Near Death Experiences: A Critical Examination by Fr. J. Davila-Ashcraft

The Issue 

The near-death experience (hereafter referred to as NDE) is a controversial subject. While there are a minority of medical professionals and others in the sciences who have dedicated significant time to research the topic, many in these respective fields are often divided on the specific nature, character and legitimacy of the experience. Much of the division is centered on how best to interpret the evidence, with the philosophical Materialists, who comprise a significant majority in the medical and scientific communities, proposing purely physical explanations for the perceived experience. The question for those in apologetics ministry is how we can adequately and honestly weight the evidence of the experience and then determine whether it possesses any value to the apologetics arsenal. If it is too subjective and the evidence is tenuous, we should jettison the experience. However, if it can be demonstrated to have significant evidence to support it, then we should accept it and determine what the extent of the apologetic value is and how best to utilize it. With that in mind, the evidence does appear to support many, though not all, of the claimed experiences as having validity, though due to the highly subjective nature of the individual experience itself, the apologetic value is limited.

The Near-Death Experience 

Psychology Today defines the near-death experience as “the conscious, semi-conscious or recollected experience of someone who is approaching or has temporarily begun the process of dying.”1 While this definition is somewhat vague, it does help in defining the issue, since the experiences are often wildly divergent. For the purposes of our study of the topic we will confine ourselves to those cases wherein the claimant has been reported by medical professionals as having been clinically deceased, since cases wherein the person was semi-conscious or not yet deceased can have very logical medical answers that do not encourage acceptance of subsequent claims. Researchers have noted a series of common elements in the claims of those who experienced an NDE. Dr. Bruce Greyson of the University of Virginia, a researcher of NDEs since the 1970s, notes the following common features experienced by claimants:2

  1. Thinking more clearly and rapidly than usual.
  2. A sense of overwhelming peace, well-being, and absolute unconditional love.
  3. Feeling comfortable and free of pain.
  4. A sensation of leaving the body, sometimes being able to see the body while floating above it.
  5. A sensation of being drawn into a tunnel or darkness.
  6. A brilliant light, often perceived as a being of light.
  7. A life review or return of memories from the past.
  8. A sense of having access to knowledge not available by normal means.
  9. Encounters with deceased loved ones, or with other beings who may be identified as religious figures.
Dr. Greyson points out that, while NDEs do follow this common pattern, many deviate from it, as some report experiencing a frightening and distressing sensation rather than a peaceful one. 3 Greyson's research also demonstrates a set of common aftereffects in the lives of claimants. 4 These are:
  1. Marked decrease in, or complete loss of, fear of death.
  2. More loving attitudes toward oneself and toward other people.
  3. Acceptance of, and compassion for, others.
  4. Increased sense of meaning and purpose in life.
  5. Decreased interest in material possessions, in personal recognition and in competition.
These common changes in those who experience an NDE mark what should be the Christian's perspective and attitude on life, which is a fascinating element of the experience.
  • Loss of fear of death-“When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:54)5
  • Loving attitudes-“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:14)
  • Compassion for others- “Be kind to one another, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
  • Sense of meaning- “And He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)
  • Decreased interest in materialism- “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25,26)
This is not to suggest that everyone who emerges from an NDE becomes a Christian. Many do not. However, the fact that these character traits are present in the lives of most claimants indicates the objective and absolute nature of these moral and spiritual principles, since they are witnessed to in the lives of both the religionist and the previously atheist who report a near-death experience. It is also worth noting that many who experience and NDE have some negative aftereffects. The International Association for Near-Death Studies reports the following:6
  1. Fear that they have a mental disorder.
  2. Disorientation because reality has shifted.
  3. Euphoria, feeling special or “chosen”.
  4. Withdrawal to ponder the experience.
It is also reported that some other, less common, distressing experiences are:7
  • An acute awareness of non-existence and of being completely alone eternally. Some receive a message that the world and themselves never really existed.
  • Hellish imagery with an ugly, foreboding landscape; demonic beings; loud, annoying noises; frightening animals; and other beings in extreme distress. 
According to research, these negative experiences account for as much as 15% of NDEs. 8 In such cases, it is recommended that the claimant seek the appropriate metal health support to learn how to understand the experience, assimilate it and continue on with a normal productive life. It is also highly recommended that claimants seek pastoral counseling from a trusted pastor or spiritual mentor.

Examination

In weighing the apologetic value of NDEs it is important that we examine the claims themselves, since the things claimants have reported must be brought to the truth of Sacred Scripture and understood in light of God's Word. If the claimed experience comports with the witness of that divinely revealed witness, then it may hold apologetic value. If not, then it must be rejected. As we have seen, the majority of the reported moral laws that are clearly upheld in the vast majority of cases all meet the standards of Sacred Scripture. But what of the other elements of the experience? We will confine ourselves to those elements reported by the majority.
  • Seeing and hearing apart from the physical body, cessation of pain, clearer thinking, timelessness- While the Materialist will suggest that consciousness is merely a symptom of the elaborate processes of the brain, this element of the NDE refutes that claim. This conscious existence apart from the body indicates a Mind-Body dualism, which is also supported by Sacred Scripture. Christ Himself made a distinction between the body and soul, the two constituent parts of Man. The gospel according to Matthew records that Jesus taught, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) This separation from the physical body would also account for the sense that all pain had ceased. In addition, if one is separated from the physical body, with all the defects of the Fall, it is reasonable to suggest that the capacity for thought would be clearer and quicker 9, as it is uninhibited by the limitations of the material body. And as one would be beyond finite material limitations, time too would be experienced quite differently.
  • Encountering a Mystical Light or Being of Light and Intense Love-Such encounters are also attended by feelings of overwhelming love, such that the claimant has never experienced before, along with an intense sense of peace. Often, the claimant states that they were in the presence of God and/or Jesus Christ. Sacred Scripture again confirms this basic element of the experience. The First Epistle of John states, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5) Ezekiel likewise reports, “Like the appearance of the bow that is in the clouds on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.” (Ezekiel 1:28) And finally, the gospel of Matthew gives us the following description of the resurrected Christ: “His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.” (Matthew 28:3) With regard to the overwhelming sense of love and peace, again Sacred Scripture would agree that this would be a characteristic of being in the presence of God. “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16) Note here that the apostle did not simply say God is loving, but that God is love itself. He is the fullest expression of what we know as love, and so it would be logical for those who encounter Him to experience the overwhelming absolute love that He is.
  • Life review, special knowledge and encounters with religious figures-Many NDE cases report encounters with deceased loved ones and often even of Christ Himself. For example, eight-year-old Annabel Beam reported that, after she fell 30 feet from a tree branch, striking her head tree three times on the way down, and coming to rest in the hollow of the tree, she met Christ. “It was really bright, and I sat on Jesus' lap, and he told me, 'Whenever the firefighters get you out, there will be nothing wrong with you.” She asked if she could stay with Him, to which He replied, “No, I have plans you need to fulfill on Earth that you cannot fulfill in heaven.” Indeed, when the firefighters removed her body from inside the tree, she suffered no lasting injuries.10 In another case from 1973, Betty Eadie died from complications due to a partial-hysterectomy surgery. She reports experiencing the following: “I saw a pinpoint of light in the distance. As I approached it, I noticed the figure of a man standing in it, with the light radiating all around him. As I got closer the light became brilliant – brilliant beyond any description, far more brilliant than the sun. I saw that the light immediately around him was golden, as if his whole body had a golden halo around it, and I could see that the golden halo burst out from around him and spread into a brilliant, magnificent whiteness that extended out for some distance. I felt his light blending into mine. And as our lights merged, I felt as if I had stepped into his countenance, and I felt an utter explosion of love. It was the most unconditional love I have ever felt, and as I saw his arms open to receive me, I went to him and received his complete embrace. I felt his enormous spirit and knew that I had always been a part of him, that in reality I had never been away from him. I knew that he was aware of all my sins and faults, but that they didn’t matter right now. He just wanted to hold me and share his love with me, and I wanted to share mine with him. There was no questioning who he was. I knew that he was my Savior, and friend, and God. He was Jesus Christ, who had always loved me, even when I thought he hated me. He was life itself, love itself, and his love gave me a fullness of joy, even to overflowing. I knew that I had known him from the beginning, from long before my earth life, because my spirit remembered him. His light now began to fill my mind, and my questions were answered even before I fully asked them. His light was knowledge. It had power to fill me with all truth. As I gained confidence and let the light flow into me, my questions came faster than I thought possible, and they were just as quickly answered. I understood that he was the Son of God, though he himself was also a God, and that he had chosen from before the creation of the world to be our Savior. I understood, or rather, I remembered, his role as creator of the earth. His mission was to come into the world to teach love. This knowledge was more like remembering.”11 Clearly, these experiences fit the witness of Sacred Scripture. (1 Timothy 1:15; Luke 19:10; Acts 4:12; 2 Timothy 1:10; 1 John 4:14; Revelation 13:8) The experience of a life review reflects the biblical concept of judgment before God. (Revelation 20:12-13; Hebrews 9:27)
We can conclude from this data that the common elements of the Near-Death experience do not conflict with the witness of Sacred Scripture but rather affirm what we find in the Word of God. Does this mean we must accept all claims as being legitimate and valid? 

The Apologetic Value of NDEs

It is important that we not become gullible or play fast and loose with facts when dealing with something as subjective as the Near-Death experience. While we can point to the medical evidence in some cases that the claimant was clinically dead, we cannot then assume that the story they tell is the truth. We have to be discerning. (Philippians 1:9-10; John 7:24) The fact that some might simply be fabricating a story for attention or gain should not be forgotten. This is not to suggest that where there is extraordinary evidence of an NDE, such as the claimant giving an account of discussions or other happenings which they could not have known given their deceased state, that these cases should be ignored. Such cases should be taken seriously and all evidence weighed carefully. However, given the subjective nature of the experience, we cannot say as apologists that any given claim of a Near-Death experience is objective evidence of the afterlife. We must recognize the limited scope of the data available to us, including the cases where we do not have biblical support for the perceived experience. While the majority of the cases do share common elements, there are a number of claims that do not. For example, Dr. Ian Stevenson12 and Dr. Satwant Pasricha13 documented 16 cases of Near-Death experiences which produced encounters with Hindu mythological figures, such as Yamaraj and Vasudev.14 These anomalous experiences muddy the water, so to speak, making the work of the apologist one that requires very careful discernment and consideration, since the skeptic will undoubtedly point to such cases as evidence that NDEs are merely hallucinations brought on by trauma, illness, medicines, oxygen deprivation, and the like; and as they are hallucinations, they take on the cultural imagery one might expect given. This is, of course, not at all true. For example, Munaf Ali, a 45-year-old militant Muslim, hated Christians and had orchestrated attacks on churches. He was a well-known Imam in the Middle East and considered an Islamic scholar. Munaf died on the way home one evening after an angry encounter with missionaries. While his body was being prepared for burial, he experienced a group of demonic entities surrounding him. He attempted to rebuke them in the name of Allah, but was told by the demons, “It's our right to take your life.” The demons grabbed him and began to drag him to hell, when suddenly Christ appeared with angels surrounding Him and the demons fled, leaving Munaf standing before Jesus. Munaf claims Jesus said to him: “Listen, my son. The First Adam disobeyed God and sinned against Him under Satan's influence. I am the second Adam, the Word of God and the Messiah Jesus, Son of the Most High. I was born of the virgin Mary, as a sinless Son of Man to redeem Adam and all of his descendants including you from sin and death. I was crucified and died as a ransom for all your sins to make you a child of God and a citizen of heaven. I was raised from the dead and opened the gates of heaven to bring you back to eternal glory. Have faith in me and be my witness. I give your life back, for I have authority of giving life.”15 There are many such cases as Munaf Ali's, demonstrating that the NDE does not conform to cultural imagery or expectations. However, we are still forced to contend with the data that apparently supports the contentions of the skeptic. How should we understand these cases? First, we should consider the common characteristics of the majority of Near-Death experiences, which, as we have seen, affirm the witness of Sacred Scripture. We can confidently state they are the common characteristics based on the research of Dr. Jeffrey Long, who provides the following data:
  • 75.4 % report an out of body experience.
  • 74.4 % report heightened senses.
  • 64. 6% report a “mystical” light.
  • 57.3 % report encountering other beings and/or God.
  • 60.5 % report altered time.
  • 52.2 % report being in a heavenly realm.
  • 22.2 % report a life review.
  • 56 % report special knowledge
We can reasonably expect that valid cases of Near-Death Experience will manifest a number of these common elements. There is uniformity of experience present which has nothing to do with the background of the claimant. As Dr. Long notes, claimants include children, adults, scientists, physicians, priests, ministers, and atheists.16 When the perceived experience does not meet this criteria, both in commonality and in the affirmation of the witness of Sacred Scripture, the apologist can reasonably conclude that other explanations are likely. We must always keep in mind that spiritual deception is always possible and indeed probable in cases wherein the messages received, or beings encountered either conflict with or deny Sacred Scripture, or where they affirm the witness of Sacred Scripture regarding the activities, character and message of demonic entities. In short, we must be very discerning. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)

Conclusion

The Near-Death Experience holds apologetic value, albeit limited to the sincere investigator of Christianity who already possesses a worldview that permits a belief in the afterlife. For such people this experience can be moving. For the hardened skeptic, such claims will hold little sway, since those with an emotional attachment to Materialistic presuppositions and/or Atheistic Naturalism often default to alternative explanations and when those explanations have been refuted, simply fall back on an agnostic approach, suggesting that not enough data is available to make a supernatural claim. And given the subjective nature of the vast majority of NDE claims, such skepticism should be expected. The apologist should keep in mind that even if only one claim is true, this completely undermines the Atheistic Naturalist worldview, rendering in untenable, and the Atheist generally knows this, thus an emotionally obstinate response is likely. Use of the NDE as an apologetic tool must be approached carefully. We should avoid sources that have occult and/or New Age associations, since these are often based on occult presuppositions and the data, which is interpreted through those presuppositions, cannot be considered wholly reliable. We should examine the claims for theological content, life changes in the claimant since the experience, and any corroborating evidence available. Only those cases with the most significant data to substantiate them, and with strong theological confirmation that what they contain fully affirms the entire witness of Sacred Scripture, should be presented in an apologetic or evangelistic setting. Used in this way the Near-Death Experience can be faith encouraging and helpful in bringing sincere investigators to Christ as their Savior.



  1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/near-death-experiences
  2. https://www.brucegreyson.com/resources/
  3. Ibid.
  4. Ibid.
  5. All Scripture quotes from the English Standard Version
  6. https://www.iands.org/resources/support/combat-veterans.html
  7. Greyson, B. & Bush, N.E. Distressing Near-Death Experiences in Bailey, L.W. & Yates, J. (Eds.) (1996) The NearDeath Experience: A Reader. New York: Routledge
  8. Bonenfant, J.R. (2001) A Child's Encounter with the Devil: An Unusual Near-Death Experience with both Blissful and Frightening Elements. Journal of Near-Death Studies 20 (2) pp. 87-100
  9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kUyFeSizr0&list=PLR6fmuTWJHag3Z_dBQbSYMOwWT55wp8j8&index=6
  10. https://www.today.com/health/i-crossed-over-survivors-near-death-experiences-share-afterlife-stories-t12841
  11. https://near-death.com/betty-eadie-nde/
  12.  (b. October 31, 1918 d. February 8, 2007) American psychiatrist and founding director of the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia
  13. Head of the Department of Clinical Psychology at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India.
  14.  Life after Death: Near-Death Experiences of Hindus | Sanskriti - Hinduism and Indian Culture Website (sanskritimagazine.com)
  15. Believers Portal (article) Muslim Encounters Jesus After a Death Experience January 14, 2018
  16. Long, Dr. Jeffrey Near Death Experiences: Evidence for Their Reality. The Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association. September-October 2014, 111 (5) pp.372-380

 Bibliography
  • Alcorn, Randy The Other Side of the Good News. 1992 Victory Books, Wheaton, Ill.
  • Burke, John Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God's Promises, and the Exhilarating Future that Awaits You. 2015 Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • The Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association, September-October 2015
  • Bonenfant, J.R. (2001) A Child's Encounter with the Devil: An Unusual Near-Death Experience with both Blissful and Frightening Elements. Journal of Near-Death Studies 20 (2) pp. 87-100 • Greyson, B. & Bush, N.E. Distressing Near-Death Experiences in Bailey, L.W. & Yates, J. (Eds.) (1996) The Near-Death Experience: A Reader. New York: Routledge

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