Religious and near-death experience in relation to belief in a future life

Belief in an afterlife has shifted from being grounded in theistic religious experience to being supported by Near Death Experiences (NDEs), which modern medicine has made more common. Historical accounts from St. Paul, St. John of the Cross, and Tibetan and Japanese Buddhism are compared with a large survey of contemporary NDEs. The author argues for establishing a prospective research project to test the objectivity of some claimed experiences.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Christian belief in a future life was historically based on theistic religious experience. Today Near Death Experiences are more often cited. Exceptional reports of NDEs go back to the dawn of history but modern medicine has democratised them. Accounts from St. Paul, St. John of the Cross, and from Tibetan and Japanese Buddhism are described and compared with a large survey of contemporary experiences. The author pleads the desirability of establishing a prospective research project to determine the objectivity of some of the experiences claimed.