NDEs and epileptic seizures

As for Steve001's absurd attempts to psychoanalyse others, perhaps a mirror might be a useful accessory.

I'd say you'd have a point except for the available evidence whole beliefs systems are founded upon the belief there is an afterlife. The NDE is a modern version of an ancient idea. Is it really absurd to acknowledge that provenance?

Well, I don't really think that all NDE proponents are scared shitless about death. Some may be, surely, I am terrified by it, but there are researchers who just happen to be curious, and people that went from atheism (not being scared by death but want oblivion) to some form of spirituality.

I think it's a really varied world that of NDE researchers.

I never said or implied that somewhat colorful phrasing. What I really said is; most folks don't like that death may present the final stage of life, nothing more. You certainly have seen that in some of the replies you've gotten.

I'd say you'd have a point except for the available evidence whole beliefs systems are founded upon the belief there is an afterlife. The NDE is a modern version of an ancient idea. Is it really absurd to acknowledge that provenance?

But many belief systems didn't. Nirvana is basically emptyness, religious belief in ancient greece sent souls to hades, a realm where they were shades of their former selves and most of their identity was lost. Other religious systems impose a cicle of reincarnation, basically making the idea of an "afterlife" nearly useless as you aren't gonna remember anything and emerge totally different each time, so basically your ego gets obliterated  each time. Numerous other cultures had very vague beliefs in the existence of an afterlife, or at least one where you retain your identity, all over the world.

it's the Judeo-Christian-Muslism idea of "God" that shapes our ideas about an afterlife and gives us the impression that believers are just a scared bunch of idiots that don't want to end forever. Atheism is a reaction to western religious beliefs, replacing them with something else that also looks more plausible, at least at first sight (you die, you are over forever. It's much simpler to understand and rationalize than the idea of an invisible soul).

So yeah, considering all the religions that have ever existed in the world I'd say that the idea that every belief is just ultimately based on scared people is just wrong. Also, I don't get why introduce concepts such as Karma, Hell, elysian field VS Hades and so on if you just want to reassure scared people. Why differentiate, if you want the highest number of followers just promise a good and happy afterlife for most of them... instead, this didn't usually happen with religious beliefs worldwide. Odd, but it's just that.

NDEs may be one of the few systems into which most people seem to reach "heaven" regardless of what they did in life