NDE Research From a Christian Perspective (Podcast)

[alextsakiris]

Guest: Rusty Wright explores the limits of scientific research into the near-death experience from a Christian perspective.




Featured Interview:
? Christian author and lecturer, Rusty
Wright


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[mcromer]

Alex,

This podcast is not showing up on skeptiko. . .

[jacob]

I fetch the RSS feed for the podcast.
It's available on iTunes already.

[Bonteburger]

He didn't convince me at all. Didn't have any evidence to show (just hinting at it) and he even made that age-old "prove to me that it did NOT happen" argument! (Resurrection of Christ).

As for the rest it was the story of a conversion, moving on a personal level but not tipping me over into the religious camp.

Marco

[alextsakiris]

For me, the take-away was -- Skeptics and conservative Christians can sound a lot alike when talking about science they don't like.

[ktb973]

Originally Posted by alextsakiris

For me, the take-away was -- Skeptics and conservative Christians can sound a lot alike when talking about science they don't like.

I'd just like to point out that this comment is really nothing more than an ad hominem simply meant to push the skeptics buttons. I also do not recall you making comments like this until B. Allen Wallace said it in his interview. Since then you have regurgitated it every chance you get. I just really wish you would debate the topics rather than resort to name calling.

[David Bailey]

ktb973,

Having listened to the latest podcast, I think that comment is spot on. Rusty Wright did sound a lot like the sceptics while discussing the nature and interpretation of NDE's. Whether the sceptics are right or wrong, I think there is a similar process going on here - you are listening to someone with a very strong emotional investment in one conclusion.

David

[Topher Cooper]

Whether or not its fair or accurate or meant to push the skeptics buttons it iss definitely not, at least on the surface, ad hominem. An ad hominem argument is one that is "against the person" but this makes a comparison between the styles of argument of Skeptics and some religious people. That argument addresses the argument not the person and therefore is not ad hominem.

If the comparison is inaccurate then the statement is fallacious because it is, well, false. If it is accurate and you just don't like the implications, well ... score one for the other side.

By the way, contrary to popular belief, an ad hominem argument is not always fallacious. If someone claims something on personal authority or expertise then an argument meant to establish that that authority or expertise does not exist is definitely ad hominem and yet quite legitimate. For example, I recently claimed in another thread in this forum that I believed a particular event occurred in a particular way because I had learned this from conversations with people directly involved. If someone came back and showed that I had never actually met any of the people involved, or that I have a -- what was I going to say? -- oh yeah -- a notoriously bad memory for events a decade in the past then this would be a legitimate, ad hominem argument.

[alextsakiris]

Originally Posted by ktb973

I also do not recall you making comments like this until B. Allen Wallace said it in his interview. Since then you have regurgitated it every chance you get. I just really wish you would debate the topics rather than resort to name calling.

I believe Neal Grossman said the same on Skpetiko... as did Stephan Schwartz... as did Jeff Mishlove... and I think Charles Tart did as well, but I'd have to check to make sure.

Also, I think if you listen to Rusty Wright and compare his line of reasoning to that of Skeptics, Tom Clark and David Lester you will see many similarities. On the surface they appear open-minded, but when pushed on the evidence they look kinda inflexible and resort to position statements rather then logic.

[GaSS PaNiCC]

I think he was ok with the NDE's but when Alex confronted about how their nature does not necessarily relate to religious beliefs of heaven and hell, he got kinda defensive.