Why this stuff is so important..............and why skeptic must be fought

[no one]

I volunteer at a local hospice house. I spend about 8 hours a week, on average, usually in the evenings, at the house helping the residents with whatever they need in their last days. It' pretty weird because spirituality and discussions about life after death are conspicuously absent most of the time. Volunteers are not supposed to bring it up unless a resident initiates a conversation and, even then, we have to be really careful about what we say and how we say it.

 

So this week there's a very nice friendly intelligent man in his early 60s that's dying from cancer. I was helping him with his dinner when I noticed Eben Alexander's book sitting on the table by his bed. This is the first time I've seen a book (other than the Bible) dealing with NDEs or anything similar in the house. I commented, "Hey. That's a great book - have you been reading it?"

 

The resident seemed embarrassed that I had noticed it. He deflected saying, "Oh, my brother dropped it off". I got the sense that I was supposed to understand that his brother is maybe a little off and into fringe stuff and that he was just humoring his brother by accepting the book.  I didn't want to play along and wondered if he really felt that way.

 

Long story short, we got to talking a little more about the book and about the topic in general and it turns out that the resident is very interested in the topic and is starting to hope - and maybe believe that it's real - but he doesn't want to look foolish or desperate, given his situation (maybe two or three weeks to live).

 

How awful that someone who is about to exit this world is worried about looking foolish for accepting life after death. How awful of the skeptics and materialists to have constructed such a situation.

 

The more we can get the truth out there and the more we can make it mainstream, the better off humanity will be. The skeptics must be fought!

[Paul]

That's a really interesting point noone. I've had an interest in this subject for over ten years and still feel a reservation when talking to strangers about it.

[Matt Rouge]

Right. I think that, in the US, atheism and Christianity have both met in the middle to suppress this stuff, since it's good to do so for both sides. Not that there has been a conspiracy; it's just naturally gone this route.

So I think we are battling not just skeptics but also evangelical types. The status quo is just to treat it all as matters of opinion best not discussed.

[no one]

Good point, Matt. The fundies are as responsible as the skeptics for the repression.

 

What I told the guy was, basically, IMO, the stuff is real. I've experienced a few things I can't ignore and I've been engaged in looking at the evidence for many years as well. And, well, what have you got to lose? If it's all wrong, then you'll never know it. Right?

 

 

[Matt Rouge]

I think you said the right thing, absolutely!