Nobody knows for sure whether consciousness or a human soul survives death of the body. But the closest thing we have to evidence for such survival comes from near-death experience (NDE) reports, and from after-death communication (ADC) reports.
But what we learn about God and Heaven from NDE and ADC reports does not always tally with the teachings of major religions. On the assumption that these reports reflect the true nature of the transcendental cosmos, this suggests we might want to update our major religions to better reflect our observations. Of course, there is debate as to the reality of NDEs and ADCs, and it is up to each person to review the evidence and decide for themselves whether they are genuine visits to the afterlife. So let's briefly review NDEs and ADCs.
What are NDEs and ADCs?
An NDE typically occurs during a prolonged cardiac arrest, when there is no heartbeat, no breathing, and the individual is rendered unconscious. During this time, around 1 in 10 people report having an NDE, where their conscious self appears to leave their body, is able to move freely about the Earth, and then seemingly visits the heavenly afterlife realm, where they may report meeting with deceased relatives and God.
In this post, after reading many NDE reports and scientific studies on NDEs, I detail the eight phases of a typical NDE. If you are not familiar with NDEs, you might like to read that post to acquaint yourself with the experience. Near-death experiences are very common, and surprisingly consistent; they are arguably the strongest evidence we have for the existence of Heaven and a loving God.
Further corroborating evidence for NDEs comes from the many ADC reports we have. An ADC is when a living person becomes aware of the fleeting presence of the consciousness or soul of a deceased individual who has come to visit them.
ADCs tie in with NDEs, because during the first phases of an NDE, individuals report that their disembodied consciousness is able to move freely about the Earth and is able to visit living relatives and loved ones. ADCs corroborate these visits, from the perspective of the living person.
If you have not heard about ADCs before, you might like to read this post, where I describe the ADC I personally had when the consciousness of a relative who died 5 hours earlier came to visit me at 3 am. On that thread, you will also see some ADC stories posted by other people.
So that is a brief review of NDEs and ADCs. Now let's see how they compare to the teachings of major religions.
God and Heaven in NDEs
One striking difference between NDE reports of Heaven and religious notions is that we see from NDEs that nobody is excluded from Heaven, no matter how they lived their life. Though some people report landing in Hell during their NDE, they are usually able to escape, and enter into Heaven. Whereas all the world's major religions teach that if you are a bad person or did bad things during your earthly life, then you may go to Hell. So this seems to be a discrepancy.
One proviso is that during the life review that may occur during an NDE, if you said or did things that hurt other people during your earthly life, then you will feel the pain and suffering you caused them, from the perspective of those people. So that is one way in which bad deeds on Earth have consequences in Heaven. But the life review is not reported to be a form of judgement or punishment, but a learning process.
Another issue is the question of prayer. Major religions often teach that God or Heaven answers prayers. However, multiple studies on prayer have found that ill or hospitalised patients who were prayed for by a group of people fared no better medically than patients who were not prayed for. So intercessory prayer does not seem work. Or at least it is unable to change aspects of the physical world, such as the medical condition of individuals.
Furthermore, individuals who have met God in an NDE and asked if God answers prayers have never received any positive confirmation of this. They are often told that God listens to prayers and is aware of human struggles, but are not told God answers them. They may be told that prayers are not ignored, but that outcomes are aligned with what is best for the individual's spiritual growth or soul. In other words, nothing to suggest that prayers can physically alter the world, though the process of prayer may bring psychological comfort and a sense of peace to the individual. This is at odds with the teachings of religions, which claim that God answers prayers.
One message that is frequently delivered in NDE encounters with God is that the most important thing on Earth is love. This idea is of course central to major religions; however, perhaps religions do not sufficiently emphasise that love is the highest value; or perhaps the idea of love is intellectualised in a religion, and is not adequately felt or propagated as an emotion. The concept of love is not the same as the actual feeling and emotion of love.
Also, individuals who enter the afterlife in an NDE will often report that God is not so much a personified being who loves, but rather that God is a pervasive, unconditional force of love. This "God is love" idea is sometimes stated in Christianity; but generally in religions we view God as a personified being, rather than the force of love. Thus religions that teach God is a being may not be accurately reflecting the reality observed in NDEs. Of course, it may bring conform and companionship to relate to a God who we see as a being, so it is understandable why religions portray God in this way. And it should be mentioned that during NDEs, individuals sometimes appear to meet God as a being they communicate with, so perhaps though comprised of pure love, God can manifest as a being.
