Ben saw the light... twice and was at peace with the fact he was about to die. Whether or not there is a scientific reason why he saw and felt what he experienced ... it's still an amazing story that shouldn't become a god/ atheist argument.
I would pay to go the way he described, I hope that's the way he ultimately went as well, I thank him for sharing his experience with the world, may he RIP. And I do believe.
Was watching an inspirational stories segment on ESPN earlier today. Its so unfortunate and sad how young people's lives can be impaired and cut short with diseases. Though kids can have more simple-minded rugged determination than adults about it. Wish tragedies didnt have to exist, while at the same time there's a special perspective to take from it.
The problem is that religion is being taught incorrectly. It should not tie you down. The message of Christ is to accept him as your lord and savior and that's it. That's the only message. Some people and some churches use that to try to control you morally. You don't get to heaven by having good morals. You get to heaven by accept Christ as your savior.
If that makes you feel better about yourself, then by all means. Our first attempt at philosophy holds up for many people, but it doesn't hold up for everyone. Just keep it out of the science classrooms, with Zues and Apollo.
Knote32: http://www.near-death.com/experiences/experts01.html The following are excerpts from Jean Ritchie's excellent book Death's Door which is unfortunately out-of-print. Here she describes all the various theories explaining the near-death experience. It is important to realize the fact that although the mechanism for the dying process in the brain can be quantified, this by no means proves that NDEs are merely a vision produced by the brain which ends upon permanent brain death. Science is unable to prove this because of the large amount of circumstantial evidence that consciousness can exist far removed from the body. In the same vein, science cannot prove that consciousness can survive death; however, research is underway right now that may provide scientific evidence that consciousness can exist outside of the body. Many people, such as myself, believe it is only a matter of time. NDE researchers do not have to prove anything. The circumstantial evidence is in their favor. But science has a lot of explaining to do if tries to claim that consciousness does not survive death. A good analogy of one current theory of consciousness assumes that consciousness is not localized in the skull. Assuming consciousness is like a television signal that exists in the air waves and is being processed by a television set (the brain) to produce images on the screen (brain chemistry) representing a television program (a near-death experience). Using this analogy, current scientific theories claim that the near-death experience is a product of the television set. In other words, the television program is a product of the television set. Using the analogy, this would be false because it is the television signal working with the television that produces the television program. Some scientific claims state that death is the end of consciousness - like shutting of the television set is the end of the television signal in the air waves. Using this analogy, you can see that such a statement is false. Shutting off the television does not affect the television signal in the air waves. Some of the top consciousness researchers believe this analogy fits, that is, consciousness is like the television signals in the air waves and that death is not the end of consciousness. Shutting off the television set does not affect the signal in the air waves.
It doesn't make me feel better about myself at all - and I'm not discussing my own religious/personal beliefs. I'm just staying that the true message from Christ was just that. By sheer grace alone, anyone can be saved. That's it - The whole "thou shalt not" stuff is crap.
And that was also the message of many religions before christianity, such as Mithraism, etc. It is not a new concept... Science has done nothing of the sort. There has been significant ideas in the scientific community concerning conciousness and parallel dimensions, etc, for hundreds and hundreds of years. Anti-theist, look it up. I wonder If you understand what it means to be an athiest, an anti-theist. You can be an anti-theist and still be open to conciousness after death, parallel dimensions, and so on. Dogma on the other hand is a different matter...
Guys, this is not a D&D thread. I knew Ben Breedlove. Not very well, but in passing. I direct music at a church in Westlake Hills, and have several choir members who were friends with him (one of which was, literally, his next door neighbor). I had the chance to meet and speak with him on more than a few occasions. He really was a remarkable young man. From all outward appearances, he seemed like an average teenager, but when you talked to him, you really got the sense that he had an inner confidence and calm that was hard to quantify. The very definition of "still waters run deep". In the end, his message, his entire life, was about appreciating the time you are given and finding peace, whether from within your own heart or through your faith. Please don't sully his memory by flinging poo at each other.
