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Following is an account of one reason why I believe as I do:
"For we know that when this tent we live in now is taken down... when we die
and leave these bodies...we will have wonderful new bodies in Heaven, homes
that will be ours for evermore, made for us by God Himself, without human hands."
II Corinthians 5:1 (Living Bible)
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We Live, We Die - Then What?
By Robert J. Evans
Who among us has not wondered what it is like to die, and if our end will be sudden, unexpected, or a lingering death with extreme discomfort pain and suffering - perhaps no longer recognizing our loved ones.
Mercifully, our pets will not suffer such a fate: we humans are too kind for that. We softly bid them goodbye with great love and affection then gently put them to sleep. We are only unkind to our fellow humans, believing that human life is sacred and should be prolonged, even by artificial means, no matter how meaningless or painful that life has become.
But this is not about irrational human behavior, but rather a search for the meaning of life.
Is life nothing more than a collection of cells that take in nourishment and oxygen, and which instinctively try to create an environment that will allow them to reproduce and continue the process - a life force with no purpose other than self preservation? If so, this would apply equally to the complex cluster of cells we call humans, or the lowly single cell or virus.
Scientists cannot exactly pinpoint what life is as opposed to non-life such as inanimate objects. For both are complex orbital electrical arrangements composed of mostly empty space. But unlike inanimate objects, life self-replicates -- replaces damaged cells structure, etc. Life is a kind of intelligence; it monitors and regulates vital biological processes. What is the nature of this intelligence? Is it a God force in action? By God force I mean intelligence both in and outside of ourselves -- a universal intelligence that monitors and controls every atom of the universe. Every atom of all that is would be an integral part of this force; whether that individual atom is part of a rock or a living breathing human being. That first simple living cell was destined to evolve to become not only a complex arrangement of cells, the higher order of which is ourselves, but all living creatures. A couple of good scientific books on this subject are: The Design Matrix, by Mike Gene (a pseudonym), and The Design of Life, by William A. Dembski and Jonathan Wells.
Thousands of books have been written on the existence/non-existence of God, and the exact nature of the life force. Whether this life force is eternal regardless of death of the physical body is considered unproven and even un-provable by science. It is all a matter of personal belief. I believe that the death of one�s body is nothing more than the withdrawal of this individualized life force simply because the diseased or injured body can no longer sustain it. That�s why when I hear a radio announcement that a famous person has died and is being buried, I think to myself why do they always say he or she is being buried? Why don�t they say, his or her body is being buried? The person - that vibrant, animated personality is not being buried, only their empty shell - a lifeless body - a body �less� its life.
While I have the greatest respect for those who choose not to believe at all that we have a soul, I think a serious study of the subject would at least cause some pondering on the matter. When we have a fixed opinion about something and are not that interested in opposing opinions it is unlikely we will take the initiative to read all the available literature in order to carefully weigh both sides of the issue. Dr. Donald R. Griffin , the Zoologist who discovered how bats navigate in the dark, used a phrase I like in regard to those who didn�t subscribe to his theory that animals might be capable of thought and awareness. He said they were �succumbing to a self-inflicted paralysis of inquiry.� I believe this is also true of those who have made their minds up that it�s simply not possible for human consciousness to exist beyond the grave.
I have read many personal accounts of people all over the world who were near death and who later reported the sensation of traveling through a tunnel towards a light - of hearing celestial music - and seeing and speaking to deceased loved ones. Of course, science puts it all down to chemical activity from induced drugs, and/or of endorphins released by the brain during the trauma of the dying process. However, I had the experience long before I'd read of any of these accounts, and while in perfect health and without so much as taking an aspirin.
This is how it happened: I was trying to fall asleep again in the early hours of the morning after being woken by the crying of our baby son, when suddenly every molecule of my being began to vibrate; I gradually felt my consciousness separate from my body, I became scared; I was certain I was undergoing the dying process. Then the thought came to me to not worry and to just let go. As I did I seemed to float above my body, and then there began the sensation of traveling through a tunnel at great speed towards a blinding light. The incredible music I heard as I approached the light can�t possibly be described - nor the architectural beauty I found myself in. It was a courtyard in front of a magnificent structure with huge stone pillars; even the very air seemed tinged with the purple glow of spirituality - I felt unworthy to be there. I stood before a man in biblical attire (no, not Jesus, but apparently a high teacher). I couldn�t help but think back to earth and thinking if only people could see this. It would change their whole outlook on life. They would not do the things they do. We talked for what seemed a long time. Next thing I knew I was wide awake, still laying in the same position, my whole body tingling like an electric charge. I wanted to wake my wife and tell her about the amazing experience, but chose to wait until morning. A few days later she had a couple of astounding experiences - not like mine, but two demonstrations brought to her so she would know the reality of what happened to me. She was the first to awaken that morning, and I was still half asleep when I heard her gasp. I guess I fell asleep again. She later told me she had seen our baby�s cute little blue doll which was in the crib in the baby�s bedroom actually floating above my head bathed in a purple light. My wife, Grace, is not given to hallucinations. She is a very practical person - very down to earth.
Three days after my original experience this same man I�d seen and spoken to manifested himself through the instrumentality of the great medium, Richard Zenor, with whom I had a prearranged meeting. I had quickly realized the being (the master teacher) was the same person I'd seen in the vision as he began to describe our meeting. He mentioned the doll and said this was done as a demonstration for my wife. So she would know I didn�t dream all this. He discussed how much I�d remembered of his conversation, mode of dress, long hair, etc. He informed me that he was my teacher from long ago in Egypt, that I would be taken during sleep to observe the various levels of consciousness on �the other side,� including the very low levels, but not to be frightened as the people who inhabited these lower levels couldn�t hurt me. Well, I did experience these excursions in great detail. Of course, the naturally skeptical mind would say this couldn�t have happened (in spite of the doll illustration), and therefore I must be mentally off in some way or have a very wild imagination (my wife, too I guess.) No, these were real experiences, extremely vivid, and of course later validated by the master teacher as he explained their significance. Not only that, but several years later on a trip to England I attended a spiritualists meeting and was picked out of the audience by the lecturing medium and told I had a master standing beside me. She (the medium) then described in great detail the exact person I�d seen in my original experience.
I might add at this point that Richard Zenor, the medium, was thoroughly investigated by a highly skeptical Los Angeles newspaper crime reporter, James Crenshaw. Jimmy later came away a believer and wrote a book about Richard entitled �Telephone between Worlds.� In the book he describes how the dead spoke to their relatives and friends through Richard and in more than 20 languages. I heard my father speak through Richard, and in his Scottish accent, and later an American Indian guide spoke to me in the same way. He gave me the accurate translation of something I said to him in Cherokee. (I had memorized it from a library book.) Another good friend spoke to her dead son in Yiddish. He had died at 21 of a brain tumor. When her highly orthodox husband died he came through Richard and he said he�d found their son and apologized for not believing as she did. He described himself as being stubborn and stupid. She told him he wasn�t at all; it�s just that he wasn�t ready for such beliefs. I personally think some people are afraid to confront the truth that strong personal evidence like this provides. It upsets their logical concept of reality, requiring answers to questions they�d rather not think about. Something I forgot to mention was that Mr. Zenor had never met me, I knew no one in the audience. Yet my name was called and told my father was present. No one there knew my father had died or that he was a Scot. He had never even lived in this country.
Some highly respected academics are not afraid to speak out at the risk of ridicule by their peers. One such professional man, Dr. Gustafe Stromberg, an internationally renown astronomer in his day, wrote a very interesting forward to Telephone between Worlds. I�ll quote a small part of what he said, ��.In the living world are organizing fields which determine the structure and functions of all living organisms and their organs. These fields are well defined. They expand during embryonic development, reach their full size at maturity, and at death they contract to a point and disappear into the non-physical world from where they originally came. All our memories are �engraved� in our brain field, which has a definite electrical structure with the aid of which determines the structure and function of our brains. When at death our �memory field� contracts and disappears from the physical world it retains all its mental elements in an unchanged form. In this way we obtain a scientific picture of the phenomenon of life and death, and we even arrive at a theory for the survival of the human soul with retention of all its memories."
The above statement ties in with the following extract from a study by the British Association for the advancement of Science: "....The study and other evidence points to the mind and brain not being identical, and it seems that the mind may operate in part outside the brain as a sort of field which works in the same way as a TV receiver receives programmes through the airwaves...."
The full article is re-printed on the next page:
Study into near-death experiences supports theory of a 'sixth sense'
RICHARD SADLER
BRITISH scientists say there is convincing evidence that a significant proportion of the population possess psychic powers.
The British Association for the Advancement of Science was told an increasing number of experiments support the theory of a human "sixth sense" - an ability which may have its roots in our past, when the ability to sense the presence of a predator was a matter of life or death.
The view that people are capable of paranormal feats, such as premonitions, telepathy, and out-of-body experiences, is supported by new research by the Institute of Psychiatry, which suggests the human mind may exist outside the body like an invisible magnetic field.
The research is being led by Dr Peter Fenwick, a neuro-psychiatrist at London University, who has just completed a survey of heart patients claiming to have had "near-death experiences" after their hearts had stopped beating.
"There is now convincing evidence to challenge the current theory that consciousness can only exist inside the brain - and if you can have consciousness without associated brain function, that is enormously important for our understanding of the mind," he said.
For his latest research, 60 patients at Southampton General Hospital�s coronary care unit were interviewed after heart attacks had left them temporarily brain-dead. Seven reported near-death experiences - defined by characteristic features such as a feeling of leaving your body, going through a tunnel and entering an area of "love, bliss and consciousness".
"The significance of this is that after a cardiac arrest you lose consciousness within eight seconds; within 11 seconds the brain�s rhythms become flat, and within 18 seconds there is no possibility of the brain creating a model of the world - so the brain is down," said Dr Fenwick.
"Yet whenever we asked people when their near-death experiences occurred, they said it was during unconsciousness. If that�s true, their experience was occurring when there was no blood flowing through the brain - and consciousness would appear to exist outside the brain."
It could be argued that their experiences occurred in the few seconds between brain functions being restored and the return of consciousness. But recent research on a patient in the United States, where traces of electrical activity in the brain were closely monitored, suggested this was not the case.
"That study and other evidence points to the mind and brain not being identical, and it seems that the mind may operate in part outside the brain as a sort of field which works in the same way as a TV receiver receives programmes through the airwaves," said Dr Fenwick.
"The main question we are trying to answer is does the brain-identity theory really hold - and the next step is to find more people who experience leaving their bodies and put symbols on the ceiling or walls of the ward to see if they are able to detect them."
Dr Fenwick said the idea of the mind existing outside the body helped to explain the growing weight of scientific evidence pointing to genuine psychic powers.
I mentioned earlier the book Telephone between Worlds by James Crenshaw. This is the story of Richard Zenor�s life. Dr. Stromberg goes on to say in the preface, ��Richard Zenor, who never had the opportunity to study philosophy, brings forth some remarkable material comparable to the great thinkers of the world. There are statements of other types which certainly cannot be ascribed to a knowledge possessed by Richard himself�.� About James Crenshaw, he writes, �James Crenshaw is a well known and conscientious reporter, and he describes facts as he sees and hears them. For this reason I am convinced the present book (Telephone Between Worlds) will prove of interest to many people and will contribute to our knowledge of a field of inquiry which has just begun to expand.�
My friend, the late William Eisen of JPL also studied Richard Zenor�s vast body of work, and went on to write several books, including Agasha, Master of Wisdom, and The Agashan Discourses. He describes the manner of divine evolution of primitive organisms to the complex forms of today, as well as including remarkable transcripts of the wisdom and knowledge in the Agashan audio tapes. These books can be found on the Agasha web site: http://www.agasha.org/books.htm but I will be covering much of their content in the following pages. Agasha says we are here on this physical plane to learn and to grow and to expand in consciousness. Earth is by no means our true home, any more than our physical body is the soul�s permanent abode�.Also, that our souls are a spark of the divine, and when we exercise kindness, empathy, thoughtfulness, love, understanding and so on, we are expressing that God-self. But when we express anger, selfishness, hatred, greed etc., we are utilizing the mortal mind. We are here to build up and enlarge the God-self and to minimize and eventually extinguish the mortal self. It all makes sense, really. If everyone made a concentrated effort in this direction - to do to others as we would have them do unto us, we would indeed have a Heaven on earth. But in the meantime, based on my experiences, individuals who follow this rule to the best of their human ability are assured a very pleasant environment after death.
It seems to me that In order to change the general level of consciousness in society, people need to have much more concern and consideration for others: To show more kindness; more respect for each other. We could start with small things, like being more courteous in traffic, such as being more considerate for the safety of others and ourselves by signaling when we intend to change lanes or make a turn. It seems to me hardly anyone does this anymore, caused initially no doubt by the proliferation of cell phones. (How can you safely signal if you're holding a cell phone in one hand and the steering wheel in the other?) But it seems just one small more indicator of a lack of concern and a gradual decline of society. The same with the proliferation of bad language and excessive violence in movies.
It goes without saying, the widespread use of illegal drugs doesn�t exactly raise the spiritual awareness of America.
Heaven (and Hell) really is a state of consciousness, both here and hereafter. The difference is that here the good and not so good people are all mixed up together, but at death the soul takes us to our respective levels.
I have incorporated some of this understanding into a children�s book, �Dorothy�s Mystical Adventures in Oz.� (Not generally available in book stores but can be ordered by them. The book is also listed on Amazon.com), But for a free download of the text (no illustrations) see
: http://manybooks.net/titles/evansbother06dorom10.html
The following brief extract is from a review:
The Fabulous Four embark on a quest to stop the evil Witch from filling Oz with these repugnant forms and to bring back the beauty and happiness that we all associate with Baum's delightful fairyland. Along the way, we are treated to encounters with various new residents of Oz such as the Fuzzy Yellow Woggle Bugs, not to mention several strange creatures with names like Ticklemonsters, Girrephalumps, and Octapong.... During the journey there is a beautiful sojourn with a community of American Indians, as well as a meeting of the minds with members of a unique club consisting entirely of United States presidents. (Topics covered range from George Washington�s economic system to the importance of education, and of treating one another with respect and dignity.) During the good natured bantering between themselves some of the presidents provide interesting historical information on their lives.
Another chapter is devoted to an important meeting with UFO people who represent an extremely advanced civilization. They make some remarkable revelations and speak with great wisdom, but since the dialogue is extensive, younger children could safely skip most of this without losing any of the story.) Following is a brief quotation from this segment to give you some idea of its content:
"...You see, beloved friends, it is much easier for you to doubt your abilities, your powers, than it is to try to realize the potentials that lie within you. Accept your challenges of today. Cope with them and be not concerned for the future ... Each of you has tasks before you that you will perform and, if you will allow yourself to flow with the tide, you shall find that these things will come to you in proper sequence. There is a constant flow of energy around your planet. The entire cosmos is energy. We, too, are energy. Swim in it! Feel yourself as a pulsating, living part of the universal energy; feel yourself to be in tune with this energy - to be flowing along with it, in harmony with it. If you become disturbed or distressed, you have stepped out of the flow. If you go against your conscience, you will go against the flow and be pushed out of it. Keep your thought harmonious. Do not allow little things to upset you. Check yourself several times a day to insure that you are still within the flow - you will know by the feeling of inner peace and tranquility. Eventually you will not need to check; being in the flow will be the most natural thing in the world for you. As each one on earth learns these things, the forces of darkness will perish; they must be banished from your planet for all time. And out of this must come a new age of love, harmony, and understanding, an age where each shall live to benefit his brother and not himself - wherein all problems, the answer sought shall not be 'What is best for me?' but rather 'What is best for all concerned?" I also used part of this in �The Magic Sneakers,� another children�s book I wrote. See: http://www.lulu.com/content/654654
But to continue with my account�..
When my father came through Richard Zenor he referred to the accident that took his life and to the fact that he had no more pain. He described his new life with great enthusiasm - that he was "going to school" as he said excitedly. And that he and my mother and other loved ones and friends enjoyed a world of beautiful residences, of incredible landscapes, trees of every variety. Flowers of intense color, lakes, animals, etc., and a world of music, art and literature, and no disease, and no monetary situation. Even, churches of various denominations as well as synagogues are in abundance. People don�t suddenly change their belief system in the new world they find themselves in. Apparently all is constructed by thought, with each level of consciousness constructed by the collective minds of the inhabitants - including, I�m afraid, the lower levels which I observed on my various excursions. These poor souls are only bound by their own thoughts and actions and will arise when they aspire to a higher understanding. I was later told, �By your works ye shall be known.� God has no favorites, and individual religious beliefs have little bearing other than helping to keep people on the straight and narrow. (Of course, without organized religion the world be in a far worse state than it is) I was also told, �The only God you shall ever know is your own particular concept of Him.� This requires some deep thought. It is not to say there is no God, because nothing could be further from the truth. Without God there would be no life, or for that matter, any physical or metaphysical universe. The strange thing is: There can be no such thing as nothing, because even nothing would then be something. I know this statement doesn�t really make sense, but it is not possible to get to the bottom of the concept.
After we die we will not be presented to God for judgment, since every day is judgment day in that we are aware of our own thoughts and actions and are completely accountable since we are always on the particular level we have earned by these thoughts and actions. Anyone who chooses to stay on the lower levels has only himself or herself to blame.
Incidentally, Richard Zenor did not charge a fee to people who communicated with loved ones during his services. He did charge a small amount for private readings, but that was his only source of income. He did not advertise and sought no publicity whatsoever.
In his book Teaching Your Children about God, Rabbi David Wolpe, a professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, recalls an ancient Jewish parable about twin fetuses lying together in the womb. One believes that there is a world beyond the womb, "where people walk upright, where there are mountains and oceans, a sky filled with stars. The other can barely contain his contempt for such foolish ideas." Suddenly the "believer" is forced through the birth canal leaving behind the only way of life he has known. The remaining fetus is saddened, convinced that a great catastrophe has befallen his companion. "Outside the womb, however, the parents are rejoicing. For what the remaining brother, left behind, has just witnessed is not death but birth." This, Wolpe reminds us, is a classic view of the afterlife--a birth into a world that we on Earth can only try to imagine.
(With my friend, Joel Rothschild's permission (we have never met, but became friends via e-mail) As you read the following you will see Joel is gay. This is of no concern to me. It�s the way he was born and the way he will die. It is not something he wished to be, and is just part of who he is � just as the color of his eyes are. If there is a God I would think the state of Joel�s soul would be a far more important factor than his sexual orientation. Anyway, here is Joel�s letter to his friends and family. Joel's letter says it all much more eloquently than me. I also urge you to read Joel's books "Hope: A Story of Triumph" and "Signals" (see Joel Rothschild.com ) for an in-depth understanding of spirituality and of an unbroken bond between friends separated by so-called death). Another enlightening book is "Phases of life After Death" by my good friend Irma Slage. Another dear friend is Henrietta Bernstein who, like Bill Eisen, has also written books on the English Qabalah, (Cabalah Primer).. she has also written and lectured extensively on the Holy Grail. (Ark of the Covenant the Holy Grail).
Joel's Letter:
----- Original Message -----
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2003 9:45 AM
Subject: from Joel Rothschild
My dear friends, loved ones and family,
During the past two years I have faced the most challenging health issues of my life. Now, I find myself physically very weak and most of my daily energy is spent dealing with health issues. As you have noticed, it is not often that I send out emails. I am sending this to you because I have something I want to give to you. So, I hope you will read this email. Perhaps it will touch your soul as your expressions of love, support for me, my books and my work have touched mine.
Although, we are different people, in many ways we truly are the same. We have both suffered in this life and we have lost loved ones. Last year, a famous heart surgeon said to me �wouldn�t it be great if all the teenagers in the world came down with a terminal illness�. I was stunned as he paused for a moment and then added �for about a week�. Instantly I understood what he meant. Indeed the world would be a better place if the young would come to understand the value of life that only such an experience could teach.
I wish you could feel how it feels to be in my body for about an hour, not to suffer but to realize how wondrous life really is. Then I could truly give you the gift of understanding what I gleaned from suffering and Albert�s loss. Then I could truly enrich your life. Then you would know that our acts of kindness and love are all that matter. Then you would know in your heart that Love never dies. Then you would feel the peace I feel in mine even in a body that has been ravaged by nearly 20 years of living with AIDS.
At this time of holidays, I am asking that you take a few moments to reflect on the miracle that is your life. You are a gift to all of those you meet. Please, take some time to focus on the gifts that God has given you. Rather than the gifts under the tree. Please allow yourself to feel the love that surrounds you, both from those near and departed.
I tried in my books to do my very best to share my life�s lessons with you.
Perhaps this season you will again read some of Albert�s words in Signals or mine in Hope or watch my little free video at my website with someone you love.
When you find gratitude for all of life�s moments, including the pain then my dear friends you will be holding God�s hand.
I pray you will share your feelings of love with all of those around you.
Because in the end, life is not about: how much money you have, where you live , the car you drive, how you look, or what you wear. It is now in this very moment and has always been about the love and kindness that you share.
May God Bless you this Holiday season and may you feel love I am sending.
Joel
Following is a link to more articles on Near Death Experiences, including one by a medical doctor as well as by cell biologist, Joyce Hawkes PhD, .
http://www.bibleprobe.com/nde.htm
Included is another well known case printed in Reader's Digest.....
In 1991 Pam Reynolds underwent an operation on her brain which called for her heart to be stopped and her blood to be drained. A large amount of monitors showed she had no brain waves or life left at all; thus ruling out any possible chemical or psychological hallucinations. Pam still went to "the other side".
For full article: See http://www.bibleprobe.com/pamreynolds.htm
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We are told by Agasha that we cannot possibly learn all our lessons, nor make amends for mistakes of the past in one short lifetime - that this requires many lifetimes. However, when we eventually reach a certain degree of spirituality it is no longer necessary to live a physical existence, and we are then allowed to reside permanently in the spiritual realms.
ABC recently carried the following story on reincarnation:
Could a little boy be the reincarnation of downed World War II pilot James Huston Jr.?
ABCNEWS.com
Second Lives
Could a Little Boy Be Proof of Reincarnation?
ABCNEWS.com
April 15� Nearly six decades ago, a 21-year-old Navy fighter pilot on a mission over the Pacific was shot down by Japanese artillery. His name might have been forgotten, were it not for 6-year-old James Leininger.
Quite a few people � including those who knew the fighter pilot � think James is the pilot, reincarnated.
James' parents, Andrea and Bruce, a highly educated, modern couple, say they are "probably the people least likely to have a scenario like this pop up in their lives."
But over time, they have become convinced their little son has had a former life.
From an early age, James would play with nothing else but planes, his parents say. But when he was 2, they said the planes their son loved began to give him regular nightmares.
"I'd wake him up and he'd be screaming," Andrea told ABCNEWS' Chris Cuomo. She said when she asked her son what he was dreaming about, he would say, "Airplane crash on fire, little man can't get out."
Reality Check
Andrea says her mom was the first to suggest James was remembering a past life.
At first, Andrea says she was doubtful. James was only watching kids' shows, his parents say, and they weren't watching World War II documentaries or conversing about military history.
But as time went by, Andrea began to wonder what to believe. In one video of James at age 3, he goes over a plane as if he's doing a preflight check.
Another time, Andrea said, she bought him a toy plane, and pointed out what appeared to be a bomb on its underside. She says James corrected her, and told her it was a drop tank. "I'd never heard of a drop tank," she said. "I didn't know what a drop tank was."
Then James' violent nightmares got worse, occurring three and four times a week. Andrea's mother suggested she look into the work of counselor and therapist Carol Bowman, who believes that the dead sometimes can be reborn.
With guidance from Bowman, they began to encourage James to share his memories � and immediately, Andrea says, the nightmares started become less frequent. James was also becoming more articulate about his apparent past, she said.
Bowman said James was at the age when former lives are most easily recalled. "They haven't had the cultural conditioning, the layering over the experience in this life so the memories can percolate up more easily," she said.
Trail of Mysteries
Over time, James' parents say he revealed extraordinary details about the life of a former fighter pilot � mostly at bedtime, when he was drowsy.
They say James told them his plane had been hit by the Japanese and crashed. Andrea says James told his father he flew a Corsair, and then told her, "They used to get flat tires all the time."
In fact, historians and pilots agree that the plane's tires took a lot of punishment on landing. But that's a fact that could easily be found in books or on television.
Andrea says James also told his father the name of the boat he took off from � Natoma � and the name of someone he flew with � "Jack Larson."
After some research, Bruce discovered both the Natoma and Jack Larson were real. The Natoma Bay was a small aircraft carrier in the Pacific. And Larson is living in Arkansas.
"It was like, holy mackerel," Bruce said. "You could have poured my brains out of my ears. I just couldn't believe it.
James 2 = James M. Huston Jr.?
Bruce became obsessed, searching the Internet, combing through military records and interviewing men who served aboard the Natoma Bay.
He said James told him he had been shot down at Iwo Jima. James had also begun signing his crayon drawings "James 3." Bruce soon learned that the only pilot from the squadron killed at Iwo Jima was James M. Huston Jr.
Bruce says James also told him his plane had sustained a direct hit on the engine.
Ralph Clarbour, a rear gunner on a U.S. airplane that flew off the Natoma Bay, says his plane was right next to one flown by James M. Huston Jr. during a raid near Iwo Jima on March 3, 1945.
Clarbour said he saw Huston's plane struck by anti-aircraft fire. "I would say he was hit head on, right in the middle of the engine," he said.
Bruce says he now believes his son had a past life in which he was James M. Huston Jr. "He came back because he wasn't finished with something."
The Leiningers wrote a letter to Huston's sister, Anne Barron, about their little boy. And now she believes it as well.
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There are many books on reincarnation. Jess Stearn (who I didn�t get to meet until he was on his death-bed) wrote several. He wrote some wonderful books about Edgar Cayce. For example, Edgar Cayce: The Sleeping Prophet. (Edgar Cayce was a straight-laced Southern Presbyterian Sunday school teacher, who, although not schooled beyond ninth grade, became a remarkable physician/healer while in a state of literal unconsciousness). Edgar described himself as ��the dumbest man in Christian county awake.� But he was certainly far from that in a trance state.
See also, There is a River: The Story of Edgar Cayce by Thomas Sugrue, and Many Mansions by Gina Cerminara. When Edgar was told about previous lives of his patients he was shocked. After all, the whole concept clashed strongly with his tradition Christian beliefs. But he had no choice but to accept the logic of what was given to him. Besides, thousands of well documented medical cures were the results of his life�s work. He said if he ever made one mistake of diagnosis and treatment he would stop the work immediately.
Even if the reader can�t quite bring himself or herself to accept reincarnation, it is assumed if you
have read this far you would like to know more about why we are here and more about a possible existence after death. All of us should only accept what we read if it feels right to us. No one person or group has a monopoly on the truth. Truth is where you find it. Speaking of which�..
The following book recommendation is in regard to children and previous life relationships with their parents. The author is very thorough in her investigations and has also worked with Dr. Stevenson of the Department of Psychiatric Medicine at The University of Virginia Health System. The author is very thorough in her investigations and has also worked with Dr. Stevenson of the University of Virginia.
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/personalitystudies/
The book is Return from Heaven by Carol Bowman. Another book of Carol�s is Children�s Past Lives. Her site is www.childpastlives.org My friend, Ian Lawton is also bringing out a new little book with some amazing accounts of reincarnation. The title is: The Little Book of the Soul. See www.rspress.org
Another book I have recently purchased and look forward to reading is: What Happens When We Die, by Dr. Sam Parnia.
Another recommendation is from Dr. Greyson who is continuing Dr. Stevenson's work at the University of Virginia: This is from an e-mail he sent me....
"I would also recommend a new book by Jim Tucker, who is carrying on Ian Stevenson's work with children who remember previous lives. It's called Life Before Life, and it's a very readable account of what we know after 40 years of studying these children.".
Yet another important researcher is Dr. Brian Weiss. He has written several important books on the subject, including Many Lives, Many Masters
See http://www.brianweiss.com/
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Another interesting item is an extract from an article in the Los Angeles Times:
Many see the disciplines of science and theology as mutually exclusive,� said Father Bill Stoeger, one of the Vatican astronomers.
In fact, the claims of the pope�s astronomers could make Christians who advocate a literal interpretation of the Bible squirm. They announced several years ago that the star of Bethlehem probably never existed. And virtually all of the pope�s astronomers have concluded: God could not have created the universe in just six days about 10,000 years ago, as do some literal interpreters of the bible.
�People often ask me: �Do you believe in the Big Bang or in creation by God?�� Stoeger said. �And my answer is, �Yes.�� .......
(For full article: See Los Angeles Times �Bridge Between Faith, Science Sought in Stars�
The pope�s astronomers, Jesuit priests with degrees in mathematics and astronomy, study the skies from an Arizona desert. Date: Aug 20, 2006. Author: Kirsten Scharnberg).
A recent article in The Los Angeles Times indicates that the Vatican astronomers also believe it is quite possible that earth is not the only planet with advanced life forms. And that this belief does not conflict with their faith in any way. �If they exist they would also be God�s creatures,� they said.
Finally:
"For we know that when this tent we live in now is taken down... when we die
and leave these bodies...we will have wonderful new bodies in Heaven, homes
that will be ours for evermore, made for us by God Himself, without human hands."
II Corinthians 5:1 (Living Bible)
Speaking of which: Following is an article on the British philosophy professor � a former atheist � now a believer in God. (However, and I find this rather strange, not in an afterlife.) I wonder if it�s possible to have one without the other?
NEW YORK Dec 9, 2004 � A British philosophy professor who
has been a leading champion of atheism for more than a half-century has changed
his mind. He now believes in God more or less based on scientific evidence, and
says so on a video released Thursday.
At age 81, after decades of insisting belief is a mistake, Antony Flew has
concluded that some sort of intelligence or first cause must have created the
universe. A super-intelligence is the only good explanation for the origin of
life and the complexity of nature, Flew said in a telephone interview from
England.
Flew said he's best labeled a deist like Thomas Jefferson, whose God was not
actively involved in people's lives.
"I'm thinking of a God very different from the God of the Christian and far
and away from the God of Islam, because both are depicted as omnipotent Oriental
despots, cosmic Saddam Husseins," he said. "It could be a person in the sense of
a being that has intelligence and a purpose, I suppose."
Flew first made his mark with the 1950 article "Theology and Falsification,"
based on a paper for the Socratic Club, a weekly Oxford religious forum led by
writer and Christian thinker C.S. Lewis.
Over the years, Flew proclaimed the lack of evidence for God while teaching
at Oxford, Aberdeen, Keele, and Reading universities in Britain, in visits to
numerous U.S. and Canadian campuses and in books, articles, lectures and
debates.
There was no one moment of change but a gradual conclusion over recent months
for Flew, a spry man who still does not believe in an afterlife.
Yet biologists' investigation of DNA "has shown, by the almost unbelievable
complexity of the arrangements which are needed to produce (life), that
intelligence must have been involved," Flew says in the new video, "Has Science
Discovered God?"
The video draws from a New York discussion last May organized by author Roy
Abraham Varghese's Institute for Metascientific Research in Garland, Texas.
Participants were Flew; Varghese; Israeli physicist Gerald Schroeder, an
Orthodox Jew; and Roman Catholic philosopher John Haldane of Scotland's
University of St. Andrews.
The first hint of Flew's turn was a letter to the August-September issue of
Britain's Philosophy Now magazine. "It has become inordinately difficult even to
begin to think about constructing a naturalistic theory of the evolution of that
first reproducing organism," he wrote.
The letter commended arguments in Schroeder's "The Hidden Face of God" and
"The Wonder of the World" by Varghese, an Eastern Rite Catholic layman.
This week, Flew finished writing the first formal account of his new outlook
for the introduction to a new edition of his "God and Philosophy," scheduled for
release next year by Prometheus Press.
Prometheus specializes in skeptical thought, but if his belief upsets people,
well "that's too bad," Flew said. "My whole life has been guided by the
principle of Plato's Socrates: Follow the evidence, wherever it leads."
Last week, Richard Carrier, a writer and Columbia University graduate
student, posted new material based on correspondence with Flew on the atheistic
www.infidels.org Web page. Carrier assured atheists that Flew accepts only a
"minimal God" and believes in no afterlife.
Flew's "name and stature are big. Whenever you hear people talk about
atheists, Flew always comes up," Carrier said. Still, when it comes to Flew's
reversal, "apart from curiosity, I don't think it's like a big deal."
Flew told The Associated Press his current ideas have some similarity with
American "intelligent design" theorists, who see evidence for a guiding force in
the construction of the universe. He accepts Darwinian evolution but doubts it
can explain the ultimate origins of life.
A Methodist minister's son, Flew became an atheist at 15.
Early in his career, he argued that no conceivable events could constitute
proof against God for believers, so skeptics were right to wonder whether the
concept of God meant anything at all.
Another landmark was his 1984 "The Presumption of Atheism," playing off the
presumption of innocence in criminal law. Flew said the debate over God must
begin by presuming atheism, putting the burden of proof on those arguing that
God exists.
Following is Flew�s new book: There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind
by Antony Flew.
I have met many people who have relayed to me personal experiences of observing their dying loved ones, just before passing on, suddenly �seeing� deceased family members at their bedside. Michael Landon�s niece told me that just before he died Michael apparently saw his mother. He gave a big smile and reached out to her.
I do believe that under such circumstances our loved ones come around to welcome us home. And in the case of sudden death, such as in war or in an accident, they are there to greet us upon our arrival.
Of course, either there is something or there isn�t. We will all find out eventually (or not as the case may be). But if there is indeed nothing, we won�t exactly be aware of the situation. And if there is something, what a pleasant surprise it�s going to be. And you skeptics are just going to have to apologize to me for not seeing the obvious when all this evidence was presented to you.
Following are two more books I found extremely interesting: The first is The Scole Experiment - Scientific Evidence for Life After Death., by Grant and Jane Solomon, and "Ghost Hunters" which chronicles the turn of the 20th century search for empirical proof of the paranormal by a group of distinguished scientists, including Harvard professor William James.
Another book I have just come across really confirms the reality of life after death with the many levels of consciousness based on one�s life on earth. This book was written in 1922 by Edward C. Randall. The title is: Frontiers of the After-life. It is quite an amazing account of the greater (or lesser) life beyond for all of us based on my out of body experiences and the spirit lectures given through Richard Zenor
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See www.brianweiss.com for his books.
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A Very Short Play
"Saved by the Trumpet." By Robert J. Evans
The curtain opens to reveal a tall man in black all alone in the middle of
an empty stage: He looks out at the audience for a few moments, then reaches
into his inside coat pocket and takes out a paper from which he reads.
NARRATOR, My friend David was an actor, and a good one too. But, in the
midst of his prime, at the very end of his last movie there was an accident.
The scene, if you can imagine it, was a raging sea in which David was
supposed to be adrift on a log. The script called for the log to be battered
against some rocks casting David into the churning waters never to be seen
again. For stark reality the director had waited for a real storm to shoot
the scene and was planning to use a stunt man. The stunt man was sick that
day, and David -- being a strong swimmer -- offered to do the stunt himself.
The director reluctantly agreed. It was a fatal decision... The storm played
it's part exactly to script. David was thrown from the log and swallowed up
by the turbulent waters. (PAUSE) His body was washed up on the beach several
hours later. A small gash on the side of the head was the only mark visible.
Well... this story is about my friend's death, which I've already described
to you. But more importantly, it's about his new beginning. That's something
you don't hear of too often -- a new beginning after a person has died. How
do I know about this? Well, let's say David told me. He found a way for me
to observe and feel exactly what he observed and felt from the moment of his
"death".Was I hallucinating? Or did it really happen? Each of you will have
to form your own judgment. I cannot provide scientific proof. I can only
relate to you the substance of my experience. Well, Here goes...After being
pitched into the water, David experienced a sharp pain above his right eye.
A great blackness engulfed him. This sensation was quickly followed by the
awareness of a blinding light towards which he seemed to be drawn at a high
rate of speed. As he approached the light the most beautiful music he had
ever heard seemed to cause every molecule of his being to vibrate in harmony
with it. He was literally one with the music. As he looked toward the light
he fancied he saw a tall figure in biblical attire immersed in the light as
though waiting for his arrival. Suddenly, the scene changed and he became
aware of his wet, limp, body lying on the beach, and then of people running
franticly towards it. He was surprised to find his consciousness totally
detached from his old physical form, and that he was, in fact, aware of
being in a brand new body sitting on a nearby rock calmly observing the
frenzied scene before him. Suddenly he hears a voice but can see no one.
VOICE, Hello David.
DAVID, What happened to me? Who said that? Where are you?
VOICE, Who I am is not important at the moment. Where I am is difficult to
explain. But I am here to guide you there, to the other side.
DAVID, The other side of where?
VOICE, Why, the other side of life, of course. You just had a glimpse of
it. Aren't you aware that this side of life is all over for you?
DAVID, Well, that fact was beginning to dawn on me when I saw my dead body
lying on the sand. But you can forget about the other side. I'm not going
anywhere. I'm staying right here on this side.
VOICE, I should think you would realize from the present scenario that you
have no choice in the matter.
DAVID, (sarcastically) Oh, really!
VOICE. Yes, once the silver cord is severed even HE couldn't bring you
back. Besides, we need you over here.
DAVID, Thanks a lot! What do you mean you need me? And what's the silver
cord? And was that Jesus I saw?
VOICE, So many questions. The cord I'll explain some other time. And, no,
that was not Jesus. That was your teacher from the Great Halls of Learning.
You'll meet him again. But, as far as needing you, we are somewhat short of
actors on this side. Singers and dancers too. Also comedians. Not enough
have died lately.
DAVID, Thank God I can't convey that wonderful news back to my peers.
Would it be an imposition to ask why you might be short of entertainers in
heaven?
VOICE, Well, first of all, where you're going is not heaven, not in the
strictest sense of the word, although it is an extremely pleasant
environment, as you will discover in due course. And yes, we quite lacking
in entertainment. We're very busy people and we need our relaxation.
Entertainers serve a very important function, much more than people realize,
and they are just as much needed here as there.
DAVID, Well, you certainly didn't have my permission. So I suppose it was
my time to go. Right?
VOICE, As a matter of fact we did have your permission, and no, it wasn't
your time to go. You could have stayed if you so desired; but you opted to
go. You see, we had a long conversation with you last night during your
restitude. You said you were tired of life, and all the B.S. that goes with
it.
DAVID. Well, if I said that I didn't mean it. After all, it was only a
dream as far as I'm concerned. Everybody knows there's no logic in dreams.
VOICE, I'm sorry, but you were not dreaming, and you were very sincere in
expressing your feelings. In any event, what's done is done and there's no
turning back.
DAVID. Wonderful! That's Goddamn wonderful. That's just what I wanted to
hear.
VOICE. There's no need to swear. We don't care for that here. But
cheer-up. Life can be pretty exciting on this side. Lots to see and do. And
we have entertainment. Remember?
DAVID. Oh, that's wonderful too. If I'd known I wouldn't have complained.
What about sex? is there any sex in this wonderful world of yours?
VOICE. Oh yes, maybe not in the way you are visualizing it. It's more of a
blending of the essence of the two souls together. Extremely intense and
extremely pleasurable, and what's more you don't have to worry about AIDS.
(At that moment a young negligee'd sweet young thing enters).
SWEET YOUNG THING, Hello, David.
DAVID, Well, HELLO! Who are you?
SWEET YOUNG THING, You can call me Delilah. I'm here to familiarize you
with your new surroundings and to answer all your questions. This is
something your ministers and rabbi's don't prepare you for -- death -- they
only prepare you to meet your maker, which you don't even do. At least, not
in the way they visualize it.
DAVID, Well, I certainly have a lot of questions. For starters where is
everybody?
DELILAH, The reason there's no one else here is that you are not really on
the other side yet. Right now you are in a transition stage for your
indoctrination. You'll get to meet all your friends and relatives who have
preceded you. But there's no hurry. We do have eternity on our side. One
thing you won't need here is your watch.
DAVID, Is Bing Crosby here? And Fred Astaire? And Danny Kaye? And Nat King
Cole, and Louis Armstrong? And what about Jack Benny, and dear Lucy, and
those wonderful souls, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank and Dino? Oh, so many of them
I'd love to meet. One in particular is Judy Garland! She is here isn't she?
DELILAH, Oh, yes, Judy's here, along with all the stars from The Wizard of
Oz. They often re-create the show for the children. All the great ones are
here. Well, not all of them yet of course. But, yes, those you mentioned are
here, and many more; delightful human beings every one of them. Marvelous
entertainers, too. You know, when one of them comes over here there is a
celebration in their honor. That is after they've enjoyed the privacy of a
reunion with loved ones who have preceded them. Speaking of which, I was
talking to Gracie Burns a while back (before George passed on) . She'd been
getting everything ready for George. Oh, she knew it wasn't really time for
him yet. But as she had put it, "How long can that stubborn old ox put off
the inevitable?" What a sense of humor that lady has. But you should see the
beautiful home and garden she had created for herself and her dear husband.
There is a replica of all the things they loved and enjoyed in their home on
earth. Of course she knew very well that the time was getting near, and when
George finally arrived you should have seen the look on his face when he saw
her and his home just as he left it.
DELILAH, Yes, except for those who haven't earned the right yet. That's
where you come in: And now that you've arrived You'll be shown how to help
those who are seeking to rise above the hellish state of mind they are in.
That's where true heaven and hell is you know -- within ourselves.
DAVID, So the Catholics are not too far off in their assumption of
purgatory?
DELILAH, Not too far off at all. People will find themselves after death
on the level of consciousness they have reached in life. Their environment
is formulated by the collective minds of the inhabitants of each level.
There is an automatic segregation to your own particular level. This is a
universal law. The law cannot be changed by individual religious beliefs.
But that is enough questions for now, we have work to do.
DAVID, Just one more question. If you have so many entertainers, and great
ones at that, I don't quite understand why I am needed just to help a few
people. Anyone could do that..
DELILAH, Good question. Let me explain. While it's true we have many
wonderful entertainers here, we ordinary mortals have much more time
available to enjoy the arts. Remember, during our life on the earth a great
deal of one's day is taken up in the pursuit of career, family, just making
a living, surviving! Here, there is no economic reason for a career. So we
pursue what interests us. For example, if you love golf, there's nothing to
stop you playing it here. In fact, your friend Bing plays every day. He
couldn't wait for Bob Hope to get over here so he could see the look of
surprise on his face when he saw the beautiful golf courses along with
everything else. Not to mention the sheer pleasure they both felt at getting
to perform together again. And there's nothing more enjoyable for all of us
than meeting after 'work' so to speak, to enjoy the pleasures of music,
song, dance, and serious drama. Of course we don't have film or T.V.
Everything is truly live. Which brings me to your question: We need you
because, one; we are short of serious actors, and two; we have some special
work for you to do which requires very good acting ability. Not to mention
helping those on lower levels, as well as those with strong but wrong
beliefs. One such lady believed that at her death trumpets would sound and
she'd be raised up with all the other people who were to be saved. Well, let
me tell you, that lady's belief system was so strong that when she came over
here three months ago she actually was in a deep sleep. we've tried to wake
her but can't. We are hopeful you will help us to help her. This is the type
of special work we had in mind for you.
DAVID, Well, as long as I'm here to stay, when do I start?
DELILAH, That's the spirit! (sheepishly).Excuse the pun. You can start
immediately. In fact, the others are waiting for you.
Delilah takes David by the hand and leads him into a darkened area of the
stage.
CURTAIN. SCENE TWO
A bare room with an elderly lady lying fully clothed on an uncovered
mattress in the center of the room. Surrounding the mattress are four males
(optional,2-4) in white flowing robes and angel wings on their backs.
Illuminated haloes are suspended above their heads and in their hands each
carries a long trumpet.
DELILAH leads DAVID to join them. He is similarly attired, and also
carries a trumpet.
DAVID, (looking at the others and grinning sheepishly.) Do you fellows
feel as foolish as I do? This reminds me of when I was a little kid in my
first school play.
FIRST ANGEL, Welcome to the club, David. We felt foolish when we first
dressed up like this. But we've gotten used to it now, and believe me, it's
well worth it to help these people to wake up and get on with their lives.
You know, they can remain in a comatose-like state for not only months, but
years if no one tries to influence them. You'll find this work very
rewarding, believe me.
(The other angels nod their heads in agreement).
DAVID, O.K. What do you want me to do?
DELILAH, (smiling as she exits). I'll leave you angels alone in Heaven.
FIRST ANGEL, Very funny! Now, David, on the count of three, blow that
trumpet for all you're worth. We'll do the same. When she opens her eyes
take her up by the hand and tell her that you are Gabriel and it's judgment
day, and that you have been assigned to take her directly to God.
One...two...three....(Loud trumpeting sound ensues)
LADY, (Sits bolt upright/looks around at the five angels of mercy with
eyes as big as saucers. Starts to sob). Lord have mercy on me, I've been
good. I have, I have.
ANGEL, (softly to David) Just take her into the next room. We'll be in in
a minute to gently break the truth to her. She will have to find God in her
own way -- as each of us must. The main thing is we've brought her to a
state of consciousness. (the First Angel then places his right hand firmly
on David's shoulder. He smiles a little and has a twinkle in his eyes) I
want you to know, my friend, that us five good Jewish boys have just saved a
another Christian's soul. Now what would That brainwashed orthodox world of
yours think about that?
CURTAIN
The above short play was written not only as an illustration of the danger
of fixed beliefs, but of the importance of adopting an essence of
spirituality as expressed in daily living and the treatment of one's fellow
humans. This will carry far more weight with any God than any kind of
adopted fixed religious belief, ritual or practice?
Even if that belief ritual and/or practice was based on "God's Word". Who
among us has the audacity to declare which writings are without doubt God's
"word" when all writing from the beginning of time were inscribed by a human
hand, much of which is undoubtedly divinely inspired, but much of which is
not. Who indeed among us is the divinely appointed spokesman for God?
Of course if you have no belief in a God and/or in a hereafter, at least
treat people as you would like to be treated.
Robert J. Evans
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