34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Near Death Journey, July 16, 2003
This review is from: Fast Lane to Heaven: A Life-After-Death Journey (Paperback)
Ned Dougherty's Fast Lane to Heaven, is an incredible tale of one man's transformation after his near death experience. Similar to Betty Eadie's and Dannion Brinkley's vivid recalls of their NDEs, Dougherty is also able to recall with vivid clarity his journey and all that was shown to him.
Dougherty was living the hedonistic, fast lane of life, with homes in both The Hamptons, and West Palm Beach, driving expensive cars, having many expensive toys, and operating two thriving nightclubs. Alcohol was his admitted drug of choice, and cocaine use was intermittently part of his lifestyle, as were meaningless relationships with meaningless beautiful women.
After suffering an apparent heart attack, Dougherty realized that he was no longer "in his body", and was met by a former friend who "died" in Vietnam. Dougherty recalls in stunning detail his life review, future life events, future world events, including the 9-11 attacks on New York and Washington, his meetings with The Lady of The Light, God, and other spiritual beings. Because Dougherty's life's mission is not yet completed on earth, he is told he must go back.
Needless to say, Dougherty's life is forever transformed after his heavenly encounters, and amazingly, the doctors could not find anything physically wrong with him - all of his medical tests were normal. Yet Dougherty knew that he had died, but all of the doctors could not find anything indicating a heart attack.
As foretold to Dougherty, he indeed turned his life around, and is no longer living a hedonistic, fast lifestyle, but a more spiritual, contemplative one, which includes hospice volunteering, as well as forming his Angels of Mercy organization which provides miracles to those in need. He is still visited by The Lady of The Light and his devotion and faith in God has deepened greatly.
I found this book truly amazing, and I have read all the NDE books that I can, and this account is one of the best. His honesty and admittances of his former lifestyle helped to portray him as he truly was/is. He was not portrayed as someone without any flaws, or perfect. I am sure that all readers can relate to his imperfections in one way or another. The reader can only "try" to relate to his struggles and difficulties in "trying" to live an earthly existence, after seeing and experiencing all that he had with his celestial encounters. Synchronistic encounters reaffirmed to Dougherty that all that happened did indeed happen. Events shown to him that would occur in his life happened not according to Dougherty's "trying" to make them happen, but instead they happened according to God's plan.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in NDEs. There is a most startling message in the book from Archangel Michael that was given to Dougherty, that is worth reading several times over. Indeed, a wake-up message for us all.
This book is just another confirmation to us all that there is nothing to fear in dying, that we all are constantly guided and loved, and that we only have to ask for help from above. There is so much more to life than "toys" or material possessions and Dougherty proves that point very well.
This book's message is incredibly timely for what we are living though now and thank you Ned Dougherty for sharing your wonderful incredible experiences for us all.
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
First person NDE account and prophecies, May 22, 2005
This review is from: Fast Lane to Heaven: A Life-After-Death Journey (Paperback)
I wholehearted agree with the other earlier review shown here.
The author says about his account:
"I would usually awake before dawn and immediately begin to write. The writing seemed to come to me automatically--totally by inspiration."
"The financial and banking institutions will collapse due in large part to the failure of the insurance companies as a result of the natural disasters. The United States will be thrown into political, economic, and social chaos."
"The United States government will fail to meet its financial obligations as a result of its staggering national debt and will collapse. As a result of the destruction of U.S. military bases from natural disasters, the United States will lose its ability to wage war or defend itself, leaving the country vulnerable to invasion by foreign troops, particularly by China's 'army of two hundred million.'"
He also talks about a pole shift, earthquakes, eruptions, tidal waves that will bring geophysical and geopolitical changes.
He was also told, "None of these events in the future need to take place if mankind begins to recognize and work with God's plan."
The author left New York and now lives in the mountains of Pennsylvania. He encourages prayer and meditation.
"The future of the world rests in our hands. The right choice is obvious. If each and every individual aspires to lead a life of love of God, self, and neighbor, collectively mankind has the ability to determine the future of the world and to choose our destiny as a civilization."
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Thank you Ned for sharing your personal experience., January 9, 2010
This review is from: Fast Lane to Heaven: A Life-After-Death Journey (Paperback)
It is a good reading. I believe the account is sincere and not fabricated, although Ned himself has struggled for years between belief and doubt, even after his experience. It is curious how spiritual experiences always get to be explained and decodified according to one's own educational and religious upbringing. Heavenly things are ineffable to mortals. There is a far supperior and immensely more glorious reality outside this dying sphere where we currently live. Though sometimes they are somewhat lengthy and detailed, mortal man's encounters with that reality are no more than glimpses of an infinitely great reality. There isn't even a proper language to describe it here on earth. It is little suprise that every NDE or out-of-body experience gets interpreted according to the protagonist's own beliefs. Ned account's elaborations about "Virgin" Mary can be bothersome for non-Catholic Christians like me. The Catholic dogma of sinless birth and eternal viriginity, implying that sex is intrinsically sinful (no matter how or when it is performed) is insulting to the sensibilities of those who, instead, believe it is a godly gift created for sacred purposes and that man and woman are not complete without it. It is also bothersome that certain religions use, propagate and elaborate supernatural evidences to draw people to believe. It really doesn't work like that for other Christians and some other religions. Cautioned by Jesus Christ himself that "an evil and adulterous generation would ask for a sign", we don't look to be charmed by incredible miracles alone. We look for light and truth that enlightens, expands and inspires both our hearts AND minds.
I still recommend the book. Ned is very candid in sharing his personal struggles against his weaknesses and his encounter with his spiritual side. There is a lot to learn from him.
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