What convinces you that there is more than the physical? [View All]

[wildflower]

I hope this is an okay topic.

For those that believe in something beyond the tangible, I'm interested in knowing what it is that tells you in your heart (or mind).

Throughout life I've often drifted back to agnosticism and even toward atheism, but at other times, there are three main things that tell me there may be something more.

1) Scientific studies on the effectivness of prayer. For example, in one study, seeds prayed for were far more likely to germinate than seeds not prayed for.

2) Near death experiences. Studies have shown them to be consistent across religions and cultures.

3) That which initiates life. While it may be possible for scientists to provide scientific explanations for (1) and (2) above, I haven't seen anything that can explain this one. Here's what I mean:

It was in my experience with the deaths of people close to me that I started to wonder what starts and stops life. For example, if you have a car with broken parts, you can put in new parts, then start up the gas and make it go.

But if a living being dies, you could replace all organs, even every single cell, but you can't "turn it on." What "turns on" life and what shuts it off? I hope this is making sense.

So I'm interested in hearing from others: what tells you in your heart or mind that there is (or is not) more than the physical in this life?

-wildflower