Free Near-Death Experiences as Evidence for the Existence of God and Heaven: A Brief Introduction in Plain Language by J. Steve Miller Page B
Authors: J. Steve Miller
legitimately count as
evidence. If a woman appears to be genuinely scared of her husband, the judge may
issue a restraining order. Of course, she may be a great liar and actress, and
with NDE reports, each case should be screened for attention seekers.
On
the one hand, little Colton ( Heaven is for Real ) seemed to be innocently
childlike in his reports. On the other hand, my skeptical side tells me that
children like attention, and Colton’s descriptions of heaven provided plenty of
it! That doesn’t necessarily invalidate his testimony, but we’d be unwise to
ignore this potential motivation. In the case of certain ministers, a YouTube
interview dramatizing their NDEs might be just the thing to rejuvenate their
book sales.
But
in the case of most NDE reports, there’s scant motivation for lying. As we’ve
seen, the typical hospital patient is extremely reluctant to share her
experience, as is borne out by many studies. They don’t stand to get a cash reward
or a respectability badge for claiming to have been to heaven and back. In
fact, they have very strong motives for not reporting the event or for
lying by claiming “it was only a vivid dream.”
If
you’re interested in this line of evidence, look for several intelligent,
level-headed people who’ve experienced NDEs. I found a dozen by simply asking
friends and family members if they knew people who’d had NDEs. I personally interviewed
some of them. Seeing NDErs’ sincerity – their utterly convincing inflections
and expressions – led many interviewers to conclude, “They’re totally convinced
that they visited the other side. Had I had their experience, I’d likely
believe just as strongly that I’d been to the other side. So why should I wait
for my own experience in order to believe?” (60)
Moody,
reflecting on the many people he interviewed, notes,
“No one has seen fit to proselytize, to
try to convince others of the realities he experienced. Indeed, I have found
that the difficulty is quite the reverse: People are naturally very reticent to
tell others about what happened to them.” (61)
“…many have remarked that they realized
from the very beginning that others would think they were mentally unstable if
they were to relate their experiences.” (62)
Exhibit
# 9 - The deaf “hear.”
Listen
to the account of a boy who was born deaf, describing his near-death
experience:
“I was born profoundly deaf. All my
relatives can hear, and they always communicate with me through sign language.
Now I had direct communication with about twenty ancestors via some kind of
telepathy. An overwhelming experience….” (63)
“Overwhelming”
indeed. He’s neither heard nor understood verbal communication. Yet he finds
himself communicating effortlessly, not through sign language, but directly
mind to mind, without learning a new form of communication. This in no way fits
what we know of the workings of the brain.
Exhibit
#10 - The color-blind see colors.
I’m
color-blind. Actually, I can see some colors, enough to understand the concept
of differentiating colors. But it’s serious enough that the last time I took a
color-blind test, the nurse laughed at me: “Come on! Surely you can see something there!”
Thus,
if I ever have a near-death experience, I’ll likely be astounded at the range
of colors. Although those who aren’t color-blind also mention seeing new
colors, the range seems particularly astounding to the color-blind.
Consider
this NDE:
“I can distinguish the primary colors,
but pastels all look the same to me. But suddenly I could see them, all kinds
of different shades. Don’t ask me to name them because I lack the necessary
experience for that.” (64)
Reflecting
upon this phenomenon, although I understand the concept of colors, I can’t even
conceive of the colors I can’t see. Thus, if I were to encounter a
life-threatening situation,
evidence. If a woman appears to be genuinely scared of her husband, the judge may
issue a restraining order. Of course, she may be a great liar and actress, and
with NDE reports, each case should be screened for attention seekers.
On
the one hand, little Colton ( Heaven is for Real ) seemed to be innocently
childlike in his reports. On the other hand, my skeptical side tells me that
children like attention, and Colton’s descriptions of heaven provided plenty of
it! That doesn’t necessarily invalidate his testimony, but we’d be unwise to
ignore this potential motivation. In the case of certain ministers, a YouTube
interview dramatizing their NDEs might be just the thing to rejuvenate their
book sales.
But
in the case of most NDE reports, there’s scant motivation for lying. As we’ve
seen, the typical hospital patient is extremely reluctant to share her
experience, as is borne out by many studies. They don’t stand to get a cash reward
or a respectability badge for claiming to have been to heaven and back. In
fact, they have very strong motives for not reporting the event or for
lying by claiming “it was only a vivid dream.”
If
you’re interested in this line of evidence, look for several intelligent,
level-headed people who’ve experienced NDEs. I found a dozen by simply asking
friends and family members if they knew people who’d had NDEs. I personally interviewed
some of them. Seeing NDErs’ sincerity – their utterly convincing inflections
and expressions – led many interviewers to conclude, “They’re totally convinced
that they visited the other side. Had I had their experience, I’d likely
believe just as strongly that I’d been to the other side. So why should I wait
for my own experience in order to believe?” (60)
Moody,
reflecting on the many people he interviewed, notes,
“No one has seen fit to proselytize, to
try to convince others of the realities he experienced. Indeed, I have found
that the difficulty is quite the reverse: People are naturally very reticent to
tell others about what happened to them.” (61)
“…many have remarked that they realized
from the very beginning that others would think they were mentally unstable if
they were to relate their experiences.” (62)
Exhibit
# 9 - The deaf “hear.”
Listen
to the account of a boy who was born deaf, describing his near-death
experience:
“I was born profoundly deaf. All my
relatives can hear, and they always communicate with me through sign language.
Now I had direct communication with about twenty ancestors via some kind of
telepathy. An overwhelming experience….” (63)
“Overwhelming”
indeed. He’s neither heard nor understood verbal communication. Yet he finds
himself communicating effortlessly, not through sign language, but directly
mind to mind, without learning a new form of communication. This in no way fits
what we know of the workings of the brain.
Exhibit
#10 - The color-blind see colors.
I’m
color-blind. Actually, I can see some colors, enough to understand the concept
of differentiating colors. But it’s serious enough that the last time I took a
color-blind test, the nurse laughed at me: “Come on! Surely you can see something there!”
Thus,
if I ever have a near-death experience, I’ll likely be astounded at the range
of colors. Although those who aren’t color-blind also mention seeing new
colors, the range seems particularly astounding to the color-blind.
Consider
this NDE:
“I can distinguish the primary colors,
but pastels all look the same to me. But suddenly I could see them, all kinds
of different shades. Don’t ask me to name them because I lack the necessary
experience for that.” (64)
Reflecting
upon this phenomenon, although I understand the concept of colors, I can’t even
conceive of the colors I can’t see. Thus, if I were to encounter a
life-threatening situation,
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