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Journey into the Light: Exploring Near-Death Experiences

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The author, who espouses traditional American Christian beliefs reviews what we know of NDE's from a Christian perspective. Not surprisingly, he refutes the New Age style message brought back by most NDE experiencers.

However, his tone is not negative or positive, but very objective (given his stated reference point - The Bible). At the beginning of the book he identifies two basic camps of NDE researchers, - those who think it is purely a physiological process and those who believe it is a spiritual one - and he declares his position which is in the middle. He believes it is a physiological process that occurs when the brain is shutting down, and states that he also believes that it can be a gateway into a spiritual realm, but that he thinks the experiences gained in that realm (if any) are most likely deceptions by evil forces disguising themselves as "messengers of truth".

In the first half of the book he provides a very balanced and non opinionated review of the various NDR researchers and opinions out there. He reviews in detail medical, sociological, historical and psychological studies on the subject. In the latter part of the book he describes how the various "truths" espoused by most NDE experiencers are at odds with his interpretation of Christian doctrine.

Even though I don't share his fundamentalist Christian views, I admit he makes a pretty strong case for NDEs being primarily a physiological process. And he points out several pieces of information that you won't read about in books by those authors who want you to believe in the spiritual "truth" of NDEs: The first is widespread reports of "fear-death experiences" (FDE) in which someone who perceived themselves to be in imminent thread of death, but who in fact did not suffer any physical harm, - had near-death experiences including going out-of-body, seeing a light, meeting relatives, etc. The 2nd is that we have all heard of NDE experiencers who claim to have been met by dead relatives, but what we don't hear is that many of them meet relatives who are still alive - and children often are met by imaginary figures such as Santa Claus or a teacher of theirs.

The one place where he argument is weak is that while acknowledging hundreds of doctors' testamonies about patients who were able to provide detailed recounting of things that occurred while they were "dead", he could not provide adaquate explanation for how these patients came upon this knowledge. He points out that medical findings suggest those in comas or near death might still be able to hear - but that's about all he offers, aside from the other assertion that evil forces might feed them information.

Despite the traditional Christian viewpoint this book is a thorough and careful overview of NDEs, - and is worth reading.

Richard Abanes is an author/journalist, who has also written books such as Embraced by the Light and the Bible Betty Eadie and Near-Death Experiences in the Light of Scripture, One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church, Harry Potter, Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings: What You Need to Know About Fantasy Books and Movies, A New Earth, An Old Deception: Awakening to the Dangers of Eckhart Tolle's #1 Bestseller, End-Time Visions : The Road to Armageddon, Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick, Defending the Faith: A Beginner's Guide to Cults and New Religions, etc. He is also a professional singer, dancer, and actor (most recently, he performed the role of Judas in a production of "Jesus Christ, Superstar").

He writes in the Introduction to this 1996 book, "Are NDEs (Near-Death Experiences) real? If so, exactly what are they? Can they be looked to as reliable sources of information about what awaits us after death? ... What, or who, is 'the light' NDErs regularly encounter? In the following pages, these and other questions are answered through an examination of NDEs and the observations made by NDE researchers."

Here are some quotations from the book:

"In other words, the more a person believed that death was imminent, the more NDE-like elements he or she experienced." (Pg. 96)
"These stories pose interesting questions: Who is really deciding what takes place on the 'other side'? Are NDErs being taunted by superior spiritual entities who cruelly offer them a choice when no choice exists? Are some NDErs sent back by mistake after an incompetent being of light bungles the paperwork or forgets to offer a choice? NO objectivist has adequately answered any of these questions." (Pg. 122)
"It is most significant that HEARING is the very last sense to be lost due to unconsciousness. Even during anesthesia-induced unconsciousness, hearing 'is the most common sense remaining.'" (Pg. 127)
"What all of this means is that New Agers are not receiving any supernatural enlightenment through OBEs (out-of-body experiences). They are merely achieving a deep (fear-death experience)-like state of consciousness through the voluntary triggering of a psychological safety device normally activated involuntarily by extreme danger and/or imminent death. This inner mechanism can be intentionally activated through various means such as meditation, drugs, ecstatic dancing, and others." (Pg. 171)

I highly recommend this book. As a grief group facilitator, I was looking for information to guide those who have lost a loved one through death away from false hopes of communicating with the deceased or relying on near-death experiences to bring them comfort. I needed help to point the bereaved to the truth. The author makes a good argument as to what these visions truly are in both a spiritual and scientific manner. The book is filled with good information that is of an intellectual nature, but also speaks well to the lay person such as myself. It's a great compilation of many hours of research that I could never have completed on my own. You won't be sorry that you purchased this book.