Science
Near Death Experiences
Some people whose hearts stop come back describing a light, peace, and seeing their own body from above. What should we make of it?
It happens more than you'd think
In 2001 the medical journal The Lancet published a study led by Dutch cardiologist Pim van Lommel. He followed 344 people revived after their hearts stopped. 62 of them, about 1 in 6, reported a near-death experience.
- PeaceNo pain, no fear
- Out of bodySeeing from above
- LightA bright light
- OthersMeeting people who had died
- Life reviewSeeing their life again
- A borderA point they couldn't pass
What people describe
Reports differ, but the same features keep coming up, across ages and cultures.
One checked case
In the AWARE study (2014), one man accurately described sounds and events in the room from about three minutes into his cardiac arrest. Doctors would not expect any awareness at that point.
Be careful with them
Christians don't build their hope on these stories. They point back to one person who came back from death and stayed alive: Jesus.
Near-death experiences don't prove Christianity. They do fit what it teaches: you are more than your body, and death is not the end.
We are courageous, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.