Philosophical Vegan Forum

Hi people
I'm new on this forum and I would like to know your opinion about this book, If you ever read it or any comments about it.
I am atheist-agnostic since I dont have proof that God doesn't exist, I can't deny the existence of him, its my opinion, but after I read this book I started to think of the possibility that a Creator could exist but not the way Religions believe it's just that Religion itself has poisoned the humans believe of a creator.

HERE IS THE THING:
Eben Alexander is a Neurologist and atheist that allways claim no God exist and after a Near Dead Experience he started to believe in a God that is not related to any of the current religions in the world, he claims that God is represented depending on your beliefs but beyong that theres is an ultimate God that doesn't apply to any religion. Its like the true image of God.
I cannot approve or desagree since I dont have proofs like I said, but at certain point if you put it in that perspective it doesn't sound that bad, he explains that Heaven is in another dimension and life is much more real there. It may sound stupid but for some inexplicable reason I started to think it might be true,
and you all might think that maybe is just my desire of an after life but no cause I already accepted dead as a natural and inevitable end, so that is not the reason why I kind of agree but since I dont have proof and noone has we cant all approve, I just would like your opinions and If you read the book what do you think afterwards.

Greetings

Sellimher

There are two important components to consider in belief.

One is the factual nature. If something can't be proven one way or another, or is unfalsifiable, then there is no reason to believe it as a matter of fact; the correct stance is basically an 'agnostic' one.

Another is the effect of the belief, when we examine decision theory.

Does a belief in a heaven, for example, make somebody a better person on Earth, or a worse one?
Does it make people value life less?
Does it make people value others' lives less?

If somebody believes in a heaven, will that person be more willing to cause the suffering and deaths of animals, because "they'll go to heaven and all of this will just be a bad dream, so it's OK!"?

If so, then the belief is deeply evil, and should be rejected. In the case that it's not true, people are doing evil for sake of it. In the case that it is true and we don't believe it, we do no evil for it, but valued life more while we were here.

I would ask the same thing about a belief like Buddhism. Does your Buddhism make you a better, or a worse person?
If you still cause the suffering and death of animals for personal enjoyment -- how does your Buddhism have any value?
If, on the other hand, Buddhism had inspired you with the principle of ahimsa to become vegetarian or vegan, then Buddhism has real value in the world -- whether it's true or not (which arguably we can't prove).

Do you understand?

There's the fact (which if it's unprovable, we should remain uncertain).
Then there's the effect.

So, I would ask not for anecdotes about how you witnessed heaven, which may or may not be a delusion as this Eben fellow should know, but for evidence of how this belief has made you a better person rather than a worse one.

Can you provide such evidence for your beliefs?
Can you imagine such a way that the concept of "heaven" could inspire you to be better to the human and non-human sentient beings we share this world with?

http://www.skeptic.com/insight/proof-of-heaven/

What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. - Christopher Hitchens

NDE's (near death experiences) have been explained scientifically. No woo required.

Ive read bits and pieces of the book and my take on it was, what i think it was lawrence krauss who said that " a persons hallucinations while on mushrooms is ultra real to him too." NDEs are just random firings of the neurons in your brain when it is coming back online after being brain dead, no supernatural needed.