Going somewhere with the spirit: responses to potential questions

Summary:

In the Bible, there are accounts in which people are going somewhere with their spirit while being absent in their body, that is, their body are not where their spirit goes. 

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People can go somewhere with their spirit while absent in their body:
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Because going with the spirit somewhere is a spiritual experience, it is possible that it may raise questions or potential reasonings, linked to the possible characteristics of such an experience. 

Several questions and potential reasonings will be explored, and responses will be given to them so as to edify the faith of the readers concerning this spiritual experience. 

You can find more details below:

Not possible to be out of the body before passing away?

Someone may think that it is impossible to be out of the body before passing away. 

But:

1) This was not what Paul believed for example, as he wrote: "I-know (a) man in Christ, fourteen years ago, WHETHER IN (THE) BODY, I-DO NOT KNOW, OR OUTSIDE (OF) THE BODY, I-do not know. God knows, (that) SUCH (A ONE WAS) SNATCHED-AWAY TO (THE) THIRD HEAVEN. And I-know such (a) man; WHETHER IN (THE) BODY OR APART-FROM THE BODY, I-do not know. God knows that HE-WAS-SNATCHED-AWAY INTO PARADISE" (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).

Paul did not know if such a man was "WHETHER IN (THE) BODY, I-DO NOT KNOW, OR OUTSIDE (OF) THE BODY", thus opening the possibility that such a man could have been outside of the body while experiencing being snatched away to the third heaven. 

2) There might be evidence that a silver cord might still link the body and the spirit before the person dies if the person's spirit come out of their body. 

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What is happening to the body when going somewhere with the spirit?:
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Could the mere action of being outside of the body cause a spiritual being to enter it?

Someone may think that the mere action of going out of the body may cause a spiritual being to be able to enter the body when the person is outside of their body. 

But:

1) There is NO EXPLICIT TEXT in the Bible indicating that someone outside their body would have had a spiritual being entering their body as a result of merely being outside their body. Such an argument from the Bible would be an argument from silence. 

2) If an argument is put forth from a past experience from someone, such argument could still potentially commit the fallacy of false cause. A fallacy of false cause occurs when someone incorrectly assumes that a direct causal relation exists between two things or events. There might be all other kinds of explanations if such a thing happened. In the Bible demons are even explicitly described as entering the body of a person while the person is inside their body.

3) The Biblical evidence suggests that it is possible for people to be brought by God outside of their body and even commanded to come outside of their body by their own agency, thus the MERE action of coming outside of one's body cannot be an INTRINSIC cause of demonization. 

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How going somewhere with the spirit can be initiated:
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What if as a result someone is in the spiritual realm where evil spirits can be?

Someone may think that the mere action of going out of the body can cause someone to be in the spiritual realm where evil spirits can exist, and thus should not happen for that reason.

But:

1) In the Bible someone could be brought BY GOD with their spirit in the spiritual realm in the air, as it is written: "the Spirit lifted me up, and took me up, and I was walked in (the) impulse of my spirit; and (the) hand of the LORD came mighty upon me. Then I WENT IN (THE) AIR TO THE CAPTIVITY, and went around to the ones dwelling by the river of Chebar" (Ezekiel 3:14-15). The air can be the place where evil spirits are, as it is written about "the ruler (of) the authority (of) THE AIR, (of) the SPIRIT now being-at-work in the sons (of) disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2). 

2) The Bible indicates that we are ALREADY in a struggle with evil spirits IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES even if we are in our body, as it is written: "THE WRESTLING (FOR) US is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-powers (of) this darkness, AGAINST THE SPIRITUAL (FORCE OF) EVILNESS IN THE HEAVENLY (PLACES)" (Ephesians 6:12).

What if as a result someone could be led into having misunderstandings concerning the faith?

Someone may think that going out of the body could lead someone into having misunderstandings concerning the faith (for a reason or another) and thus should be avoided.

But:

1) It is a fallacy of appeal to consequences: arguing that something should or should not be done based on the consequences, rather than the merits of the action itself.

2) Any good spiritual practice could lead to misunderstandings. For example, hearing someone read the Scriptures could lead to misunderstandings about the faith recorded in the Scriptures even though hearing the Scriptures can be profitable for the faith as well. 

Condemn it by default?

Someone may think that a practice may be dangerous, and so to be safe, it should be condemned. 

But:

To condemn a practice would actually NOT be safe to do toward God IF God would not explicitly condemn that practice Himself, as God disapproves people who condemn practices He has not condemned. 

For example in Matthew 12:1-8, Jesus’ disciples picked grain on the Sabbath because they were hungry but the Pharisees condemned them for breaking the law. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, saying, “If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent” (Matthew 12:7-8). Jesus made it clear that the disciples were not actually violating God’s intent for the Sabbath, and the Pharisees were wrongly condemning them for something not condemned by God.

Other spiritual traditions may do it, thus we should not do it?

Someone may think that because a practice may be done by other spiritual traditions, then that practice should not be done.

But:

1) To think that a practice is done by other spiritual traditions (which can be bad) and thus we ought not to do it COULD commit the fallacy of guilt by association. For example, just because other spiritual traditions (which can be bad) teach that people should initiate the action of prayer doesn't mean that we cannot teach the same, as God actually wants us to pray and initiate prayer.

2) In the Bible, other spiritual traditions (which can be bad) can have the same form of practices as God. Thus it is possible that a spiritual tradition could copy what God would give freely. For example, it is written: "the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “And if Pharaoh should speak to you, saying, ‘Give us a sign or a wonder’, then will you say to your brother Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it upon the ground before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it will be a serpent.” So Moses and Aaron went in before Pharaoh and his servants, and they did so, just as the LORD commanded them; and Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. But Pharaoh called together THE WISE MEN OF EGYPT, AND THE SORCERERS, AND THE CHARMERS ALSO OF THE EGYPTIANS DID LIKEWISE with their sorceries. And they cast down each his staff, and they became serpents" (Exodus 7:8-12). 

All kinds of spiritual practices are condemned in the Bible, could it be among them?

Someone may think that a person coming out of their body by their own agency may fall under the category of spiritual practices that are condemned in the Bible, as it is written: "THERE SHALL NOT BE FOUND AMONG YOU one who purges his son or his daughter with fire, one telling fortunes, one divining with divination, one dealing with omens, one taking omens from the flight and cries of birds, a sorcerer, one singing incantations, a charmer, a medium, calling up the dead" (Deuteronomy 18:10-11).

But:

1) There is NO EXPLICIT TEXT in the Bible indicating that someone merely going outside of their body would practice any of the condemned practices listed in the Bible. Such an argument from the Bible would be an argument from silence. 

2) It may fall under one of these categories IF ACCOMPAGNIED by practices from these categories. For example:

For sorcery and witchcraft [pharmakeia in Greek]: If an out of body experience is induced through DRUGS, SPELLS, or RITUALS intended to manipulate spiritual forces or gain illicit knowledge, then it may be under these categories.

For divination: If an out of body experience is sought to FORETELL THE FUTURE, then it may be under this category.

For idolatry: If an out of body experience is sought to WORSHIP OTHER SPIRITS THAN GOD during the experience, then it may be under this category.

Should spiritual practices not be initiated by one's own agency?

Someone may think that spiritual practices should not be initiated by one's own agency.

But:

People are commanded to initiate many spiritual practices by their own agency. 

For example: 

Paul wrote: "BE-GIVING-THANKS [active voice in the Greek] in everything. For this (is the) will (of) God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Paul here wrote that people can be the ones actively by their own agency giving thanks to God.

James wrote: "DRAW-NEAR [active voice in the Greek] (TO) GOD" (James 4:9). James here wrote that people can be the ones actively by their own agency drawing near to God.

For more information:

How going somewhere with the spirit can be initiated:
Click here

Should every spiritual practice be explicitly ordained by God to be compatible with His will?

Someone may think that a spiritual practice which is not explicitly ordained by God would fall outside of His will.

But:

1) In the Bible people engaged in spiritual practices and experiences that were not explicitly ordained by God, yet they were still compatible with His will or used by God without condemnation. For example in 1 Kings 18 Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal by calling down fire from heaven. Nowhere in the Law was this particular spiritual experience prescribed as a way to prove God's power. But God honored it and met Elijah in this spiritual practice, as it was still compatible with God's purposes. 

2) God can command someone to do something even though it was not prescribed in the Law. For example, in 1 Chronicles 23-25 David organized Levitical musicians and instruments, introducing forms of worship not detailed in the Law. Yet it was by the hand of God, as it is written: "He stationed the Levites in the temple of the Lord with cymbals, harps and lyres in the way prescribed by David and Gad the king’s seer and Nathan the prophet; for the command was by the hand of YHWH, by the hand of His prophets" (2 Chronicles 29:25).

3) There is evidence to suggest that going out of one's body may be COMPATIBLE with God's will (and thus someone could accomplish God's purposes). 

For more information:

How going somewhere with the spirit can be initiated:
Click here

Could it be a distraction from worshipping God?

Someone may think that a person coming out of their body could be distracting themselves from worshipping God.

But:

It depends on why they do it and for what goal. If the goal is to pray for people or do other things in accordance with the will of God through it, then it can be profitable for the person. 

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