[QUOTE=lekatt]
I had hoped there would be more discussion of the “I” and its ability to continue to live after the death of the body. This is not a new concept, it has been held by many since the beginning of recorded history. We now have some research on this subject that indicates this is true. Perhaps as time goes by it will become accepted.
[/QUOTE]
I believe we live, “I” lives after the body ceases to function.
While I believe I died, my uncle isn’t sure if he died. Three doctors said he was too close to dead to save.
When he was 12 he had a severe cranial fracture. There was no external damage and he appeared ok for awhile. A couple days later his head hurt badly and his folks took him to the hospital. This was in 1954.
The doctors told his mother he was dying. There was swelling inside the skull. There was nothing they could do. Another doctor came out to tell her he would try to operate anyway. His mother told him it was the longest 45 minutes of her life.
My uncle said he was watching the doctors from the upper corner of the room his body was in. He was out of his body. He said he was held in a bright light where he felt loved, safe and peaceful.
He knew what the three doctors were saying as they decided they would not work on him. He heard them say he was too far gone. They didn’t want the mark on their records that someone died on their table. A fourth doctor came in and examined my uncle’s body. He said he would try to relieve the pressure.
The Uncle says he heard their words with no ears. He knew he had no ears because he could see his body down beneath him. He later told some kids in school he got to see his brain, but they didn’t understand what he was trying to share. There were no mirrors in the room. He watched from above it, in the safety of the light that held him with no pain and no fear.
The surgury that was done took place with no anestetic because they were afraid to put him under. There was a local used where they cut his scalp. Part of the skull bone was removed. It was later replaced with a metal plate. He says he saw it all. He saw them cut his scalp, saw open his skull and lay back the bone. He saw his brain where it was exposed. They removed the bone, released the swelling, then tacked the skin back. All of a sudden, he was back in his body looking up at them.
I told him that I believe that the part of him that watched is the part of us that does not die. He pointed out that it could see, hear and had a memory, too, because he remembered what he saw and heard after he was back in his body. I agreed with him and shared my experiences.
For me there is no doubt that self exists beyond death and without a body. It remembers love and life and learning. It’s alive and aware as an individual entity.
My uncle and I had never talked about our experiences before. He said he got tired of people thinking he was crazy. I agreed. But we believe each other. We have years of knowing the other is honest. We trust each other.
This is just another personal experience to you. For you, I am just written words. He is just second hand words. For us it was a confirmation. Something we couldn’t explain, but was real to us, was real to another we trusted. We are not insane.
Somethings you won’t understand until you “grow up”. We have all heard that. I believe there are somethings you won’t understand until your body dies and you don’t. I think that 1 Corinthians 13, taken as a whole, says about the same thing.
1 Corinthians 15 is Paul’s take on life after death. Verse 51 is interesting, but the whole chapter bears study with a good translation and Strong’s concordence.
Have fun!