The search for God and afterlife in the age of science.
The Journal of near-death studies 2010 DOI: 10.17514/jnds-2010-28-3-p123-141. (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Afterlife Transpersonal psychology Consciousness Experiential learning Population Space punctuation Psychotherapist Psychoanalysis Epistemology Pedagogy Jungian analytical psychology |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Argues that near-death and other transpersonal experiences point to the existence of God and ongoing personal consciousness after death, though they cannot prove them. |
Abstract
Near-death experiences (NDEs) and other transpersonal experiences -- those that transcend the usual personal experiential limits of space and/or time -- point to the existence and nature of God and ongoing personal consciousness following physical death. In this article, I review the history of these experiences prior to 1850 and of their study during three periods of scientific research between 1850 and the present. I conclude that (1) a large percentage of the population has experienced NDEs and other transpersonal experiences, (2) the overwhelming majority of these experiencers are mentally healthy, and (3) these experiences change people's lives for the better. I contend that although NDEs and other transpersonal experiences cannot prove the existence of a personal God and afterlife, they definitely point to them.