Session # 4 The Light Beyond   by Raymond Moody
Chapters 6 & 7 - Science and Religion
"It is this dividing line between life and death that is challenged by the NDE. Many times over the past twenty years, I have watched the fascination on the faces in an audience as someone recounted his or her near-death experience. It seems as though many people never become accustomed to the idea that a person standing before them has not only ?returned from the dead,? but has witnessed something spiritual that many people identify as an afterlife"  p75

Index Opening Closing Presentation References and Videos
Opening
Mike read from Ralph Milton's "The Essence of Julian"
"We will find joy forever in the love of God and we will know that we have existed in the heart of God since before the beginning of time. In this love, God made us. In this love God keeps us. God will never allow us to be hurt in a way that would destroy this joy. When the end of time comes and we all live in the company of God, we will see clearly and understand fully the mysteries that now perplex us. None of us will need to say, "Lord, if it had been this way or that, then everything would have been just fine." Instead, we will all say together with one voice, "This is the way it is, and that is the way it shoud be, and it is well." Then we will see that everything that has happened was planned by God from the beginning of time."
Presentation
Powerpoint PDF of the slides
Video 1 Tom Harpur - TV Series on NDE - How Science Frames NDE's
Video 2 - A Selection of 14 NDE's - very church oriented.
Video 3 Soweto Gospel Choir - "The Other Side"
References & Videos Related to Session
Handouts:
1. Near Death Experiences - GM Woerlee - Woerlee is an anaesthesiologist and maintains an extensive website on the subject. In this paper he reviews some of the better NDE researchers salient points. He is critical but open.
2. This Must Be Heaven - Sam Harris (blog) - 1 page summary for handout. link left is to the full posting. Sam Harris is a politely agressive atheist, and also a pre-eminent neuroscientist. He does fMRI scans to map our moral thinking. In this post, he is a bit rude to Eben Alexander, the neurosurgeon who is a current best selling author. Harris' points are well taken. The balance is to seek truth with a minimum of gullibility.
3. Who Have More Out-of-Body NDE's - Atheists, Catholics, or Muslims? R Douglas Field published in Psychology Today. Fields is a neuroscientist combining research with editing journals. Here he reports on a study showing the similarity of NDE across many demarcations.

Links of Value
IANDS - International Association for ND Studies
Oprah interviews Betty Eadie - Eadie was one of the first accounts as a book of an NDE. a rather sensible person.
The Moore Show interviews Dr Fenwick - a UK neuropsychiatrist and NDE researcher. One of the gentlest and broad reviews of the NDE. Fenwick is very matter of fact in respect of this new knowledge.
Closing
Mike again shared the writings of Julian of Norwich.
"Our good Lord answered all my questions and doubts by saying very gently, "I may make all things well; I can make all things well; I will make all things well; and you will see for yourself, that all manner of thing shall be well."
If interested in more about Julian of Norwich, check out our study of her life and work. HERE.
Clicking the icon left will activate the e-mail on your machine and direct your comments to us. Comments are welcome and will be posted with usual editorial courtesies. St. David's United Church.Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Jan 2013