Why We Believe

Perhaps some people do indeed "know". Ask anyone that has been through any miraculous event such as a miraculous healing or perhaps a supernatural experience. I would recommend against broadly speaking for "Us Religious believers".
There is a book called "23 Minutes in Hell". I'm sure that you may revise your point if you dig deeper.
http://www.amazon.com/23-Minutes-Hell-Bill-Wiese/dp/1591858828

Let me guess sherriann is from Georgia or South Carolina and the whole family goes to Civil War re-enactments hoping against hope that they will win this time. And yet you wonder why your 3 year old grandson is making up stories about getting shot. Hmmmm

For at least five days, this debate has continued. Researchers who study paranormal activity are called pseudo-scientists by those who think that they know better. Christians blast the atheists, who blast back. The middle ground is trod again and again by those people who are not religious, but believe they've experienced paranormal or supernatural activity. History is dredged up, and quotes from every shape and size of guru or scientist are added to the mix. I'm rather impressed that everyone's kept this going for so long.

But I honestly don't think that this discussion board will solve this fundamental difference in perspective. And that's is ALL it is. What exists will continue to exist, without people believing in it, or trying to prove it. If god exists, then no scientist's disbelief is going to eradicate it. If god doesn't exist, then no religious figure can pray it to life. If paranormal activity exists or doesn't, it's simply there or not, and none of the many wonderful words everyone has been shoving around will change that.

Reality will still exist, even if the definition of reality changes from person to person. Why isn't it enough to accept the philosophical differences of opinion and get on with more important things? Why is this divisiveness so influential when it comes to judging other human beings? Does it always have to be "us" and "them" when it comes to ridiculous disagreements about gray issues? Because of people are so caught up in their own opinion, reality suffers. Because of a two-party system that allows little compromise, with no third option, and no bloody give and take, societal evolution and understanding is stagnating, or worse, regressing. Without that evolution, without that comprehension, how can we possibly get our freaking acts together and clean up our collective mistakes?! How can we unite in order to talk about compromises which affect our lives and survival?

ARGH! You know what? I'm going to go eat my pudding. Because guess what... PUDDING'S REAL. And I don't care if scientists can prove that it doesn't exist because all matter is imaginary and made up of atoms and the spaces between. And I don't care if a whole collective cult of pudding worshipers bow down before the triple chocolate in hope that it's creamy goodness will smooth the path to heavenly enlightenment. I'm going to enjoy the pudding with all five of my senses. And I won't vote in the election. Because it's NOT REAL, and millions of people delude themselves into thinking that their vote counts, when it's all about the electoral college and the sneaky under-handed districting. You want to talk about science and religion? Fine. I hope you enjoy the view from your high-horses across this over-trodden battlefield, because that's where you're going to stay for the rest of your life if you can't learn to parley.

To balance the apparent views of Ms Begley and the experts she cites in her artlcle on the paranormal, Newsweek mignt consider the evidence for remote viewing, out of body experiences of those on the operating table and reincarnation, particularly the work of the late Dr. Ian Stevenson. That the mind is inseperable from the brain may someday ironically be shown to be the flat lander view after all.

congratulations the study of the brain is factual, but what is soul? are we an energy being inside a vehicle
that includes the brain. our brain has no functionallity to identify ourselves in such a manner. But
it has been scientifically noted that our total amperage if you will is a little more than all the mechanics
of our physical system . i am a soul with a physical body. and from that wisdom that i am i say truly
and sincerly "its all very interesting" your soul can feel the energy i put in the words. i am an associate
with the inner peace movement and on a rolodex somewhere in the home office in D.C.

Let us remember that it is our belief's that create the realtiy that we then see, react to, and experience in the first place. Therefore, it is unlikely that a scientist would experience the paranormal since he/she first believes that paranormal experiences simply do not exist and so they make up their own kind of fairy tales to explain them away. It is also unlikely that a scientist would ever understand, much less acknowledge, that consciousness creates realtiy it is not the other way around. It would behoove us to remember then that In the infinite scope of consciousness not only are all things possible but they are highly plausible as well.

Example: 1989, Grand Jct., CO, I was attending a group meditation with a friend and my friend had brought a client and the client's daughter with her. I had never met this woman and knew nothing about her except that she had just arrived from Michigan. During the meditation I first noted that another attendee of the session was out of her physical body and standing beside me looking down at me, while at the same time she was lying on her bedroll in the aisle. Immediately afterwards I noticed a young man, around the age of twenty-one, suddenly appearing in a seat behind the daughter of my friends client. The young man was dressed in levis, a white T shirt, and a black leather jacket. He looked to be average height, was rather handsome, and had dark hair and eyes.

When the meditation was over, the young woman who had been out of her body walked over to me and I asked her if she had memory of her experience. She didn't, but did look frightened and left. I then turned to my friend and told her about the young man sitting behind her client's daughter, described what he looked like, and asked if the others had noticed him. They had not. However, my friend's client stated, :"You are describing my son, he died two years ago. He was stabbed to death in Detroit, and he was only twenty-one. The clothing you described was his usual attire." She also stated that prior to and during the meditation she was hoping to contact her son, that's why she came.

I could give numerous examples, but from the two given that arose out of just one event, I'm sure you get my point.
Now I have seen more ghosts that most people, and I find the whole experience rather intriguing one since they occur spontaneously rather than bidden. I always see full bodied spirits, but I have never seen dark shadows or orbs. I don't always experience cold spots when these ghosts appear either, I simply experience a thickening so to speak of the atmosphere. All my paranormal experiences have been filed with the Rhine Institute in Durham., or at least those through 2004.

Plain nonsense! sure in some cases its true... But how do you explain documented cases using electronics equipment, cameras, audio records (evps - and not the junk you mostly see and hear out there. I mean real clear disembodie voices answing questions given by paranormal investigators) . Watch a few seasons of GhostHunters (no matter what anyone may think, they are 100% legitimate) and maybe go speak face to face with them before writing tis garbage that merely puts phsycologists in a good light.

congratulations the study of the brain is factual, but what is soul? are we an energy being inside a vehicle
that includes the brain. our brain has no functionallity to identify ourselves in such a manner. But
it has been scientifically noted that our total amperage if you will is a little more than all the mechanics
of our physical system . i totally agree that examining the parts of the brain and functions will lead to no
discovery. i am of a scientific nature. and ask questions. where to we look to find consciousness in unconsciousness. i am a soul with a physical body. i can know without knowing see without seeing hear without hearing and feel (what the hindu's call the state of Brahma or such) myself as a soul.
as of now their is no empirical evidence because scientists are looking empirically. and proving themselves
right which they are in their ballpark. my soul would say to everyone. its sincerely all very interesting.
scott_gabe@q.com

My father died on a Sunday 3 years ago. As the eldest amongst my siblings the responsibility for the funeral arrangements fell on me. The funeral was held on the Thursday. On the Friday morning (the day after the funeral) my wife accompanied me to the funeral home where I paid the bill, settled the accounts and collected his ashes. Then we went to my mother's apartment to drop off the ashes and went home. On the way home I told my wife that as i had not been to my office for the whole week that I would drop her at home and then go down to the office for a little while.....I did not intend to stay long at the office, but wanted at least to have an idea of what would be waiting for me on the Monday.
As we entered the front door of our home we were greeted by a most beautiful perfume that pervaded the entire house. My wife (who is a catholic) had lit a candle for my father on the day that he died and the candle was still burning 6 days later BUT the candle was not a scented one. We asked our housekeeper if she had lit anything or sprayed anything but she answered in the negative. She too was smelling the perfume. She said that it had started about 10 minutes before my wife and I had come home.. I then left for the office and returned home approximately 90 minutes later. When I got back the beauriful scent was still there but was extremely faint. It went in about another 20 minutes. My wife and the housekeeper told me that as soon as I had left for the office that the scent had started to fade.
I am a commercial lawyer of some 35 yeasrs standing. My intellect and my training have taught me to question everything and not to accept superstitions. Indeed, as an amateur historian I have taken a delight in researching the origens of many suerstitions as well as various religious beliefs. I am not superstitious, neither am I reilious. All of that being said I must confess that apart from the very obvious explanantion, I have been unable to find any other logical or scientific explanation for that beautiful (dare I say Heavenly?) perfume.
Any explanatins from anybody would be most welcome.

Newsweek and Time reprint a variation of this same article every 3 months. They cart out all the exact same people (Dawkins and co.) to reduce us to robots. I am not what you would call a religious person, I tend to go with science on a lot of things, but I really dislike the self assured attitude of anyone who thinks they have it figured out. Einstein, had varying beliefs varying from a spiritual mysticism to at times I suppose an atheistic sensne. I think he was a smart guy..right? He was not sure. What I really want to know is why no one metions Dr Karl Pribram. Do a google search on him. No dumb guy. Very scientific,, and has made huge contribuitions to the neuroscience that is used by some of the scientists that reject the chance of a spiritual world. Yet Pribram leaves the door more than a crack open for a spritual world connected in ways we can't perceive easily.