God and the Afterlife: The Groundbreaking New Evidence for God and Near-Death Experience

I regard this book as, overall, well presented. I’ve studied mystical and near death experiences for about three decades, and these testimonials from large groups of individuals concur admirably with all that I’ve encountered. Some of the accounts are so touching that tears have filled my eyes.
I’m a pretty skeptical person that likes to go deeply into things, so I’ve read widely. I actually think that the skeptics, who repudiate spiritual accounts, by offering alternative theories, do an important job, in that, by considering their arguments and realizing whatever they put forward is not congruent with the variables they seek to dismiss, it forces one to be more rigorous, and more confident, in evaluating such experiences. I think Dr Long must have had this approach in mind, by using adequate samples and scrupulously avoiding loopholes for critics, by using chi square statistics and including information that potential critics may cite as being flawed by its absence.
I also think that near death experiences and mystical experiences complement and often corroborate each other. Phillip Berman’s book, The Journey Home, is a good example of this. I find the general consistency of these testimonials reassuring. On that point, one example that I would like to mention, is from a book by the late Australian physicist, Dr Raynor Johnson, entitled, Watcher on the Hills, written around the !950’s, Johnson was interested in mystical experiences, well before Dr Raymond Moody’s book, Life After Life, ushering in the phenomenon of near death experiences. One case in his book stood out for me; it occurred in 1927 -ninety years ago. Johnson writes, “This case is interesting, there was astral projection before the mystical experience” (astral projection being an older term for an out-of-body experience) I realized, upon reading the account, that this was a genuine NDE, about which Johnson would have had no idea, since it predated Moody’s revelation.I found this case very “interesting.” Here is a truncated version of what was written, so that you can see how much it mirrors modern cases: “…after leaving the physical body….Time and space did not exist….After passing through the darkness, I emerged into radiant white light…. You do not see this Light, you only know that you are immersed in it. Everything impressed on my consciousness while in the Light was by knowing, not by words…. I was aware of Love-Universal Love-Peace,Joy, Bliss, Ecstasy…to such an extent that it is impossible to express it in words. I was aware of all Life as One…and that Life is eternal. (this person finds that they are going back through the darkness to their body) They then exclaim…”it then seemed like a prison, and I prayed for release….”
This ninety year old example underscores, and has the main lineaments as do examples in Dr Long’s well-presented book.

This is an absolutely fascinating read. However, for me it was perfect because I’ve read just about every other book on this topic previously. I could see how someone who picks up this book would say “this is all well and good, but what I really want to read about are the NDE (near death experience) stories, and 3rd party observations that validate their authenticity. This books is not as much about that. It’s more the “next level” where the author examines certain aspects more closely – God and Love are the two biggest ones. The meaning and purpose of life is also touched on. I’d suggest earlier books by this leading NDE author, as well as the groundbreaking original works by Raymond Moody. Then read this one. This is a well done “sequel”, and I really enjoyed the deeper look.

According to a Gallup poll, about 5% of the population has had a “life after life” experience. The author of this book, Dr. Jeffrey Long, is in Radiation Oncology, and has been studying Near Death Experiences for 15 years. He writes: “I was fascinated by the mystery of how people whose hearts had stopped were having conscious experiences that they often later considered to be the most profound of their life. ‘With blood circulation stopped, shouldn’t lucid and prolonged consciousness be impossible?’ I asked myself….So if we are curious about what happens when we die, it makes perfect sense to listen to those who ACTUALLY nearly died or even experienced clinical death.”

In 1998 Dr. Long founded the Near Death Experiences Research Foundation. It has a website if you search it. With the accessibility of the internet, Dr. Long was able to reach out to many people who had experienced NDE, and has sent out a detailed questionnaire of 100+ questions to over 4000 people in 23 languages who have had NDE experiences. The questionnaire explores their NDE narrative, and changes which happened AFTER their NDE experience.

Some reflections in Dr. Long’s database by NDEers: “Leaving my body confirmed to me that we can exist outside of the physical body.” “We definitely live on – eternally. There is NO death. Simply a passing or return to home.” “I was aware that I was somewhere magnificent and when I was surrounded with people I knew were dead – I was filled with love and felt loved.”

What this book contains, says Dr. Long, is the largest scientific study of NDE’s. His goal was to have a “scientifically rigorous view of the afterlife”. He found the 12 most common elements of NDE’s – although there are other common and not so common elements than these 12 – which happen in consistent order based upon surveys he has done:

* out of body experience – 74.9%
* heightened senses – 74.4%
* intense and generally positive emotions – 77.7%
* passing into or through a tunnel – 33.2%
* encountering a mystical or brilliant light – 64.8%
* encountering deceased relatives/friends or mystical beings – 57.8%
* a sense of alteration in time and space – 60.5%
* a life review – 21.8%
* encountering otherworldly (heavenly) realms – 51%
* encountering or learning special knowledge – 57.6%
* encountering a barrier or boundary – 31%
* a voluntary or involuntary return to body – 58.5%

Dr. Long’s focus in this book, in particular, is what did the NDE experiences indicate about God and “the remarkable world people discovered on the other side”? Many were were aware of God or a Supreme Being during their experience. Some of what was reported by those who felt they encountered God during their NDE: God is everywhere and a part of everything. There were no limits on the power of God. God is eternal, powerful, creative, immense love. God encompassed me. The only worthwhile things on earth reinforce connection to God. I was made in the image and likeness of God, and He lives in me. God was always with me. We are love – we are part of God. God is a living force – and it is love. Love is the greatest power in the universe. Love and unity at core of life’s meaning. Love is the paramount element of reality. Presence of God is real – everything else minor field. God is the light. God is omnipresence, universality, oneness. We have never been apart from God. God is all-seeing and all-knowing.

One chapter I found compelling covers purpose and meaning. Why are we here on earth? What are we supposed to be doing with this experience? Some answers from the NDE’s: It’s all about learning.- situations are not important. Love is the purpose. Help one another find joy. We are expected to learn. Earth is a school.

Descriptions of God? Light, All, I AM, Presence, Energy, Mind, Order, One, no gender, all that is good. Love. God is real. No judgment.

96.2% said they were sure that experience was definitely real. One conclusion of the author Dr. Long? Life is not random.

This is a fascinating addition to NDE studies. The focus on God and the afterlife is original and enlightening. I was riveted by the information in this book, and its implications for our lives. It’s vastly comforting and instructive. I’ve read the classic LIFE AFTER LIFE by Raymond Moody, Dr. Eben Alexander’s book, Mary Neal’s book, and others, and found this one added to the narrative with its scholarly research on many NDE experiences. Four people I have known have had these experiences, and described similar elements. One was a co-worker at a tutoring company who was brought back to life after an automobile accident. He said he now has pre-knowledge of events which he didn’t have before like when the phone is going to ring. Another was my boss at another company who passed on during child birth and was revived. Another was the mother of two of my students, and another the older mother of a very close friend. None of them offered up these experiences until I’d known them for quite a while. They were from differing faiths and backgrounds. They all said the next experience is wonderful, beautiful and vivid filled with love, and none of them wanted to return to this earthly experience.

If you are interested in the Afterlife, this book provides an abundance of insights and information. Dr. Long says what fascinates him is how consistent the NDE experiences were in their view of God. You can go to his NDERF website and read many of the answers to his questionnaire by individuals describing their experiences. Amazing! You can spend hours there reading the individual accounts. Dr. Long does employ a methodology which screens out accounts which may not be NDE experiences which he describes in this book.

Dr. Long ends this book by writing: “Near-death experiences reveal that death is not an end, but an opening to a wonderful afterlife. I believe this is profoundly good news for all of us.”

Having read many other books on Near Death Experiences, this book is further proof that we are spiritual beings and we are here to learn and love. Message is: Don’t be afraid, don’t be selfish, love God, ourselves, and others, and enjoy today. God is.

I recently read Jeffrey Long’s previous book “Evidence of the Afterlife” which naturally led to “God and the Afterlife” as so many of those who reported NDE’s described the experience of encountering a Godlike entity.

In this book Jeffrey Long takes a closer look at that kind of NDE. As far as I can tell he is now convinced that God and Heaven (in the sense of a blissful afterlife) both exist. This is largely due to the many similarities in the reported NDEs where God is seen or sensed. However, I am left with some misgivings about the world Long now envisages.

If we give Jeffrey Long the benefit of the doubt and assume that human consciousness survives in some form after death then the meaning of life in this material world is strangely diminished if, that is, we take the reports on their own terms.

Our life in this world seems to be of little importance. It is just a prelude to the afterlife. Spirits enter the material world almost as actors in a drama. Many NDErs are given to believe that, in fact, we choose the life we live.

Some common themes include:
1. We are all a part of God and God is everywhere.
2. We are all one another.
3. Re-entering the physical body means living with reduced perception and intelligence compared with the aferlife
4. A brilliant white light, brighter than 1,000 suns, pervades all.
5. All knowledge about everything in the Universe is instantly available. How is this experienced? That is a question that is not answered and is deemed to be unanswerable.
6. The purpose of life is love.

It all sounds a bit too much like a new age dream of peace and love. All of history, human suffering, human creativity shrugged off at the point of death does life on Earth mean anything at all? What of human development over millions of years with all the struggle and suffering that entailed. Do we just tell ourselves that “God moves in mysterious ways” and look forward to the day we die?

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member