Near-Death Experiences as Evidence for the Existence of God and Heaven: A Brief Introduction in Plain Language

I've always been interested in NDEs since first reading about them in the mid seventies. But I stepped into what I call this "movement" when, in sorrow after losing my daughter, I was wandering around the internet looking for "something." I found Dr. Jeffrey Long's website[...] and ordered his new book, "Evidence of the Afterlife." At the time I had arrived a strong belief in a Creator (but not one that you would recognize from a Christian description,) but no belief at all in a personal afterlife. That changed after reading Dr. Long's book and a hundred or so NDE reports on the website. (His organization is called Near Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF) and the website is run by him and his wife Jody Long. Probably around on the average of 3-5 new NDEs appear every week.) Mr. Miller's book came into my life after I had read a number of books on NDEs, as well as one on Deathbed Experiences and some books containing "channeled" information about the afterlife. I had also encountered, mostly on web forums, such as Yahoo Answer's "Religion And Spirituality" section - a lot of arguments against NDEs, proposed by smug materialists. I had become familiar with the usual smug explanations of NDEs, such as "lack of oxygen to the brain," "a ketamine-like substance produced in the brain at the time of death," "a wish-fulfillment fantasy," and a variety of propositions which explained that all of the elements of an NDE can be seen in other human experiences, e.g. during the administration of an electrical charge, people's experience mimics the Out Of Body experiences sometimes found in an NDE (turns out that in "electrical" experiences, the "vision" is only of the legs, and not the whole body, or some such.) Up until Miller's book came out, the best book that I had read so far in dealing with the smug materialist explanations was Chris Carter's. I still recommend it, but I knew that some people would never have the patience to go through all the information he presents (van Lommel and Long also present significant responses to doubters and deniers.) So when I received my copy of Steve Miller's book (from Amazon, of course) I was thrilled, as I saw on every page, information explaining NDEs and refuting the "evidence" against them. I knew that THIS was a book that people WOULD stick with for at least as long as it would take for them to absorb what is important about NDEs--that there is an afterlife, and it has something to do with what religions have been telling us all along!!I don't think we know enough from NDEs what "the afterlife" is actually like, particularly in regard to different cultures and different religions. Miller seems to draw more conclusions of his own about what God is etc. than I would, in that regard. But it's true that there is no doubt that there IS an afterlife! Even if people in India are fetched at their deathbed by a Yamadoot who takes them to a rotund scholarly figure seated at a high desk with a book in front of him and Christians more often are presented to a being of light at the end of a tunnel... it's still happening after people die!My final comment has to do with when should people choose to read this book. Is it really a good "Introduction?" Since I came to the book after receiving my introductions elsewhere, I appreciated the fact that I had read a few hundred near death experiences by the time I read this. And speaking for myself, I was convinced by the NDEers themselves of the truth of NDEs. My recommendation, if you have become interested in this topic and you want the best introduction... go to the source... listen to the people who have gone there and come back, and think about what they have to say. You might also want to challenge yourself by reading what skeptics, nay, disbelievers! have to say. Then when you read Miller's book, you will understand more thoroughly what he is addressing and get more out of it! But that's probably just me feeling that what worked for me would be best for everyone else! Reading the book first is great... but I do recommend that you read a lot original NDEs... and be prepared to be attacked by smug materialists if you ever bring up the subject at a party. There seem to be still more of then than there are of us!

An excellent, concise summary of science and arguments around NDEs. The presentation is succinct without being superficial, organized, and easily understood. Miller has done his research; there is a wealth of citations and numerous appendices that go into further detail. He did a fine job. I've been reading NDE literature for 20 years, and this is one of the better summary overviews I've read. Concise, well-researched, thorough, and easy to read.My only qualm, and the reason I'm giving it 4 stars rather than 5, is his chapter on how NDEs are consistent with Christianity. I wish he would've left this out, although I understand his desire to speak to his own faith and other Christians (some of whom may be reluctant to examine NDEs because of a fear that they might be un-Biblical or contain dangerous ideas). Unfortunately, in his desire to show that NDEs are consistent with Christianity, the chapter comes across as biased and imbalanced, unlike the rest of the book. The truth is, there are some aspects of NDEs literature that are *not* consistent with some aspects of standard Christian doctrine. He doesn't mention those. The chapter comes across as unconvincing and one-sided -- at least it did to me.Otherwise, the book is very solid. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a good, thorough, and accessible overview of the research.

Near-Death experiences are one of those interesting things to talk about. There really is something going on. There are people really convinced that they are having an experience and it would be hard to deny that the experiences are often life-changing. Some people have had their entire worldview altered by having a near-death experience. (NDE from here on) Some people have also claimed to see things going on that they would have no way of knowing about and when compared to people who did not have NDEs but just went by whatever they saw from TV shows and things of that sort, the people with NDEs were far more accurate.In this book, Miller has gathered testimonies from many researchers of NDEs, including those who started out originally skeptical and decides to also go all over the world for them rather than stick to NDEs in a Western Christian context. Miller's main point that he wishes to highlight is how the experience is different from what people who went in would expect and how there are so many similarities to the experience. In doing so, he also looks at naturalistic explanations of what goes on, including looking at Blackmore, and decides that ultimately these fall short to explain the data.The emphasis on subjective experiences is interesting, but I would have liked to have seen more accounts of people who see items and events that can be verified when we have all reason to believe that they were "dead" at the time. The case of Pam Reynolds is one such case. There are also cases of people who come back and report seeing people on the other side who had died before they entered a state where they were subjected to an NDE and that they would have had no way of knowing. Many of these have too many perfectly timed events to just chalk up every time to coincidence.Also included are looks at studies of people who are deaf, color-blind, and blind, and how they are able to see and hear and experience things that they had no place for prior to that in their life. If people want more, the authors suggests trying to talk to people in your area to see if any of them have had NDEs or if they know someone who has had an NDE. Miller tells us that here in America, about 1 in 25 could be expected to have an NDE and many people are hesitant to talk about an NDE to a doctor lest they be identified as crazy. Hopefully such a stigma is starting to be removed from our culture.Miller's book is interesting and also I think he would agree that it is a starting place. That's why he gives further references at the end for people to do further research and that includes both sides. If you are interested in NDEs, this is something worth checking out.In Christ,Nick PetersDeeper Waters Christian Ministries

*3.5 stars*Well, someday we’ll all know the answer to that eternal question, “What happens when we die”?Whether you’re one of those who believe that once we’re dead, we’re dead, and we experience nothing, or you firmly believe that there is an afterlife, this book will certainly get you thinkingAfter an extensive amount of research by the author, (who incidentally didn’t believe in NDEs prior to his research) this book looks at, ( amongst other things)• The common naturalistic explanations for NDEs.
•Evidence that NDEs point to God and heaven. 
•The results of 35 years of research into NDEs by doctors and other professionals, fully documented for those who want to study further. 
•A comparison of NDEs with Christian teachings. 
• Recommendations of key books, researchers, and publications for further study. 
Some interesting accounts from those who claim to have experienced a NDE, but for me personally, I think Raymond Moody’s ‘Life After Life’ is still the most interesting book on this subject.

If you don't believe that you are more than a material body, this book is one of the most likely to persuade you otherwise. The author is extremely well-read on this subject, and produces numerous arguments by well respected scientists for and against the idea of eternal survival after death. He also provides further reading material for those of you who are serious about finding the answer to the most important question we face....is death the end, and is life a tiny, pointless exercise?

This is written in a very straightforward and simple style but makes compelling reading . It contains confirmatory evidence on many levels relating many others experiences with constant reference to other authors and studies in this field. It is analytical in parts where it compares believers and non-believers and is a thorough work with many references and a full bibliography. Overall it is both insightful and uplifting.

A fantastically balanced book, what ever side of the argument you start on, this author brings together the evidence from the last 35 years, and comes to a convincing conclusion. Easy to read and well written. Definitely worth reading

I was really impressed by the language used in this book, clear to understand as well as very down to earth, if you'll pardon the pun. Very good book to read, or especially if you are a learner to the NDE studies.