This sort of thing does not lend itself well to repeatable scientific experiment. There seems to be more than sufficient anecdotal evidence that there is some sort of existence after death, and "near death experiences" fall into this category.

I don't think anyone can really say. How do you test such a thing? It is all dependant on the word of the survivor. I have no doubt that they saw what they saw, but what it was and how it was caused, who can say? It is interesting that, although similar descriptions turn up in these experiences all over the world, that the survivors tend to see them through the socio-religious glasses of their upbringing. eg many will say they see a figure in white. Christians identify him with Jesus, Muslims with Muhammad, Hindus with Krishna. What would be more interesting is if they identified the figures through a framework that was not one they were brought up in eg a Muslim sees Krishna. I think they are far too subjective to be seen other than something the individual saw and which impressed deeply upon them. Giving doctrinal significance to them is not advisable, as we do not know what they are. I did know a lady who died, was dead for a significant time, then revived when her husband entered the room and called her name. My husband, her pastor, asked her afterwards if she had seen anything, and she said no. Once again that doesn't mean that she didn't see anything, only that she does not remember anything. (eg everybody dreams but few can remember their dreams). I can only say, I don't know. But I don't think they are significant enought on a global scale to pay too much attention too.

Check out: http://www.near-death.com/ It's got lots of first hand accounts of NDEs.

I don't get the question. If you *almost* got ran over by a bus, you *almost* got ran over by a bus, period.

Physically, at one level, near-death experiences (NDEs) can be likened to the lights going off and then coming back on again. The effect this has on the various equipment that use electricity, like lights, television, video recorders, computers etc may vary widely. The human being is a far more complex machine with extra dimensions of consciousness, self awareness, emotions, imagination and spirituality. All these are centered in the brain. NDE can be seen as the effect on the brain of the process of life being switched off. The tunnel, brightly lit surrounding, and the out of body experience are common and independent of a person's beliefs, other "visions"/experiences can be argued to be influenced by them. The site @ http://science.howstuffworks.com/near-death-experience.htm takes a mostly physical view of NDEs The videos below are about three Christians who underwent NDEs. The first one, filmed at 2nd Near Death Experiencers Retreat in April 2007, describes in great detail the "visions"/experiences of the person with Jesus and God the Father. The second one talks about the NDE being a short window of opportunity to take stock of one's spiritual self and make life-changing decisions. This person did and has become highly learned, famous and respected. The third person was very famous before his NDE. He makes a promise to serve God if he was given a second chance. Already having fame and popularity life-changing decisions couldn't have been easy to make but he made them all the same. . .

Yes I believe that it is a physical reality.

I'd have to say metaphysical. And I prefer OBE rather than NDE. I looked down from a height of about 100 feet to see my own body lying on the earth without heartbeat or respiration. I watched it for about a minute, did a sort of non-physical shrug, and began to move upward, with a kind of swimming motion. I was distinctly separated from my physical body, hence "metaphysical." I, or my "self" of conscious awareness, was outside the physical body for at least three minutes. I was sent back -- ordered verbally to go back --- by a woman (whom I think of as a goddess) whose body was nothing but shining white light. The voice was distinctly female. I had no sense of a tunnel, as so many do. Instead, once I turned away from the earth, I was in a realm of nothing but pure white light. . . I have no doubt that my vision of the entity that I saw was coloured, even determined, by my own spiritual orientation. Still, I had previously not been "very religious," and if I thought of a god or gods at all, I had thought of all deities as male; this experience altered my spiritual path and turned me to goddess worship.