God's Characteristics as Reported by Near-Death Experiencers
Patrizio Tressoldi, Jeffrey Long
Qeios October 7, 2023 preprint DOI: 10.32388/2ti1t7.2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 303 |
| Population | Near-death or near-death-like experiencers |
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Key findings | About 70% of the 303 near-death or near-death-like experiencers described God or Jesus mainly as a special Light and Unconditional Love, often with Oneness and Nonjudgmental qualities, similar to descriptions following spiritual and mystical experiences. Only 13.9% reported God or Jesus in human form. The authors argue these first-person accounts complement mystical-experience reports and can aid scientific investigation of God's nature. |
Abstract
The aim of this study is to replicate Long & Perry’s[1] God study using a more updated database and different inclusion criteria. The descriptions of God’s and Jesus’ characteristics as observed by 303 Near-death or Near-death-like experiencers were analyzed for their frequency both in the whole sample and divided by the participants’ religious experience. Both in the whole sample and in the religious experience subgroups, the main observed characteristics (approximately 70%) were a special Light and Unconditional Love, associated with other characteristics such as Oneness and Nonjudgmental, very similar to the descriptions reported following spiritual and mystical experiences. Only 13.9% of the descriptions reported God or Jesus assuming human form, as represented in popular religious images. These characteristics are not commonly reported descriptions of God in the texts of the main monotheistic religions. These first-person accounts of God’s characteristics complement what has been reported in association with spiritual/mystical experiences, offering a great resource for the scientific investigation of God’s nature.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative thematic analysis of the phenomenology of near-death experiences Cardiac arrest survivors | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 34 |
| Do Suicide Survivors Report Near-Death Experiences? Persons who had been close to death as a result of a suicide attempt | 1982 | Qualitative study | n = 36 |
| The evolving self: finding meaning in near-death experiences using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Female participants who had near-death experiences | 2008 | Qualitative study | n = 3 |
| Investigation of the phenomenology, physiology and impact of spiritually transformative experiences - kundalini awakening. Persons having a spiritually transformative experience (e.g., spontaneous energetic... | 2021 | Qualitative study | |
| Near-death experiences and religion: A further investigation Near-death experiencers | 1984 | Qualitative study | n = 40 |
Citations in the library
Cites 10
- The Near-Death Experience Scale The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease June 1, 1983
- Survey of subjective "God encounter experiences": Comparisons among naturally occurring experiences and those occasioned by the classic psychedelics psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca, or DMT PLoS One April 23, 2019
- Near-death experiences in non-life-threatening events and coma of different etiologies Frontiers in Human Neuroscience May 27, 2014
- A Rasch scaling validation of a ‘core’ near‐death experience British Journal of Psychology May 1, 2004
- The Varieties of Spiritual Experience August 18, 2022
and 5 more in the library