SCIENTIFIC FACT EXCEPT THE BIBLE, that human consciousness and perception depend on living biology.

Thus, the Bible teaches that consciousness and ALL PERCEPTION cease upon physical death, that physical resurrection is a sine qua non of any experiential "afterlife", and that all non-Elohim induced spiritual phenomena (visions, voices, etc) are mental phenomena arising from the imagination of man. Ergo, the idols are nothing, and yet they are daemons. Study the actual meaning of the Greek term daemon and you get closer to the realization.

Yes, it's all in your head. As it should be, as it must be.

There's a reason Jesus rose from the dead leaving an empty tomb, instead of appearing as a ghost or a " small inner voice"....