Andrew

I understand that religion and spirituality are two different things, and I'm not religious. What I don't get though is why people report seeing religious figures? Sometimes there are sightings of Jesus, or of the Virgin Mary. Others see religious figures in their near-death experiences. Are they all hoaxes?

When it comes to religious sightings, such as those of the Virgin Mary, or of Jesus, notice that it is always people who subscribe to that particular religion who see the figures. That is because, when Spirit wants to get a message to someone, that message will come from whomever that person is most likely to trust. So, if a Christian man needs a spiritual appearances for his development, may be see a Saint, Mary, or even Jesus. The same thing is true with other religions, such as Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism.

If, however, a devoutly Christian simply saw a being of light, he might mistake it for the devil. It is important that higher beings gain the trust of the living, so that they can accomplish their work. Besides, there seems to be a general rule, wherein it is a faux pas for higher beings to tell the living that their religion is inaccurate. That's something the people just have to discover on their own.

During near-death experiences, people also tend to see, either what will comfort them, or what they expect to see. So, if someone will only be guided by Jesus, then they will meet Jesus. Similarly, if a person expects to see the fires of hell, he will find himself there. Not because it exists, but because the experiencer thinks it exists. The afterlife, as with all spiritual realities, is extremely subjective and a person's experience of it depends greatly on the nature of that person.