What proof do you need to believe in life after death?

Near Death Experiences

Definition …

A near-death experience is said to occur when someone dies for a short while, perhaps on the operating table.

Dr Raymond Moody famously made a study of these experiences in his work ‘Life after Life’ (1975).

Yet Plato describes such experiences!

• NDEs2.flv

core experiences

1. Feelings of peace

A foretaste of heaven.

or drug induced e.g. morphine?

‘The Truth in the Light’ 1995

core experiences

2. Out-of-body experience

Seeing and hearing things that can’t be explained.

Drug induced, imagined or change of blood pressure?

core experiences

3. The Tunnel of light

Transition in to another realm

or excitation of the brain cells in the visual cortex?

core experiences

4. The being of light

A positive loving experience of the divine?

Although Fenwick describes a RC who had a vision of three Indian men.

Or cultural influence – Muhammad or Jesus?

core experiences

5. The barrier

It is not your time to die.

Hallucination due to reduction of oxygen to brain?

core experiences

6. Another country

Idyllic pastoral scene – paradise?

Or is the experient consoling themselves with a well-loved place in their memory or hallucination?

core experiences

7. Relatives/friends

Could this be a retreat from the fear of death to the comfort of loved ones?

core experiences

8. Life review

Could this be the result of anoxia – lack of oxygen to the brain? They also happen to pilots approaching the speed of sound.

But then why are they so clear and orderly?

core experiences

9. Decision to return

They usually want to stay but it is impossible.

The anoxia explanation could apply here – sudden supply of oxygen.

core experiences

10. The return

This is usually very rapid – like being slammed back in to their body.

• NDEs.flv

Supernatural features:

• Meet dead loved ones• Angels• Beautiful environment• Beautiful music or

noise• Being of light• Meet religious figures• Communicate mind to

mind• Dark tunnel & light• Life review

Effects

• No fear of death• Life changing• Believe in God• Atheists convert to a religious tradition• Turn against suicide• Reluctant to tell others• Given psychic powers

Distressing NDEs

• Feel afraid• Powerless• Alone• Scary/ugly

landscapes• Evil beings• Judgment

• Less common• Very reluctant to tell

others• Life changing• Believe they have

glimpsed hell

Swinburne

“The principle of credulity might suggest that we ought to take such apparent memories seriously, especially in view of the considerable coincidences between them.”

The cumulative argument would also add weight to their reliability – so many testimonies.

On the other hand …

The problem with NDEs is the reliability and verifiability of the testimonies – too subjective.

Raymond Moody: “I am left, not with conclusions or evidence or proofs, but with .. puzzling facts to be explained.”

The theory should provide testable predictions (Blackmore)