when i turned 27 i had similar to a near death experience, never believed in a higher power until then. I was a punk rocker/death head in bands and extremely anti religious/deity until then.. I also respect everybodys opinions and beliefs, this is just what i know to be. I told my family and close friends about it...half believed i either had possibly a schizophrenic episode, or an endorphine rush causing hallucination....in which i did not. It was far too vivid, and now i know better. I recently read something from an amazon review if you can believe that of a book i was purchasing, and i respected this comment alot from a man named tony, it made people really think, and i think its very good reading for people. ill paste it here:

Tony: It's easy to understand atheist's like yourself. I'm not passing any type of judgement on you, but I would like you hear what I have tyo say.
As an ex-special forces member, I was used to seeing death, pain, suffering and grief. It seemed as the more I tried to numb myself to what I was seeing nearly everyday, the more I realized I could not.
After leaving the service, I found myself wondering, why, in almost every instance one of my team members died his injuries, they seem to be looking at and talking to someone I could not see. In any case, what they saw and heard brought them great comfort and a type of reassurance that I could see on their face. Every one of my team members was a believer in Christ. I lost 7 men.
In 2003, I accepted a contract as a private security contractor in Iraq and later in Afghanistan. I led an Alpha team consisting of 26 ex-SOG members. Two of them, were devout atheists and laughed at the thought of a God and seeing me lead a prayer prior to each shift.. I tried to explain to them that If I was wrong, I had nothing to lose, but if they were wrong, they everything to lose.
Shortly after leaving our compound in the Green Zone on 6-11-94, our convoy came under heavy fire from the roof tops. I lost 3 men that day. The 1st was the atheist that ridiculed me.He had taken a round between his hip and groin, most like severing the femoral artery. As our paramedic was trying to get an IV started, I held him as he looked beyond me. I saw his eyes open wide and heard him say, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please, please" Then he died. My second casualty was the counterpart to the 1st. Although I was not present when he died, I was told he said something similar to the 1st. The final casualty was a believer and again, I was not with him, but I told later that he was peaking to someone named Donnie within the last 15 seconds of his. He smiled, reached out his hand and said 'OK, OK, I'm ready"
I wrote to his parents a few day later and for some reason, I told them what he had said. I got a letter from his mother about a month later. Donnie was his older brother who had been killed in a car accident in 1997.
My only daughter was killed on June 10th 2009. I was on leave in the US for Fathers Day. I stand before God and say, that what happened just prior to her death is proof that God is here. If you want to know that story, I will provide you with my email below and I will send you her story.
You see Tony, you are wrong in your statement the only one person at a time has seen God. In fact, no man has. Those, Abraham, Moses, Daniel etc., witnessed the spirit of God. Their works, under the direction of God, were miracles and could not have been performed by man alone. Jesus, after his crucifixion, was seen and witnessed by more than 40 people. The Greek historian Josephus, not a believer, writes about this and the official Roman records of Pilate support the empty tomb and subsequent sightings.
My brother, it is easy to be a non-believer and live without any thought of recourse for ones actions. On the other hand, is is difficult to be a true believer. One must regard others before ones
self, bestow compassion, love and with hold judgement of any. Above all, one must trust completely in the Lord and be led by a steadfast faith.
I will, regardless, include you in my prayers tonight. I will ask our Savior, to open your eyes to the truth. I know, that within the next 24 hours, something will happen in your life that will lead you to him. fdshumock @ yahoo.com

thanks for your eyes, and great thread q&a
glen

edit im now 36, still a punk and death head and etc...nothing has changed, accept everything. i learned that one day how little i really know, some things really put you in your place.