Interesting read, I find the discussion of the Netherworld to be one of the most confusing to understand, unless you know God. God has a way of opening up your mind, and like an umbrella on a rainy day, your mind is useless unless it is open.

I don't think it is silly at all to think we could exist on another dimension. We've known for a long time that the energy that gives life can neither be created or destroyed. We can recreate the chemistry for life, but we can't create that spark of life.

Our best and brightest quantum physicists say there is a high probability for parallel universes. Although, we are yet to have clear an convincing proof aside from the mysterious sub atomic particles that seem to beam in and out of existence with no trace of their going or where they go. Scientists think they could be slipping into and out of a parallel dimension..another mystery to be solved. And the more we discover the more we learn there is to be discovered. It may always be that way considering we live in an infinite world where even the most remote possibility means we can count on it happening with absolute certainty in the backdrop of unlimited, eternal opportunities.

The discovery of what we don't know is and ought to be a humbling experience and I hope we will continue to show great humility and wonder. Especially when it comes to what we can't know on that incomprehensible spiritual scale where all possibilities must exist.

It's hard to wrap your mind around that one, it's why I called it incomprehensible!!! But, there it is right in front of our faces. Just look up at the night sky and then you tell me where it ends! There is no end and there's your proof of eternity and infinite possibilities, including the idea of a supreme being and heaven and alternate universes.

I have always believed that the Spirit World is a location prior to resurrection and the final judgment and thus before the final degrees of glory. It's where spirits go after death and before being reunited with bodies at the resurrection.

I found your article very interesting and though provoking.

I think it is a proven fact that we will exist in a spirit form after we die but as far as I can tell from my experiences with it, that existence will not be the kind of life we have here. Despite those in the spirit world that believed it was while they were alive and therefore seek to manifest that illusion of life through those which still live with us still. It would help if everyone understood that we who live in this present universe are all infested by spiritual leaches.

Some of these leaches have been helpful to us, some can be destructive and have really hurt people. I think it is us on this side of the chasm that actually turns that switch on so to say that allows them to be manifested in the reality world we live in now. That is why those who practice communicating with the dead are so more in tune with the real world. They know the suffering, pain and joy the dead feel, so they can relate to this world better than those of us who are blind to the spirit world. Look at the prophets of the Bible, they understood things most did not, that is because they were in tune with the spirits around them.

Some call their awareness of the spirit world religious, others call it scientific, I prefer to think of my awareness of those in the ghost world, so to speak, as my friends who are enabling me to prepare others for the next life that they will someday embark upon.

The world of your dreams is proof of a spiritual work. Without using eyes, ears, arms and legs, etc. you transverse a world the is not limited to time and space. And yet that world could be said to exist in this world and that it is all all wrapped up inside you. God gives us a peak of the next reality in our dreams. Nighty-night and enjoy.

I think the cool part is knowing enough about our world to just be able ask the big questions. That's sort of a devine gift in my book. Unfortunately there's been many times in our human history when some quack high priest claimed he had all the answers we needed to know and people were too stupid even formulate the questions that would have exposed the limits of his wisdom.

I hope we continue to be smart enough to ask the hard questions. The more we can keep plugging along, the more questions we can come up with...yes, I think thats pretty cool!

FYI: My personal belief is, that more things are possible than impossible in this world.

Yes, there definitely is a spirit world.

While sitting at my Mother's bedside, she was talking to her deceased relatives a few hours before she passed.

Then, two years ago, I had a vivid dream of my Father who put his hand on my shoulder and told me not to worry about him, that he was "fine" and there was nothing anyone could do..

I was only awake a few hours before my brother informed me that Dad had passed and he decided to "wait" to tell me till morning..

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt my Dad visited me.

Of course this is only testimonial evidence, but I have had 3 people actually die on me and I noticed (felt) this life force leave the bodies. I held one guy in my arms and twice I held their hands as they died and all 3 cases I definately felt the life force go out of them. I'm kinda at a loss to explain exactly how to describe what happened, but it was this weird feeling and I just knew something left those bodies and they were dead. In one case I was actually carrying the guy in my arms when I felt something change and he died right there. By the time I got him to a doc he was officially pronounced dead, but he was breathing when I picked him so I know he died in my arms. Not a thing I could do about any of them, it just happened pretty fast, even though all the usual life saving attempts had been made. I have heard that at the moment of death there is change in weight, like an ounce or so, some doctor conducted experiments on this at the turn of the century as I recall.

I have never been one to believe in ESP or anything beyond what I understood the Scriptures tell us. That is until about 8 years ago. Me and my first wife have been divorced for quite some time and so that just makes what happened even stranger.

One night I was awakened by a dream where some female entity was kicking and pinching me while asking "Why did you divorce my baby?". I gave the answer, and that dream entity chuckled and made a comment about "the old family problem". The next day my ex-wife called to inform me that her grandmother had passed away during the night.

I just figured it was just a strange coincident, until several years later I had a dream where a strong male entity gave me the same sort of treatment. When I gave the same answer to him I gave the woman in the earlier dream, he said, "Hmmmm. Just like her mother". The next day my ex-wife called to tell me that her father had passed away during the night. Since then I have had several more interesting incidents like this.

There is no doubt that there is a spirit world, and it can indeed interact with our world. However we need to remember that God warned us against putting too much emphasis upon them because if Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light, I imagine he can also disguise himself as close friends and relatives in a dream to us.

Pastor O.V. you really got a good one this time, I bet we'll have quite a few people posting on this before we move on.

When you consider all that the possibilities involved with multiple universes I don’t think these speculations are so bad, as long as we continue to realize that the total nature of creation will remain a mystery to us, in our present state.

In fact, each advance in science has not only answered age-old questions but always opened a window on creation that represented more questions than we even knew to ask before.

I enjoy the speculation and I believe that there is nothing that is really supernatural - only some things presently beyond our understanding.

But at the end of the day I am still comfortable knowing creation remains a mystery that I will never completely fathom. That’s O.K.

In a world dominated by that which our five senses can detect, we often times forget to realize that God is ever present.

Maybe the shallow, material world is dominated by elements detected by our five senses, but as individuals and families, our lives are mostly influenced by love of each other and of God, our battles of conscience (between what we are told and perceive as good and evil), and our deep hunger for interaction with the Divine.

Most people I know are already living in the eternal world...very few (and those seem to exist only in movies and fiction) live purely sensual lives.

Please note that I don't mean to say that all who are now living in the eternal are living Godly lives...many seem to have already cast their lot with Satan (think Democrats).

Are you people serious? I mean to actually think that something exists that you cannot see? I know scientists think they can theorize something from nothing, but that's their job. My problem with scientists is their inability to decide if coffee is good or bad for you, or if a chicken's egg is good or bad for you. So I am supposed to believe them about something we cannot see? Give me a break, at least the religious fanatics admit you need faith in nothing.

Well, I have faith that someday I will die, and eventually the world will forget I ever existed. How can anyone ever convince me that something I cannot see is real? We evolved into this mess, and eventually we will evolve away from it into another uncontrollable mess. So enjoy life and quit trying to convince others of your so called reality. because your reality sucks!

I’m convinced there are parallel worlds, because I must be daily bumping into diagonal people residing in them.

It says in John 14:2
“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

As for me I believe I am of the Spirit presently engaged in a human existence. O am of the opinion that parallel universes are open to all; not just Christians. That is why we all dream, not just those who are chosen by God. When we dream I think they are brought on by ‘Visitations’ of those living in these parallel realms.

The readings of Edgar Cayce, who was himself a devout Christian, provides the most fascinating glimpses of our other dimensions.

It is the great Universities and Minds in these parallel worlds that implant ideas into ours. I believe it is likely that UFO’s come from brief breakthroughs in parallel universes than from remote planets. I have had a loving ‘Visitation’ that cured me of an affliction I had for 15 years. I am certain of it.

The world is transformed by people who live in this world as if this world is just a dream. People are changed, transfigured, by those who live in this world unconcerned, indifferent to trivia…who live a life of inner centering, who live in the world but don’t allow the world to enter them, who live in the world but the world does not live in them, who remain untouched, who carry their silence everywhere – in the marketplace they remain in their inner temple…nothing distracts them from their being.
These people become catalytic agents. These people bring a totally new quality to human consciousness. A Buddha, a Jesus, a Krishna, a Mohammed – they bring another world into this world.
That is the meaning of the Hindu word “avatar.” It means they bring god into the world: the god descends through them. A vision…they become windows. Through them you can have a vision, a glimpse of something that is beyond.
If you are centered, nothing can be destroyed. No fire can destroy your centering. Not even death is capable of distracting you.
And this centering is possible only if you start living each moment meditatively, fully alert, aware. Don’t move like an automaton. Don’t act like a mechanism. Become conscious. Collect yourself more and more so that a crystallized consciousness continuously illuminates your inner being, a flame goes on burning there and lights wherever you move. The path, the way, whatsoever you do, it lights it.
This inner flame, this inner light is there, potentially there…like a seed. Once you start using it, it sprouts. Soon you will see – the spring has come and it is blossoming and you are full of the fragrance of the unknown and the unknowable. God has descended in you.

-Osho-

My favorite commenter is WOW. If WOW can't see it, it must not exist and in practically the same breath he/she is accusing others of limited thinking? lol

Many things exist that we can't see, but by deductive reasoning we know they exist, i.e. you can't see wind, but you can feel it and see the leaves move.

Awesome article OV. You might find this interesting, and maybe even good material for a future article.

A Dr. Goswam, who is professor of physics at Oregon University has written a book called “The Self-Aware Universe”. In it he attempts to explain how our consciousness creates the material world. He weaves together a myriad of theories in fields from artificial intelligence, astronomy, Hindu mysticism, and Christian spirituality in an attempt to show that the discoveries of modern science are in perfect accord with the deepest mystical truths.

He believes that quantum physics can help demonstrate that the essential unity underlying all of reality is a fact which can be experimentally verified. Because of the enormous implications he sees in this scientific confirmation of the spiritual, Goswami is ardently devoted to explaining his theory to as many people as possible in order to help bring about what he feels is a much needed paradigm shift. He feels that because science is now capable of validating mysticism, much that before required a leap of faith can now be empirically proven and, hence, the materialist paradigm which has dominated scientific and philosophical thought for over two hundred years can finally be called into question.

Through it all he believes that quantum physics can help to prove God exists. Unlike many scientists who deny God exists, Goswam is so sure God does exist that he can prove it scientifically. As far as I can tell. Dr. Goswam is one of the few new paradigm scientists who is taking a clear stand against the relativism so popular among new age thinkers. At a time when the decay of human values and the erosion of any sense of meaning has reached epidemic scale, it is hard to imagine what could be more important than this.

Reason I bring him up is because he is also one of the few scientists who's belief in God has not brought condemnation from his fellow scientists of the evolutionary minded academia. Maybe it is because he is Hindu and not a Christian. Look around you, the only scientists who believe in God that are ridiculed and targeted for destruction are those who profess a belief in Christianity. This does not mean his theories are wrong, just the religion he follows is wrong. Who knows, maybe his search for scientific proof that God exists will lead him to the true God and His Son, the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.

If he does find Christ in his search for proof of God, how long do you think it will be before he too is targeted for destruction.

Oddly enough, I came to faith through an attempt to connect to the "something" that I thought I sensed in the world. I'd read Alan Watts and then Edgar Cayce, and I tried my hand at psychometry (reading watches and rings, etc.). I was able to do it. That told me there really *was* something that was beyond my ability to sense in the physical realm. I got scared once when a group of us was working with a Ouija board and tipping tables and whatnot. I dropped it all right then. Years later I came to faith in Christ.de Chardin has interesting ideas about all this we're discussing, too.

God bless!

God created us...I am uncertain as to the level of his presence.

I do not believe there is a spirit world as in boo!

I do believe we are somehow connected as humans all on the same trip throughout the ages...I really feel this at times...strongly

and that God sent his son here to show us something that so many forget or twist to their own ends...plus he gave us some playbooks in the Old Covenat we conveniently forget too...never more so than right now in my lifetime

none of this is random happenchance

but I just don't see souls as spirits living around us

I see Good and evil and I believe both are manifested beyond just emotion

I know folks I trust who have seen ghosts and angels....the latter often when death is pending even if they don't know it.

I had an old cop come in my warehouse office for several days telling me about seeing benevolent child images above his bed at night glowing waking him up with very pleasant music...made him feel very happy but he didn't know what to make of it. Less than a week later he was dead in his sleep from a massive brain aneurysm.

Hard to say really isn't it?...what surrounds us

Onevike, can you allow for comments on the women voting thread? I have something to say, but I can't post. Better yet, is there a way I could post it as a new topic? Or is that not allowed? e-mail me, please.