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From: alisonjw@spider.co.uk (Alison J Wyld)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Dreams and out of body incidents
Message-ID: <May.14.02.10.02.1993.25119@athos.rutgers.edu>
Date: 14 May 93 06:10:03 GMT
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In article <May.11.02.37.40.1993.28185@athos.rutgers.edu> dt4%cs@hub.ucsb.edu (David E. Goggin) writes:
>I'd like to get your comments on a question that has been on my mind a
>lot:  What morals/ethics apply to dreams and out-of-body incidents?
>In normal dreams, you can't control anything, so obviously
>you aren't morally responsible for your actions.  But if you can contrive
>to control the action in dreams or do an OOBE, it seems like a morality applies.
>

Well I am one of those (apparently) odd people who can sometimes
control their dreams.  For example, I might decide before going to
sleep that I want to repeat a favourite dream, or dream about a
specific place.  Or if I am having an unpleasant dream, I can often
(not always) redirect events to something more pleasant.

I guess I think that the same standards apply in these "directed"
dreams as apply in waking fantasies or real life (ref Jesus teaching
about looking at a woman lustfully being the same a committing
adultary).

When my normal dreams display themes that I would not conciously chose
to dream about, I take that as a sign that all is not well with my
"inner life" - maybe I have underlying tenstions/fears that need to be
resolved, or maybe its straightforward sin.  In either case, the cause
needs to be resolved.  

In fact, either case is pretty rare.  I don't
often remember dreams that I don't chose to have.  When I do, they
almost always tell me something important.
I also almost never dream in pictures, and especially not in colour
(in fact I've had precisely one full colour picture dream that I can
remember, and it was definately spiritually important)
I tend to dream in sound, with the odd blurred image, in black and
white.

Interesting topic - I'll be fascinated to read other responses.

Alison

PS. Just to make it clear, I don't do ( and have never tried ) OOBEs.
    I tend to think they are off limits for Christians.
