Religion Afraid of Near-Death Experience Research, Says Dr. Neal Grossman
In-depth interview with University of Illinois at Chicago philosophy professor and author, Dr. Neal Grossman, explores near-death experience research, consciousness, and skepticism.
Del Mar, CA, May 02, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Join host Alex Tsakiris when he interviews philosophy professor and author, Dr. Neal Grossman for a discussion on near-death experiences, academic paradigms and the nature of human consciousness.
During the hour-long interview Grossman explains why many religious groups are unfriendly toward near-death experience research: “Both the scientistic type and the devote religious person have something in common, they both think belief in a spiritual reality is a matter of faith… To the religious person the very idea that some of their religious beliefs might be capable of being investigated by science to determine whether they are true or false is threatening… This is the kind of mindset that’s deeply threatened by near-death experience research because the concept of God, and the afterlife and how it works is very, very different from what they want to believe.”
He also explains why our culture has difficulty accepting the near-death experience phenomena: “All near-death experiencers come back claiming to know what the purpose of life is… ‘the Golden Rule’, treat people decently, and grow in our ability to give and receive love. There’s something in our culture that’s very antithetical to that message. We judge our sense of self worth not by how loving we are, but by how much money we make, how much prestige we have, and how much power and influence we have. This is part of the resistance to near-death experience data… they don’t like the message of universal love, so they kill the messenger.”
The interview is available for immediate free download at: www.skeptiko.com/index.php?id=20.
Dr. Neal Grossman an award winning Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Illinois at Chicago and is the author of an upcoming book on the epistemology of parapsychology and the near-death experience.
About Skeptiko
Skpetiko is the first scientifically oriented Podcast exploring new research in controversial areas of science such as telepathy, psi, parapsychology, near-death-experience, reincarnation, and after-life encounters. Each episode features open, honest debate on new scientific discoveries. The show includes interviews with top research scientists and their critics.
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During the hour-long interview Grossman explains why many religious groups are unfriendly toward near-death experience research: “Both the scientistic type and the devote religious person have something in common, they both think belief in a spiritual reality is a matter of faith… To the religious person the very idea that some of their religious beliefs might be capable of being investigated by science to determine whether they are true or false is threatening… This is the kind of mindset that’s deeply threatened by near-death experience research because the concept of God, and the afterlife and how it works is very, very different from what they want to believe.”
He also explains why our culture has difficulty accepting the near-death experience phenomena: “All near-death experiencers come back claiming to know what the purpose of life is… ‘the Golden Rule’, treat people decently, and grow in our ability to give and receive love. There’s something in our culture that’s very antithetical to that message. We judge our sense of self worth not by how loving we are, but by how much money we make, how much prestige we have, and how much power and influence we have. This is part of the resistance to near-death experience data… they don’t like the message of universal love, so they kill the messenger.”
The interview is available for immediate free download at: www.skeptiko.com/index.php?id=20.
Dr. Neal Grossman an award winning Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Illinois at Chicago and is the author of an upcoming book on the epistemology of parapsychology and the near-death experience.
About Skeptiko
Skpetiko is the first scientifically oriented Podcast exploring new research in controversial areas of science such as telepathy, psi, parapsychology, near-death-experience, reincarnation, and after-life encounters. Each episode features open, honest debate on new scientific discoveries. The show includes interviews with top research scientists and their critics.
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www.skeptiko.com
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