Near-Death Experiences as Evidence for the Existence of God and Heaven: A Brief Introduction in Plain Language (11 page)
Authors: J. Steve Miller
m. Seeking knowledge is very
important.
“…many
others have emphasized the importance of seeking knowledge.”
(17)
“She
[wisdom/knowledge] is more precious than jewels; and nothing you desire
compares with her.” (Proverbs 3:15)
n. Requests, desires and
prayers seem to be taken into account.
When
people ask a celestial being for permission to return to earthly life to
complete a worthy task, the being may grant the request, as if the person’s
desires and asking are taken into account. Other times the prayers of those
still on earth seem to be taken into account. The response is consistent with
both free will and the efficacy of prayer.
(18)
“The
prayer
of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)
o. Don’t lust for power.
“…their
interest in possessions and power had decreased.”
(19)
“The
greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be
humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:11,12)
p. Be a decent person.
Forgive. Tell the truth. Don’t be aggressive. Give to charities.
After
experiencing NDEs, people become “more forgiving, more tolerant, and less
critical of others…more compassionate and caring.” They are “more likely to
donate to charities or to dedicate themselves to a social cause.” They have a
“greater sense of justice” and are motivated to “tell the truth….”
(20)
“Command
them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to
share.” (I Timothy 6:18)
“Forgive,
and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)
“…speak
truthfully to your neighbor….” (Ephesians 4:25)
q. Don’t be consumed with
cultural norms.
Those
with NDEs were less likely to focus on social norms such as “keeping up
appearances.”
(21)
“And
do not be conformed to this world….” (Romans 12:2)
r. Appreciate ordinary
things.
Eight
years following an NDE, 84 percent of van Lommel’s subjects report being more appreciative
of ordinary things.
(22)
“And
be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)
About Aspects of the Afterlife
The
longer I live, the shorter my earthly life appears. My youngest children are
seniors in high school. Wasn’t it just yesterday when we carried those tiny
twins around in backpacks? Truly, life is merely a vapor when compared to
eternity. Although a
near
death experience may not be in all ways equal
to a
final
death experience, it seems reasonable that the NDE tells us
something about what to expect after our final deaths. After all, the deceased
relatives and friends encountered on the other side have often been there for
years.
s. Death isn’t the end of
life.
“…dead
turned out to be not dead.”
(23)
“…he
will receive…in the age to come, eternal life.” (Mark 10:30)
t. Time is different.
“And if anything was missing it was our earthly conception of time!”
(24)
“…with
the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.”
(II Peter 3:8)
u. We will have spiritual
bodies, which are different from and superior to our physical bodies.
“So,
to adopt a term for it [the new form in which they find themselves] which will
sum up its properties fairly well…I shall henceforth call it the ‘spiritual
body.’” – Raymond Moody.
(25)
“…it
is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” (I Corinthians 15:44)
v. The mind can exist apart from the body.
It’s the mind that’s truly
us, that’s eternal. The earthly body is merely an earth suit.
“I
suddenly became aware of hovering over the foot of the operating table and watching
the activity down below around the body of a human being. Soon it dawned on me
that this was my own body.”
(26)
“…prefer
rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” (II
Corinthians 5:8)
w. We know and understand
things much more clearly on the other side.
“The
knowledge and messages going through me were so clear and pure.”
(27)
“For
now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but
then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known.” (I Corinthians
13:12)
x. There are intermediaries
between God and people.
People
I interviewed reported talking to angelic or celestial beings. This is pretty
common. Somehow they’re identified as distinct from deceased people.
“Are
not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit
salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14)
y. The other side isn’t rosy
for everyone.
Moody
(28)
,
van Lommel
(29),
and subsequent researchers
(30)
note briefly that
some near-death experiences are hellish or distressing. Just remember, this is
halftime, not the end of the fourth quarter, so NDEs may not take place in a
person’s final resting place. Perhaps it’s a warning. Some consider distressing
NDEs more of a vivid dream than reality, since there may not be as much consistency
between hellish experiences as there are with positive experiences. Yet, they
do seem to have the vividness and convincing nature of an NDE.
(31)
“Outside
the city [the holy city, the New Jerusalem established after Armageddon and the
judgment] are the evil people….” (Revelation 22:15, NCB)
z. Heaven is a place you
want to go.
Van
Lommel introduces his book with an account of the cardiac arrest of a patient during
his first year of cardiac training where he served as attendant physician. An
alarm sounded on the cardiac wing. The patient flat lined. The medical team
exploded into action with CPR, a defibrillator shock to the chest, IV drip, and
a second shock. When the patient finally resuscitated, everyone in the room
felt happy and relieved…with the exception of one.
The
patient.
He
was extremely disappointed to find himself back in his second rate body, having
just experienced the music and beauty and pain-free existence on the other
side.
(32)
The
heavenly experience is so wonderful that it’s beyond words, reminding me of the
heavenly vision of Revelation 21:4, where God “shall wipe away every tear from
their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be
any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” (Rev.
21:4)
And
as little Colton concluded, there’s strong evidence to believe that it’s more
than a fantasy; it’s “for real.”
Conclusion
For
Dr. van Lommel, Dr. Rawlings, Dr. Moody, Dr. Sabom, and a host of others, a
close examination of NDEs compelled them to believe that death isn’t the end of
life. With the state of research today, even if NDEs were my only evidence, I’d
choose theism over atheism, survival over extinction. This fascinating field
provides remarkable evidence for both life after death and the existence of a
loving, brilliant Being who knows us intimately. To me, NDEs are remarkably
consistent with a theistic worldview, woefully inconsistent with an atheistic
worldview. (For a more thorough discussion of some of the most important
points, read my appendixes.)
Unless
future research overturns the results of the present research, we have strong
evidence to support both life after death and the existence of a personal God.
(33)
But
there’s more evidence for the supernatural beyond near-death experiences. Fifteen
further lines of evidence converge to convince me that God exists and that He’s
worth serving. I’ll discuss those further lines of evidence in a future book.
Respected
educator Howard Hendricks once said that some people need to read less and
reflect more. We often lose the impact of a book when we begin the next one without
reflecting adequately upon the last one.
I
recommend taking a few moments to ponder what you believe about NDEs. These
questions may help:
1.
Do you think NDEs provide compelling evidence for life after death?
2.
What are the strongest arguments pro and con?
3.
If someone told you that NDEs could be adequately explained as purely natural
events, how would you respond?
4.
What would you like to study further about NDEs? (See Appendix #9, “Guide to
Further Research.”)
5.
If someone asks you tomorrow what you believe about NDEs, how would you respond
in a two-minute “elevator speech”?
6.
If you had an NDE, in what ways might your priorities change?
7.
Knowing what others claimed to experience on the other side, in what ways could
this impact your priorities?
Do NDEs Differ Across Cultures?
The
Pattern
I’m
following the Sci-Fi series “Fringe” with my kids. In the opening episode, a
passenger jet lands with every passenger dead. As the FBI investigates, they
find that this isn’t an isolated, anomalous event. Related events have been
reported around the globe, referred to by other investigators as “The Pattern.”
This pattern indicated a common cause – perhaps natural but more likely by
design.
One
of the most intriguing, unexpected attributes of NDEs is their pattern – the
remarkable consistency of elements, where no such consistency would be
expected. Studying philosophy at the University of Virginia, young Raymond
Moody read Plato’s
Republic
, which contained Socrates’ story of the
soldier Er, who apparently died on the battlefield, but a few days later sat up
and described a remarkable visit to a heavenly realm.
(1)
Later,
Moody heard Psychiatrist George Ritchie’s similar report of the other side
after being pronounced dead. To Moody, Ritchie was a modern-day Er.
“As far as I knew, George Ritchie was
the only living person to have gone through such an experience. I didn’t make
the inference that there must be more people like Ritchie….”
(2)
But
a few years later, as Moody began teaching philosophy and collecting such
stories, he noticed that “a pattern was beginning to emerge….”
(3)
Ah, “The
Pattern.”
The
Pattern in the Western World
Moody
found common elements – leaving the body, meeting dead relatives, tunnels, a
light, beauty, love, etc. Why the common elements if they were random
hallucinations of a dying brain?
Now
it’s important to note that “pattern” in this context doesn’t mean “carbon
copy,” even when we look at NDEs solely within American culture. Each NDE comes
wrapped in an individualized package. Some report only a brief separation from
their bodies. Some have a tunnel experience; others don’t.
The
sides of the tunnel may be the deepest black or textured or various colors.
Deceased relatives may be old, young, or in their prime. Celestial beings may
appear as bright lights, as clothed bodies with lights for faces, or as relatively
normal people. They may speak the language of the experiencer, or communicate
wordlessly – mind to mind.
Why
the differences, even within the same culture? Surely it’s relevant that the
world described by NDErs is consistently nonphysical. Outside of their bodies,
people seem to consist of something more akin to energy than cells. This could
explain why, when one NDEr expressed surprise that her deceased relative looked
so old, the relative explained that she could appear however she wanted and
immediately changed to a younger look.
(4)
Thus,
perhaps there is no tunnel – at least as a physical entity – merely the
appearance
of a tunnel to communicate to the NDEr that she’s travelling to another
dimension. Another NDEr may experience a rapid ascent through space seeing
stars retreating in the distance, but no tunnel. Another may experience an
escalator, giving the same visual effect of moving to another world.
What
would we expect to see people wearing on the other side – a place where clothes
may serve no practical purpose for a spiritual body? (Will we need a winter
wardrobe in heaven?) Perhaps a visual experience including clothes is more for
the observer than the “wearer.” With this insight, would you imagine that
Socrates’ Er more likely saw celestial people dressed in a) ancient Greek
attire, b) pure light/energy c) 21st century South Korean business/casual or d)
whatever was popular in heaven at the time? I’d respond, whichever would have
been more meaningful to Er – probably a) or b).
If
I’m on track here, then the pattern we’d expect from NDEs would differ from the
pattern we’d expect from Shangri-La. If Shangri-La visitors reported a bridge
over a large canyon as the only entrance to Shangri-La, we’d expect every
visitor to describe the same bridge. It was either metal or wood, an arch
bridge or suspension bridge, painted a certain color or left unpainted. But the
pattern we’d expect from a visit to a nonphysical world might consistently include
an entryway, although it might be described in a variety of ways.
Thus,
I’d recommend, before studying nonwestern NDEs, to read scores of entire
Western
NDEs (such as on the
NDERF
site), in
order to see both the pattern and the diversity within the pattern.
Moody
was amazed that NDErs consistently reported leaving their bodies, meeting
deceased relatives, going through tunnels, following a light, reviewing their
lives, being sent back, etc. The pattern held, regardless of expectations,
prior religious beliefs, age, or type of medical event. Yet all his subjects
lived in America. Would the pattern be found in other cultures as well?
Van
Lommel found the same pattern in Holland, which differed from American culture
in many respects, not the least of which was that the majority didn’t believe
in life after death. But although Dutch culture differs from American culture,
it’s still Western culture, significantly influenced by Christianity. Would the
pattern hold in nonwestern cultures, with vastly different traditions,
religions, and cultural symbols deeply embedded in their psyches?
The
Pattern in Nonwestern Cultures
Since
many of the aspects of the pattern (type of clothes, type of tunnel, etc.) may
vary to accommodate different people within a culture, then we’d expect certain
aspects to differ between cultures as well, since individuals interpret data
through their own cultural grids. This is indeed what some researchers have
found.
A
great article summarizing NDE studies in various cultures is Chapter 7 of
The
Handbook of Near-Death Experiences
. Here are some NDE distinctives reported
from nonwestern cultures.
(5)
·
In
a study of 45 NDEs in India, not one reported a tunnel. Tunnels were also
rarely, if ever, reported in Thailand.
·
Again
in India, life reviews tend to consist of a person reading the review to them,
rather than experiencing it as a visual experience.
·
In
Thailand, the review tends to consist of one particular incident in life,
rather than covering the entire life.
·
An
NDEr may refer to the light by the name of the ultimate God as known in their
culture.
·
The
other realm may have characteristics of the buildings and landscapes they’re
familiar with.
Studies
such as this, which attempt to lay out only the differences, rather than laying
out each NDE in its entirety, often left me with the impression that nonwestern
NDEs may differ significantly from American NDEs. I wanted to read full
accounts and compare. When viewing full western NDEs side-by-side with full
nonwestern NDEs, would the basic pattern still hold?
I
needed to dig deeper.
[Note:
Much more NDE study needs to be done in nonwestern cultures. Many of the
nonwestern studies are so small that it’s difficult to draw conclusions. (E.g.,
only four cases were published in Guam.) Also, if the interviewer fails to ask
certain questions, the NDErs may not think that an element is important to
report. I saw indications of this in my reading of global NDEs from the NDERF
site. In the initial description of the event, an NDEr may not mention a
tunnel. But when asked about a tunnel, he may mention it. This tendency could
have skewed the results of earlier studies.]
Method:
I
examined nonwestern NDEs from Dr. Long’s NDERF site, since people from many
countries answered the same set of extensive questions. For the purposes of
this study, I excluded all NDEs from countries dominated by Western European
and American influence, especially those with an overwhelming Christian
influence. If a person lived in a predominantly non-Christian country, I still
excluded their report if they indicated being a Christian. I was looking for
nonwestern, non-Christian reports of NDEs. Perusing over 3,000 NDEs, I found 58
meeting my criteria.
Distribution:
Twelve different countries, with India having 26 NDEs, by far the largest
number. Saudi Arabia had six, Egypt five, Turkey three, with the rest of the
countries having two or one – Iran, Russia, Korea, Tunisia, Libya, Uzbekistan,
Iraq, Singapore, China.)
Comparing
the above suggested cultural differences with my findings:
·
Although
an earlier study found no tunnels in the Indian experience, 11 out of 26 (42
percent) of the Indian experiences I read included tunnels, which interestingly
is a
higher
percentage than the 34 percent Dr. Long reported for his
global (including western and nonwestern) sampling.
(6)
Again, perhaps
the earlier study didn’t ask specifically if they experienced a tunnel and
NDErs didn’t consider it important.
·
In
my nonwestern sample, I saw no significant difference in life reviews compared
to western life reviews. All that I read were visual, one being described as a
“movie of myself and of my entire life,” another as a “panoramic review of my
life,” another “like a powerpoint” presentation.
(7)
·
An
Indian reported a person with a beard, looking through books to see if the NDEr
was to remain or to be sent back. This was consistent with religious Indian
traditions, so that it was meaningful to the NDEr. I’d not seen this in Western
NDEs, but it wasn’t inconsistent with (contradictory to) the variety of ways
people were sent back in the West. The bulk of my nonwestern sample (including
others from India) was sent back in the way most westerners report being sent
back – a relative or celestial light indicate that it’s not their time – or
they remember that their family on earth still needs them.
(8)
But
even if future research confirms the earlier nonwestern studies rather than
mine, the differences they’re seeing don’t appear to me to be at all disruptive
to the pattern. A difference in the type of life review or the type of entrance
to the other side (tunnel vs. no tunnel) would seem to leave the pattern
intact, especially when we consider the apparent nonmaterial nature of the
other side.
So,
does the pattern break down across cultures?
Not
in my opinion. As in western NDEs, some experienced only a few of the elements,
while others reported a much deeper experience. But I found all the common
western elements in the nonwestern experience: leaving the body, heightened senses,
positive emotions, stating that it was definitely real, a tunnel experience,
seeing a light, meeting deceased relatives, talking to celestial beings,
altered time and space, life review, a beautiful heavenly realm, special
knowledge, coming to a barrier, returning to the body, changed lives, and the
overwhelming priority of love.
The
Priority of Love
Let’s
reflect upon that last characteristic of the pattern – the encounter with
life-changing love. I was amazed that even those who experienced only a brief
NDE were typically motivated to change their lives – specifically to love,
serve, and help people.
But
why this consistency?
Individuals,
families, and cultures exhibit a widely diverse view of life priorities. Many
children grow up with daily exhortations to do better at school – academic
success consumes their lives and report cards judge how they’re doing in life.
Others live to get ahead and make something (materially and socially) of their
lives. Others are taught, by example and word, that we must often run over
others to get ahead. After all, it’s just survival of the fittest. Right?
Love
is not consistently pushed as THE main thing in life in every family and every
culture. So if NDEs were merely hallucinations of dying brains, informed by our
own very diverse values, why doesn’t the hedonist come back saying, “I’ve got
only one brief life to live. I need to start my bucket list of exciting things
to do before I die!” Why doesn’t the high achiever come back saying, “I learned
that I should take school more seriously, bringing my B’s up to A’s.” Aren’t
those the values that many instill in their children, both by their example and
their words? When we drop our kids off at school, aren’t we more likely to say
“Work hard at bringing that math grade up!” rather than “Be empathetic to
hurting students and overworked teachers; they may need some encouragement
today.”?
