\u201cStudy of Clouds with a Sunset Near Rome,\u201d by\u00a0Cl\u00e9ment Denis, d. 1801 \u00a0(Getty Museum, Wikimedia CC public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
I expect that I\u2019ll stop extracting notes from\u00a0Pim van Lommel,\u00a0Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience<\/em>\u00a0(New York: HarperCollins, 2010) fairly soon. \u00a0But not just yet.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some people who have near-death experiences feel themselves pulled rather abruptly into a \u201cdark space,\u201d and about fifteen percent of them find it somewhat or very frightening. \u00a0Here are two examples of that \u201cdark space\u201d:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
And then everything went dark, but to my mind I didn\u2019t lose consciousness, because my memories are as vivid as ever. . . . \u00a0As I peered into the dark, the color changed from black to deep blue, not dark, but an intense cobalt blue that leaves you speechless. . . .<\/strong> \u00a0(26)<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Soon I found myself in a dark space, a kind of tunnel, which didn\u2019t seem to end. \u00a0I couldn\u2019t go back, but plowing through it seemed an equally dreadful prospect. \u00a0Would I ever get out? \u00a0Or would I suffocate somewhere halfway? \u00a0You see, there was very little space in this tunnel; it was really tight. \u00a0After I had spent a long time \u2014 more than terrifying \u2014 squeezing through this tunnel, a glimmer of light appeared at the end, and after a real struggle I stood, or found myself, in this absolute light, which seemed to envelop me.<\/strong> \u00a0(26)<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another account:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The light that I was now approaching was of a kind that I\u2019d never seen before and that differs from any other kind such as sunlight. \u00a0It was white and extremely bright, and yet you could easily look at it.<\/strong> \u00a0(29)<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
In this context, it\u2019s difficult for me not to think of the descriptions given in Joseph Smith 1:16-17: \u00a0\u201cI saw a pillar of\u00a0light\u00a0exactly over my head, above the brightness of the\u00a0sun. . . . \u00a0I\u00a0saw\u00a0two\u00a0Personages, whose brightness and\u00a0glory\u00a0defy all description.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
I think, too, of Joseph Smith 1:30-32: \u00a0\u201cI discovered a\u00a0light\u00a0appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday. . . . \u00a0He had on a loose robe of most exquisite\u00a0whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever seen; nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be made to appear so exceedingly white and brilliant. . . . \u00a0Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole person was\u00a0glorious\u00a0beyond description, and his countenance truly like\u00a0lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
***<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Interesting results from studies of the near-death experiences of children:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
During their NDE children are more likely to meet their deceased grandmother or grandfather than their parents. \u00a0If an NDE were based purely on wishful thinking, one would expect children to meet living family members such as their father and mother.<\/strong> \u00a0(74)<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Children do encounter favorite pets that have died more frequently than do adults.<\/strong> \u00a0(74)<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 I expect that I\u2019ll stop extracting notes from\u00a0Pim van Lommel,\u00a0Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience\u00a0(New York: HarperCollins, 2010) fairly soon. \u00a0But not just yet. \u00a0 Some people who have near-death experiences feel themselves pulled rather abruptly into a \u201cdark space,\u201d and about fifteen percent of them find it somewhat or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1727,1008,1011,900,903],"class_list":["post-65553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-afterlife","tag-immortality","tag-life-after-death","tag-nde","tag-near-death-experience"],"yoast_head":"\n
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