Christian Visions

[Guest dazed]

Hello,

 

I am currently going out with a hardcore pagan / ("witch", although she doesn't like that label) and have consequently been trawling the web in search of info on her beliefs. Earlier I came across the following christian conversion story, and it spooked me somewhat:

 

http://www.christian-faith.com/testimonies...ewage-teri.html

 

It's a bit of a mission to read, so if you can't be bothered, I'll explain that it's basically this woman writing about her experiences growing up in a occultic family, who had visions of god and later became a christian. Here's a key passage:

 

Of all of my 'supernatural' experiences, there was one that puzzled me the most. One morning I woke up filled with an overwhelming appreciation for God's creation---even though I no longer believed in God. This was not my usual angry state of mind, and I wondered at the joy and peace I felt. As I tried to get out of bed, an invisible hand pushed me back. Suddenly I saw the incredibly beautiful underside of a white dove, made completely of light, flying by at great speed. A quiet voice in my mind whispered, "Father, Son, Holy Spirit." I knew the vision was from heaven, but I honestly had no idea what the words meant

 

Notice how she claims to have had no idea what the words meant - I suppose this doesn't preclude her having heard them before, even if she didn't understand them.

 

Anyhow, there are more stories like this one, but the question is: what are they? Signs from God? (presumably this won't be many people's opinion on here...) Or simply the product of overactive imaginations? I suppose my ladyfriend would say it was a pagan god manifesting itself in a culturally specific manner. Anyhow, any opinions to help clarify my thoughts would be appreciated

 

Cheers

 

Dazed (not to mention confused... permanently...)

[Skankboy]

Actually I believe it's called sleep paralysis. Same condition that causes "alien abductions" and "demonic possession." Essentially, they are stuck between awake and dreaming but don't realize. The symptoms are pretty consistent:

 

1. Happens just as falling asleep or waking up.

2. Feeling of being pinned or trapped

3. Sensing a presence in the room

4. Seeing lights

5. Sensing/Hearing words that aren't intelligable but are understandable.

etc.

[seeker]

Actually I believe it's called sleep paralysis.  Same condition that causes "alien abductions" and "demonic possession."  Essentially, they are stuck between awake and dreaming but don't realize.  The symptoms are pretty consistent:

 

1. Happens just as falling asleep or waking up.

2. Feeling of being pinned or trapped

3. Sensing a presence in the room

4. Seeing lights

5. Sensing/Hearing words that aren't intelligable but are understandable.

etc.

102125[/snapback]

 

 

Since I was in my early teens I have had this happen to me although until I learned what it was last year I always thought I was either having seizures, was dreaming, or some other problem. Its the weirdest thing and VERY scary. You'll wake up just BARELY but you can't move any part of your body, and for me my breathing is very shallow almost to the point where I feel like if I don't get a good breath I'm gonna die!!

 

I finally told my mom about it and her husband explained what it was. I was shocked that someone else had it and how he explained it identical to my symptoms. And there are times when I feel like someone is in the room with me which is also extremly scary...it has the nightmare "someones about to kill you" feel to it that you get in dreams. Because you can't move it makes it terrifying and there have been times I have woken up screaming (normally you wake up just enough to open your eyes but like I said you can't move...so you just fall back asleep and assume you were dreaming ).

 

Anywho just thought I'd share!

[Guest dazed]

Actually I believe it's called sleep paralysis.  Same condition that causes "alien abductions" and "demonic possession."  Essentially, they are stuck between awake and dreaming but don't realize.  The symptoms are pretty consistent:

 

1. Happens just as falling asleep or waking up.

2. Feeling of being pinned or trapped

3. Sensing a presence in the room

4. Seeing lights

5. Sensing/Hearing words that aren't intelligable but are understandable.

etc.

102125[/snapback]

 

 

Since I was in my early teens I have had this happen to me although until I learned what it was last year I always thought I was either having seizures, was dreaming, or some other problem. Its the weirdest thing and VERY scary. You'll wake up just BARELY but you can't move any part of your body, and for me my breathing is very shallow almost to the point where I feel like if I don't get a good breath I'm gonna die!!

 

I finally told my mom about it and her husband explained what it was. I was shocked that someone else had it and how he explained it identical to my symptoms. And there are times when I feel like someone is in the room with me which is also extremly scary...it has the nightmare "someones about to kill you" feel to it that you get in dreams. Because you can't move it makes it terrifying and there have been times I have woken up screaming (normally you wake up just enough to open your eyes but like I said you can't move...so you just fall back asleep and assume you were dreaming ).

 

Anywho just thought I'd share!

102329[/snapback]

 

 

Interesting... thank you both very much. I have heard about Sleep Paralysis before, (don't you sometimes see an ugly old woman sitting on your bed?) but didn't make the link in this case... I think is was the vividness of the vision that got me. Have also read recently that something called Temporal Lobe Epilepsy can cause religious visions, which was interesting.

 

Anyhow, yeah, thanks. Seeker's account is slightly spooky... doesn't sound like an entirely nice experience. Anyhow, all the best

 

Dazed

[Pariah]

Sleep paralysis is a good explanation for that one particular case. I think that other religious visions can be explained by the fact that many of them occur after fasting. I once fasted and stayed awake for a fairly long amount of time (the fasting was part of a charity event) and I started having hallucinations (seeing forks of lightning, dancing ballerinas in white dresses, and a poster of a face morphing into a person). Also one time when I was really upset I hallucinated seeign black worms coming out of (nonexistent) holes in the wall of my shower. So visions might be caused by extreme emotional stress (or maybe I'm just crazy).

[Skankboy]

So visions might be caused by extreme emotional stress (or maybe I'm just crazy).

 

I'll take option #2...

 

No really, you are quite right. Fasting, emotional stress, seizures, bad shrooms, etc can all cause hallucinations. Now imagine you live in a society that has no concept of nuerochemistry, what would you think was happening?

 

I may be wrong, but I had even heard once that when people in ancient times were "prophesizing" they were actually "speaking in tongues". In other words, these people were having a fit and would then relate what they experienced or else someone else there would interpret their rantings into a prophecy. Long ago, people who we would call "insane" were call "touched by god". Indeed we still use the term "touched" to refer to people w/questionable mental capacities.

 

IMOHO,

[seeker]

Actually I believe it's called sleep paralysis.  Same condition that causes "alien abductions" and "demonic possession."  Essentially, they are stuck between awake and dreaming but don't realize.  The symptoms are pretty consistent:

 

1. Happens just as falling asleep or waking up.

2. Feeling of being pinned or trapped

3. Sensing a presence in the room

4. Seeing lights

5. Sensing/Hearing words that aren't intelligable but are understandable.

etc.

102125[/snapback]

 

 

Since I was in my early teens I have had this happen to me although until I learned what it was last year I always thought I was either having seizures, was dreaming, or some other problem. Its the weirdest thing and VERY scary. You'll wake up just BARELY but you can't move any part of your body, and for me my breathing is very shallow almost to the point where I feel like if I don't get a good breath I'm gonna die!!

 

I finally told my mom about it and her husband explained what it was. I was shocked that someone else had it and how he explained it identical to my symptoms. And there are times when I feel like someone is in the room with me which is also extremly scary...it has the nightmare "someones about to kill you" feel to it that you get in dreams. Because you can't move it makes it terrifying and there have been times I have woken up screaming (normally you wake up just enough to open your eyes but like I said you can't move...so you just fall back asleep and assume you were dreaming ).

 

Anywho just thought I'd share!

102329[/snapback]

 

 

Interesting... thank you both very much. I have heard about Sleep Paralysis before, (don't you sometimes see an ugly old woman sitting on your bed?) but didn't make the link in this case... I think is was the vividness of the vision that got me. Have also read recently that something called Temporal Lobe Epilepsy can cause religious visions, which was interesting.

 

Anyhow, yeah, thanks. Seeker's account is slightly spooky... doesn't sound like an entirely nice experience. Anyhow, all the best

 

Dazed

102519[/snapback]

 

 

Haha..yea it is spooky! Not something I enjoy but most of the time I don't wake up screaming or feel that "presence" in the room. In fact the screaming thing has only happened a few times and honestly will start laughing about it once Im fully awake. Ah well.

[duderonomy]

Dazed,

My thoughts, to help you clairfy your mind, are...

 

 

 

 

 

and even though I only read the small quote you included in your post from the article... the description of the person's vision seemed a bit too pat.

 

Hope that helped.

[Guest JPD]

I too have had this sleep paralysis. I guess I didn't know what it was until now. It always happened when I was so tired I nearly fell asleep the instant I hit the pillow. I could still hear the music I had put on, and feel the ceiling fan, and feel my body pressing against the bed, but I could not move. I felt as if I was being pressed down against the bed, and then like my "soul" or consciousness was being pulled downward, through my body and the bed and the floor, into blackness. I could feel a malevolent presence, and hear a sort of constant mutli-tonal gutteral growling, like a chorus of moaning bloodthirsty giants, and all I could think about was waking myself up. I was convinced that to relent and be pulled downward would be the end of me. So I always struggled until I could move a finger, and then eventually fully wake myself. In the rational aftermath of these experiences, I would always tell myself that when this happens again, I will just let myself go down, just to see. But, the dozen or so times it happened in my teen years, it was always so horrifying that I believed my eternal soul hung in the balance, and was consequently so frightened as to preclude any sort of experiment. My adult life, while full of dreams in which I have mastered flight, is devoid of any similar experiences. It was so long ago now that I sort of doubt my own recollection of the details. I'm 32, and the last "demon dream" was probably around 14.