What is the Catholic view on Near Death Experiences (NDEs)?

[Rachellem56]

I have not comprehensively examined accounts of NDEs, but I have seen quite a few where people describe feeling God and his love, etc. similar to this one: christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/december-web-only/mary-neal-describes-her-visit-to-gates-of-heaven.html
These accounts usually don’t include experiencing any type of judgment from God, only love. I always imagined that after death, I would recall my entire life (like the woman in this story did) and then experience the Divine Judgment. Of course, then there’s the fact that these people didn’t ultimately die that complicates things. I don’t want to seem judgmental and I only know my sins and not others’, but what’s the Catholic view of such accounts?

 

[GEddie]

I have not comprehensively examined accounts of NDEs, but I have seen quite a few where people describe feeling God and his love, etc. similar to this one: christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/december-web-only/mary-neal-describes-her-visit-to-gates-of-heaven.html
These accounts usually don’t include experiencing any type of judgment from God, only love. I always imagined that after death, I would recall my entire life (like the woman in this story did) and then experience the Divine Judgment. Of course, then there’s the fact that these people didn’t ultimately die that complicates things. I don’t want to seem judgmental and I only know my sins and not others’, but what’s the Catholic view of such accounts?

The Church has never pronounced on these occurrences and might not do so, as they can never be proven, or not, to be anything but the dying human head fighting a lack of breath.

It’s ok to be interested in them (I sure am), but putting faith in them might not be a great idea.

ICXC NIKA.

 

[Antegin]

My brother went through such an experience during open heart surgery. The thing was, he never died. There was a period when his heart was stopped on purpose so repairs could be made, but circulation was continued externally.

The younger brother went into full cardiac arrest. When mom told him he had been resuscitated, his response was ‘‘o $ĥl+. Why?’’ He did not report anything except he wanted a priest, bad. He died 4 weeks later.

 

[mikekle]

Oh, I think there is something to them, I know someone who experienced one (not a good one) and it changed him, he was not dying, he was DEAD, as in clinically dead for a few minutes, some people have been dead for longer, so I dont think its the process of dying, as these people were truly dead and came back, plus many of them are able to describe things going on the room that they should not have been able to, if it were just the process of dying, this would still not be possible.

I think the big one is though, so many of them are so similar, people either have happy or frightening ones and not so surprisingly, it tends to match what kind of person they are and how they live their lives, nearly all the people who have frightening ones, end up doing a 180 when they return, so I think God has a hand in this.

Plus, if it were just the mental process of dying, I dont think any of them would be similar, as no ones thoughts and dreams are that similar, we would be hearing all kinds of crazy, totally unrelated experiences if it were just mental.

 

[Lily_Bernans]

I have not comprehensively examined accounts of NDEs, but I have seen quite a few where people describe feeling God and his love, etc. similar to this one: christtianitytoday.com/ct/2012/december-web-only/mary-neal-describes-her-visit-to-gates-of-heaven.html
These accounts usually don’t include experiencing any type of judgment from God, only love. I always imagined that after death, I would recall my entire life (like the woman in this story did) and then experience the Divine Judgment. Of course, then there’s the fact that these people didn’t ultimately die that complicates things. I don’t want to seem judgmental and I only know my sins and not others’, but what’s the Catholic view of such accounts?

You have to remember that they are near death experiences, not death experiences, as in the soul separating from the body. I realize Jesus raised people from the dead and he himself was resurrected, but today, people don’t come back from the genuinely dead. The near dead, yes, they do.

Physicians have speculated that people who experience a NDE still have a very faint, but undetectable heartbeat, and they do still have brainwave activity. No one has come back to life after rigor mortis has set in to my knowledge.

I did see a TV program, though, in which a newborn was pronounced dead and he spent 40 minutes with his parents and grandmother before the nurse came to take him for his autopsy. She noticed how pink he’d become, and warm, and on examination, he had a heartbeat. Today he suffers no ill effects from his near death and his healthy.

My own personal opinion is that the NDE is caused from a lack of oxygen to the brain or a disruption of normal circulation, etc. But they are NEAR death experiences, not death experiences. So far, no one has returned from the actual dead. Not in modern times.

 

[Lily_Bernans]

Oh, I think there is something to them, I know someone who experienced one (not a good one) and it changed him, he was not dying, he was DEAD, as in clinically dead for a few minutes, some people have been dead for longer, so I dont think its the process of dying, as these people were truly dead and came back, plus many of them are able to describe things going on the room that they should not have been able to, if it were just the process of dying, this would still not be possible.

I think the big one is though, so many of them are so similar, people either have happy or frightening ones and not so surprisingly, it tends to match what kind of person they are and how they live their lives, nearly all the people who have frightening ones, end up doing a 180 when they return, so I think God has a hand in this.

Plus, if it were just the mental process of dying, I dont think any of them would be similar, as no ones thoughts and dreams are that similar, we would be hearing all kinds of crazy, totally unrelated experiences if it were just mental.

I believe there is something to them as well, but what that something is, I have no idea. I do think the line between life and death is not so sharp as it was once thought, which is scary. Doctors might have sent some living people to the morgue! This is a long article, but might shed a little light, though there is, I think, very little light to shed on the science of NDEs:

theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/04/the-science-of-near-death-experiences/386231/

 

[Lily_Bernans]

catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/new-research-confirms-life-after-death.html

This is the NDE of a Catholic priest:

frtommylane.com/homilies/year_c/lent3.htm

 

[McCartney]

Any amount of NDEs on YouTube. The Church does not give any ruling one way or another.

 

[Used2beSherryG]

A “near death experience” is no different than any time that God speaks to us, in prayer.
God is constantly reaching out to us, inviting us to a closer walk with Him. Perhaps, when we are close to death, we suddenly understand that this is a reality of life and death. Our Church makes no proclamation about NDE, but certainly teaches us about the reality of life after death and the prospects we all face in the after life. We are all called to holiness, but let so many false gods get in the way in our “busy” lives. I had an experience during a very serious illness and I know that it was God talking to me. However, I also know that He speaks to me every single day of my life. Sometimes, for long periods, I refused to acknowledge Him and ran the other way. The Catholic Church calls us to conversion to Christ, from the cradle to the grave, and beyond.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Y
My own personal opinion is that the NDE is caused from a lack of oxygen to the brain or a disruption of normal circulation, etc. But they are NEAR death experiences, not death experiences. So far, no one has returned from the actual dead. Not in modern times.

If this were the case the people who went through the experience would end up with brain damage.

However, the opposite is true. They usually end up more aware and intellectually up on things than they were before.

Jim

 

[JimR-OCDS]

catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/new-research-confirms-life-after-death.html

This is the NDE of a Catholic priest:

frtommylane.com/homilies/year_c/lent3.htm

I saw the priest’s on EWTN back when Mother Angelica was still hosting her show.

I had problems with his statements in that when he met Jesus, he was being sent to eternal damnation. However, it was the merciful pleading of the Blessed Mother to Jesus, which saved him and he was sent back to life.

In other words, the Blessed Mother showed mercy which Jesus lacked. This is problematic for me and other priests I’ve talked to about it.

Jim

 

[JimR-OCDS]

A “near death experience” is no different than any time that God speaks to us, in prayer.
God is constantly reaching out to us, inviting us to a closer walk with Him. Perhaps, when we are close to death, we suddenly understand that this is a reality of life and death. Our Church makes no proclamation about NDE, but certainly teaches us about the reality of life after death and the prospects we all face in the after life. We are all called to holiness, but let so many false gods get in the way in our “busy” lives. I had an experience during a very serious illness and I know that it was God talking to me. However, I also know that He speaks to me every single day of my life. Sometimes, for long periods, I refused to acknowledge Him and ran the other way. The Catholic Church calls us to conversion to Christ, from the cradle to the grave, and beyond.

All the reading about the subject I’ve done over the past 40 years, NDE’s are profoundly different.

Jim

 

[Lily_Bernans]

If this were the case the people who went through the experience would end up with brain damage.

However, the opposite is true. They usually end up more aware and intellectually up on things than they were before.

Jim

Thanks for the correction. After I posted I realized I had it backwards. I even read that physicians are trying to control the rush of blood to the brain, letting it return more slowly so people don’t suffer side effects.

I know little about NDEs. I’ve read a few books, but years ago, and not enough to be really educated about them.

 

[Lily_Bernans]

I saw the priest’s on EWTN back when Mother Angelica was still hosting her show.

I had problems with his statements in that when he met Jesus, he was being sent to eternal damnation. However, it was the merciful pleading of the Blessed Mother to Jesus, which saved him and he was sent back to life.

In other words, the Blessed Mother showed mercy which Jesus lacked. This is problematic for me and other priests I’ve talked to about it.

Jim

His experience is problematic for me, too. He attributes his recovery to the Blessed Mother because the people were praying the rosary at the time he journeyed and returned. Despite that, I don’t think anyone is a merciful as Christ.

 

[GEddie]

If this were the case the people who went through the experience would end up with brain damage.

Jim

Not necessarily. The human brain can recover admirably from temporary anoxia if adequate breathing is restored in time, before the cascade of death-related chemistry gets started.

A large number of attested NDEs (and “prophetic” situations in earlier cultures) result from conditions that disrupt cerebral oxygenation, which is why I for one have doubts whether anything deeper than a lack of breath is involved.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Lily_Bernans]

Not necessarily. The human brain can recover admirably from temporary anoxia if adequate breathing is restored in time, before the cascade of death-related chemistry gets started.

A large number of attested NDEs (and “prophetic” situations in earlier cultures) result from conditions that disrupt cerebral oxygenation, which is why I for one have doubts whether anything deeper than a lack of breath is involved.

ICXC NIKA

Some physicians now believe they are caused by a rush of blood back to the brain when breathing is restored. They have implemented measures to try to restore the flow of blood more gradually. It’s in one of the articles I posted, and the author explains it far better than I can.

The short of it is: No one really knows.

 

[GEddie]

Some physicians now believe they are caused by a rush of blood back to the brain when breathing is restored. They have implemented measures to try to restore the flow of blood more gradually. It’s in one of the articles I posted, and the author explains it far better than I can.

The short of it is: No one really knows.

Way interesting. Thank you Amiga.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Lily_Bernans]

Way interesting. Thank you Amiga.

ICXC NIKA

You’re welcome. Don’t know much about it myself despite being a hospice volunteer for years.

One thing I do know. If the dying are only semi-conscious and able to talk, they will talk about the living until only a few days before their death, then they will begin talking about the dead as though they see them. I often get calls to come in because a patient I’ve been working with is actively dying. The staff knows this because they have started talking about the dead. Despite that, it can be a few days until they actually die, and it doesn’t happen to everyone. So, I really don’t know if they actually are making contact with the dead or not. In hospice, they just go downhill, so we can never ask them. Sometimes these people are taking medication, sometimes not. It is not a NDE, but more of a transition, telling me that when people die naturally, the boundaries between life and death are kind of blurry and not clear-cut. Maybe people we have known and loved do come to help us transition. I just don’t know.

 

[AndrewRuki]

Peace be with you Brother/sister, I am guessing ‘sister’.

I have always loved this website.

www.bibleprobe.com/nde.htm

I suggest you check it out. It gives a few accounts on NDEs.

Dominus vobiscum.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Not necessarily. The human brain can recover admirably from temporary anoxia if adequate breathing is restored in time, before the cascade of death-related chemistry gets started.

A large number of attested NDEs (and “prophetic” situations in earlier cultures) result from conditions that disrupt cerebral oxygenation, which is why I for one have doubts whether anything deeper than a lack of breath is involved.

ICXC NIKA

This is only theory not fact.

The problem is, they can’t explain how the NDE person knows things that took place outside of the room and often outside the hospital and know the details of the conversations people had.

The other thing is the physical healing that NDE’s experience which medicine can’t explain.

Jim