Have you ever had a religious experience? An event you can only suscribe to the presense of a higher being?
820730
Yes, I had an experience once when I was very depressed and at my lowest.  I was so low that I did not know what else to do, so in my desperation when there was nobody else to turn to, I tried to picture in my mind the face of Jesus.  (At the time I had still not made my mind up about religion.)  All of a sudden there was a surge of peace and tranquillity and a feeling of love that I had never ever experienced in my life.  It was as if I was in his loving arms and he was saying "it's going to be all-right if you just give this to me."  That is the best way that I can describe it because the strength of it was not of this earth.  It had to have been Jesus.  There is a Bible passage where Jesus says "If you search for me, you will find me."  It was then that I understood what that passage meant.
324924
Yes. And I know the religious arguments set forth by some in certain faiths against such things. But I also know that many religions accept such things as normal, even good. I have experienced, first hand, such communications. I wonder if the religious folks who say its wrong can do that? I mean, base what they say about in on actual personal experience, rather than what someone else said in a book written in a different language, in a different culture, centuries ago? Probably not. But that's OK, they can believe what they want. I do. And I know, from my own experience, that people who have passed on can and do communicate. Spirit communication with departed souls is a very real thing. And can be a very wonderful experience.. And its them, not some "fallen angel" or "evil spirit" pretending to be them. How do I know THAT? I've talked with them.
657705
Thank you for sharing this event. I was touched by your experience.\n\nI have come across the life-stories of many Muslims in particular who saw visions of Jesus Christ, and ultimately committed their lives to Christ.\n\nMany people from other religions as well are coming to Christ (some through such visions).\n\nE.g., see \nhttp://www.godsci.org/gs/chri/testimony/00.html\n\nCordially,\nJohn
229260
Only once... but throughout the many decades in my personal quest, I have journeyed, searched, visited, learned, queried and studied AT LEAST a couple, or maybe three, dozen other religions before settling down quite satisfied with what I found near and dear to my heart today.\n\nIn addition to Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Shamanism, Zen and Stoic religions that I have studied or scanned, I have also had close relationships and acquaintances with people [girlfriends & friends] of some Protestant faiths, Wiccans, SDA, JW, Mormons, Episcopalian, and several Atheists, UFOlogists, Freemasons and Jewish friends and business associates along the way. And, needless to say, I've been quite a sinner and a hypocrite of prodigal proportions! LOL.\n\nBut by comparison, my Faith today is at least ten times much more stronger than what my original convictions used to be, having had a "solid" background of being born and raised in a devout Catholic family environment, and even becoming an ex-seminarian myself.\n\nHowever, ultimately, I found that there is only One Truth and that begins with being true to one's self first!\n\nPeace be with you!
181326
Honestly?  No.  I have had a wonderful anointing most especially when I first received the Holy Spirit.  When this happened I was of course a believer, but I was not convinced that this whole 'baptism in the Spirit' thing was for real.  I've heard all the arguments against and hadn't heard many for, so was quite skeptical.  But the Lord knows what He is doing and arranged for me to receive of Him in a unique environment.  It was a private little Bible study and the participants were people from 'colorful' backgrounds.  Some would let a bad word slip from time to time, some smoked; how could these people minister the Lord to anybody?\n\nMy pastor had scheduled a speaker to come preach on the 'Filling of the Holy Spirit' and it just so happened without my asking or knowing anything of it, that he was scheduled to speak a week and a half after I'd been at that Bible study and had been encouraged to receive the Holy Spirit.  They'd laid hands on me and began to pray in tongues as well as English and being convinced that nothing was happening I began to get very concerned that they were full of Hooey.\n\nThen the guest speaker came to our church and preached every night for most of a week and had people come forward to receive the Spirit and not the same thing happened but it was similar.  So I began to doubt my church and pastor were on the right track.  But the last night that guest speaker spoke, he said the most common sense thing I've ever heard a  preacher say, "If you're not sure if you've received the Holy Spirit, or that this isn't real, just ask God to confirm it, or deny it."  God is faithful and He will make what is good and right your desire.  And He makes what is bad and wrong undesirable, but this only happens by spending time with Him.  \n\nWell, that made so much sense, I couldn't refute it.  So, I went home and began to pray for confirmation if it was of Him, and if it wasn't to put me in a church where I could be encouraged to seek Him in the right ways.  I prayed for a couple of hours and when I was frustrated at the lack of an answer, I got up and began to study the Bible. (it had become such a habit by that time I didn't know what else to do)  But when I opened the Bible, the first verse my eyes fell on were illumined, not literally but mentally my mind was opened to understand many ways this verse applies.  As an individual, it applies to me personally in my freedom and responsibility, as a man it applies to my role in society, as a head of household it applies to my leadership roles, as a worker and so on to the leaders of nations.  The order and simplicity placed such a peace in my heart and the knowledge that this was designed by the only true God, a God who loves each and everyone of us personally...  I was speechless, yet crying for joy, and laughing at the difficulty I'd had with understanding His order.  I had my confirmation!  \n\nIt wasn't until many months later that I understood why God wanted me to receive from those smoking and cussing Christians.  He wanted me to know that if He can use them to minister to me, He can use me to minister to others, because I too am an imperfect Christian.  After all, God used a donkey in the Old Testament to talk to one of His people.\n\nBack to your question, I've seen others receive the Spirit in such a powerful way as to be laying on the floor receiving a spiritually healing work from the Lord, still others have told me of the mighty rushing wind, and one more told me of a cleansing fire, but I have not felt the 'electric shock.'
598741
Yes, and its happened without my asking for it several times--the sensation of having left my body, observing myself and surroundings from a different perspective (like from above, or to the side) and then when my conscious mind took over with a thought like "Wait, this can't be happening" I'd be abruptly brought back with a jolt.\n \nIn meditation its occurred several times, especially if you've constructed it in such a way that you're open to it. One particular intense time was during a specialized meditation I've done only once, "Calling Back the Soul"--when you send your astral body to collect/invite back all the pieces and remnants of your soul that may still be "stuck" in emotionally charged locales. That was a very powerful and intense experience--I was travelling to a lot of places--but I did feel more complete afterwards.\n\nI also met a Medical Intuitive/Lakota Elder who has the gift (burden? privilege?) of doing it as part of her healing work. She was asked to find out if someone's brother had survived the tsunami in Thailand, so she projected herself in search of him and not only "found" him alive, but was able to accurately describe his surroundings at the time of her journey. She relayed it to the sister, and the very next day the sister received confirmation that he was alive and...you guessed it....in the location that the medical intuitive had described.\n\nSo its not just for personal experience, it is a gift that can be cultivated to help others as well.\n\nnamaste.
700225
I have been on both sides of this issue. I was raised to believe, but rationally I could not except the idea that God was the judgmental insecure fruitcake my religion portrayed him as.\n\nSo I stopped believing.  Then this happened to me.\n\nSeveral years ago I had an unusual experience concerning an uncle, a distant relative who lived over a thousand miles away. \n\nWhile driving my car I suddenly felt the unmistakable presence of this relative that I hardly even knew. He was more like someone I had heard about than someone I knew. It was very strange; it felt as though I was momentarily lifted right out of my physical body. I seemed to be suspended somehow beyond space and time, bathed in a love so intense It felt like I could have just disappear into it at any moment if It would have let me. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it seemed to last forever at the same time. I realize how crazy this must sound. The experience was so strong that at first I was afraid I was loosing my grip on reality. I finally managed to chalk it up to an over active imagination.\n\nThree days later I got a call from my aunt telling me that this uncle we are talking about had gone into a coma and died the day I had the experience. It felt like ice water had been poured down my back when she told me this. I had lost any real ideas of God or faith and had become somewhat of an atheist. Needless to say this experience caused me to rethink some of the conclusions I had come to. \n\nI feel blessed to now understand that even in our darkest confusion something loves us so much that it went out of its way to assist me and bring me back to a state of absolute certainty about Gods love for us.\nDuring the experience it seemed like there was a vast amount of information that I was somehow allowed access to. One thing that I came away from this experience understanding beyond any shadow of a doubt was that any Idea that God is unhappy with us or would judge or allow us to be punished for any reason is simply impossible. \n\nI can’t explain the love I felt with words. They simply don’t make words big enough or complete enough to do this. The only way I can begin to convey this love to you is to say that there was simply nothing else there. Nothing but love. No hint of judgment, no displeasure of any sort. It is as though God sees us as being as perfect as we were the day we were created. It is only in our confused idea of ourselves that we seem to have changed.\n\n I hope this is of some help to you. Good luck. Love and blessings. \n\nYour brother don
786503
Yes. I not go into detail much, but, I have heard God verbally once in my life. The other times God just responded to my requests and helped me. Then there were times He not do anything, maybe I did not need what I wanted or He teaching me patients to wait for some things.
1068315
Yes.  Example, several people can observe the same incident and each will come away with a slightly different perception of what happened.  Go a little deeper - what you believe will also shape your reality.  Some folks look at a tree and believe there must be a god.  Others will simply marvel at the mystery of life.  \n\nReality is truly different things to different people.  Who really knows what reality is?  Doesn't seem to matter, each of us deals with our own reality the best we can.  For some folks, reality is so different from the mainstream that they are unable to function in society.\n\nHope this helps answer yuor question....
698377
Several years ago I had an unusual experience concerning an uncle, a distant relative who lived over a thousand miles away. \n\nWhile driving my car I suddenly felt the unmistakable presence of this relative that I hardly even knew. He was more like someone I had heard about than someone I knew. It was very strange; it felt as though I was momentarily lifted right out of my physical body. I seemed to be suspended somehow beyond space and time, bathed in a love so intense It felt like I could have just disappear into it at any moment if It would have let me. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it seemed to last forever at the same time. I realize how crazy this must sound. The experience was so strong that at first I was afraid I was loosing my grip on reality. I finally managed to chalk it up to an over active imagination.\n\nThree days later I got a call from my aunt telling me that this uncle we are talking about had gone into a coma and died the day I had the experience. It felt like ice water had been poured down my back when she told me this. I had lost any real ideas of God or faith and had become somewhat of an atheist. Needless to say this experience caused me to rethink some of the conclusions I had come to. \n\nI feel blessed to now understand that even in our darkest confusion something loves us so much that it went out of its way to assist me and bring me back to a state of absolute certainty about Gods love for us.\nDuring the experience it seemed like there was a vast amount of information that I was somehow allowed access to. One thing that I came away from this experience understanding beyond any shadow of a doubt was that any Idea that God is unhappy with us or would judge or allow us to be punished for any reason is simply impossible. \n\nI can’t explain the love I felt with words. They simply don’t make words big enough or complete enough to do this. The only way I can begin to convey this love to you is to say that there was simply nothing else there. Nothing but love. No hint of judgment, no displeasure of any sort. It is as though God sees us as being as perfect as we were the day we were created. It is only in our confused idea of ourselves that we seem to have changed.\n\n I hope this is of some help to you. Good luck. Love and blessings. \n\nYour brother don
660340
I have had a near-death experience, and I gotta tell you, it ain't just over and out.  It is more than just biology.  I can believe in an immortal soul because of this experience, even though I couldn't describe it in the least.
273404
You know, I just listened to a recording by Kishori Amonkar, a Hindustani singer, and it was one of her really good ones that just takes the soul to another level.  For a moment, I honestly felt like I was experiencing the most amazing thing.  Let me try to explain it:  Basically, it was like I had here on this recording proof that "humans" exist!  Try to imagine what it would be like to have a recording of gods or angels singing, and it was proof that those entities really did exist.  Imagine how you'd feel.  That's how I felt when I heard this singing.  It was like I was being priveleged to listen to something absolutely amazing and unbelievable.  It was like, wow, they actually DO exist!  Here they are, human beings, singing to God.  They are really there.\n\nOk, this is almost impossible for me to explain, and I'm sure I didn't do a good job.  But my point is that we think there are apsaras or angels whose job it is to sing to God, and in reality, we know that humans exist who do this very thing.  So humans are astounding.  We should remember to appreciate this.  Humans are absolutely amazing when you think about it afresh.
913468
I never saw one but I felt one.\n\nSeveral years ago I had an unusual experience concerning an uncle, a distant relative who lived over a thousand miles away. \n\nWhile driving my car I suddenly felt the unmistakable presence of this relative that I hardly even knew. He was more like someone I had heard about than someone I knew. It was very strange; it felt as though I was momentarily lifted right out of my physical body. I seemed to be suspended somehow beyond space and time, bathed in a love so intense It felt like I could have just disappear into it at any moment if It would have let me. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it seemed to last forever at the same time. I realize how crazy this must sound. The experience was so strong that at first I was afraid I was loosing my grip on reality. I finally managed to chalk it up to an over active imagination.\n\nThree days later I got a call from my aunt telling me that this uncle we are talking about had gone into a coma and died the day I had the experience. It felt like ice water had been poured down my back when she told me this. I had lost any real ideas of God or faith and had become somewhat of an atheist. Needless to say this experience caused me to rethink some of the conclusions I had come to. \n\nI feel blessed to now understand that even in our darkest confusion something loves us so much that it went out of its way to assist me and bring me back to a state of absolute certainty about Gods love for us.\nDuring the experience it seemed like there was a vast amount of information that I was somehow allowed access to. One thing that I came away from this experience understanding beyond any shadow of a doubt was that any Idea that God is unhappy with us or would judge or allow us to be punished for any reason is simply impossible. \n\nI can’t explain the love I felt with words. They simply don’t make words big enough or complete enough to do this. The only way I can begin to convey this love to you is to say that there was simply nothing else there. Nothing but love. No hint of judgment, no displeasure of any sort. It is as though God sees us as being as perfect as we were the day we were created. It is only in our confused idea of ourselves that we seem to have changed.\n\n I hope this is of some help to you. Good luck. Love and blessings. \n\nYour brother don
273326
I met a group of Buddhist monks a few years back.  One of the monks I talked with gave off this remarkable energy of complete peace and serenity and it was so palpable I literally felt that I was in the presence of someone who did not belong with the rest of us.  It was awe inspiring.
1071259
I often feel as you do. Confused and hurt, by a God who was supposed to be there for me. I also agree with you that the bible is no more relevant than greek mythology, or even the eastern relgions. I still conteplate the existence of a God period, yet the fact that all these religions exist, might lead us to a God.
263831
What an amazing event. I hope you treasure it for the rest of your life as a message of God's love for all his creatures.  I believe in angels, and I am convinced that all of us act as angels sometimes.  I know I have been blessed plenty of times by people whom I know, who have helped me in several ways. ALso, I have been touched by complete strangers who have actually saved my life in many ways.  God bless you
596759
I was baptized Catholic and attended Catechism a few times but even at the age of 7 I didn't believe in "God". I believe the "higher Power" is within each of us and that we are all connected on a subconscious level. Now I worship nature.