[Cazador]

We're treading into dangerous waters here, since many people devote their entire life and existence toward their beliefs (Christians, Muslims, Hindis, Buddhists, etc.). Discrediting these beliefs can be akin to saying that their purpose in life is without merit. So with mutual respect for everyone, I'll simply offer Tim the story that my mother-in-law considers evidence of an afterlife from her personal experience.

Several decades ago, my mother-in-law was undergoing a hysterectomy. The anesthetic began to wear off, and she could hear the physicians and nurses saying that she needed more anesthetic quickly. They gave her more anesthetic, and she lost awareness again. Then she had another complication. When they were sewing some blood vessels together, their permeability increased. The doctors were having great difficulty sewing them together because they kept tearing, and she began to bleed out.

Sometime during this event, she saw "the bright light," and it gave her a sense of peace, warmth, comfort, etc. As she approached the light, she basked in its glow and enjoyed the experience. Then she realized what was happening, and SHE told it that she couldn't come "now" because she still had a young teenager at home who needed her care. Then the light seemed to become smaller, and the vision faded away. She says that the light was very warm and inviting, and she wanted to go; but felt her obligation was to her young teenager at home. She survived the operation and interprets this experience as evidence of the afterlife.

Yes, there are many other possible interpretations, but this is the closest thing I have toward fulfilling Tim's original request.

Rick