In my book I asked the question is consciousness purely physical? I talked a little about near death experiences, but I couldn’t go very deep. Now I want to add some comments based upon a couple of books that were published after mine that do go deep. What they point to is that consciousness is the ultimate state. The material realm is but a product of consciousness and near death experiences in my opinion point to a return to a non-material form in the afterlife.
Dr. Silverman in his book, A Burst of Consciousness Light, states: “I have used the term ‘no’thing’ness’ to denote the absence of ‘things’ rather than the absence of existence. In the timeless nothingness from which the physical universes emerge, there are no things, no substance, no space, time or matter. Consciousness, however, is not a thing or a substance. In this book, I argue that its existence is independent of space, time, or matter and that consciousness is that which constitutes this primal nothingness.” (P. 54) “Scientific evidence suggests that the entire physical universe may well have been from out of nothingness.” (P. 130) “In suggesting that the universe appeared out of no’thing’ness as a decision to exist in separation, I am not postulating a ‘creator god’ who ‘lit the fuse’ to start the whole process off!” (P. 157)
Dr. Silverman goes into a deep discussion of consciousness (I recommend this book if you want to go really deep) and even agrees that the evidence for the Shroud being the burial cloth of Jesus is very strong. (P. 25) Where I take issue with his conclusions are his abandonment of the Bible in favor of naturalistic arguments without God. I see Jesus fulfilling Bible prophecy and the Shroud providing definitive evidence in support of the Biblical narrative. He does not.
Dr. Silverman has several quotes that are of interest related to consciousness:
Max Planck the founder of quantum theory stated, “I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as a derivative from consciousness.” (P. 86)
Some “…quantum physicists (such as Nobel Prize – winning physicist Eugene Wigner) have suggested that whereas the empirical worldview ignores consciousness, quantum theory suggests that consciousness is fundamental to the very nature of reality.” (P. 41)
“Others, such as Krauss and Hawking, have suggested that the emergence of something from nothing and of time from timelessness is a natural consequence of the laws of physics and results from quantum fluctuations in empty space.” (P. 149)
Nobel Prize – winning physicist Erwin Schrodinger argued, “…that time is itself a property of mind and as such, Schrodinger argued, mind must be eternal – without beginning or end.” “The evidence from quantum mechanics suggests that mind might be a natural and essential foundation of the very existence of matter.” (P. 42) Schrodinger stated, “Consciousness cannot be accounted for in physical terms. For consciousness, is absolutely fundamental. It cannot be accounted for in terms of anything else.” (P.137)
Professor Arthur Stanley Eddington – “The universe is of the nature of a thought or sensation in a universal Mind…. To put the conclusion crudely—the stuff of the world is mind-stuff.” (P. 72)
From my perspective this shows our scientific worldview is so biased that we don’t realize there are scientists looking at consciousness and that it is another strong argument against Darwinism.
Now I want to share some observations on a new book by Dr. Gary R. Habermas titled:
On the Resurrection: Evidences.
Dr. Habermas discusses NDEs because if they support the notion of life after death they could serve “…as a bridge to another realm, making Jesus evidenced resurrection appearances even more likely.” (P. 952) I was stunned when he mentioned “Many millions of people claim to have experienced them.” (P. 951) I had no idea!
You would not expect to find a whole appendix (nearly 50 pages) on near death experiences in a book dealing with Jesus resurrection but it makes sense since evidence supporting the afterlife also is valuable in evaluating Jesus resurrection. This book is excellent. It has first rate scholarship and a high-level overview of near death experiences in support of the afterlife.
This article is great for an overview of the evidence and the arguments pro and con for NDEs as evidence of the afterlife. Are NDEs just something from the individual’s mind or are they supernatural? The arguments are presented, and an impressive amount of evidence is shown in favor of these events really supporting the supernatural aspects of the NDE.
Multiple types of NDEs are discussed with testimonies. Examples include: NDE identification of specific numbers or objects that support the NDE experience (P. 966), NDEs that recount what happened to themselves in the emergency room even though they were verifiably unconscious (P. 968-969), unconscious NDEs witnessing amputation of patients in the next room with verifiable details (P. 970), NDEs witnessing events 1,200 miles away that were verified (P. 975), blind persons with NDEs who were able to provide accurate physical descriptions of people they had never seen or describing seeing other things that they could not have seen physically. (P. 982-983)
One of my favorite stories involved a shared NDE experience of a girl that witnessed her brother’s death and then went to heaven with him to meet other dead relatives. The boy then revealed their aunt was pregnant with a boy when no one in the family knew it. (P. 980-981) Another shared NDE involved five family members seeing their mother’s spirit leave her body and apparently go through an entrance – to heaven? The family members noted the hospice nurse saying “…it was not uncommon for the dying process to encompass people nearby.” (P. 981)
This is a very valuable appendix for the NDE evidence researcher because it contains over 130 footnotes for those that really want to explore this topic.
There are over 300 evidential near death experience cases referenced which “…present far more indications that they pertain directly to and favor strongly, the afterlife thesis as the origination of the information.” (P.1002) Materialists fiercely challenge these cases because they understand that if they lose, their position is lost. (P. 1008) “…Major researchers have rated the NDE data as indicating the probable reality of consciousness at least beyond the initial cessation of heart and brain function.” (P. 1008) It appears the materialists desire to preserve their worldview “…at all costs, no matter what, often featuring a strong dislike of any ‘spiritual’ or ‘religious’ options. (P. 1008)
My view is do not be deceived. The scientists that do not want to believe in God will cling to their worldview and use that for interpreting the facts, no matter what. They have their own bias too, don’t they?