Again, does knowledge of the idea of God preclude the interpretation of such visions in religious terms? I'd argue yes. Another way of putting it: if I lived in a society where there was no idea of God, no knowledge of him, would it be possible for me to explain such images of dead relatives in religious terms? I'd argue no.
I'd argue that one must learn to seperate and distinguish between the presuppositions about life that we form as children, from the suppositions that are developed in mature adult hood. We must distinguish between those experiences which are necessary conditions of human experience, and those which are not. Unfortunately, God gets thrown out often times about the same time as the Tooth Fairy and other mythical whimsies. Put simply - I'd argue that God is a necessary condition of human experience, while tooth fairies and Santa Claus are not. Once we're able to draw clear distinctions between childhood presuppositions and the suppositions formed in adulthood - thereby distingusihing between those experiences which are necessary conditions of human experience and those which are not - then the idea of a God can be developed and conceptualized like any other discipline.
