Article comparing near-death experiences (NDEs) to the philosophy described in the spiritual text A Course in Miracles (1976). It provides an overview of the text's philosophy, previous literature comparing the text to NDEs, and an analysis of how the philosophies are similar and different, with references to specific cases.
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Article comparing near-death experiences (NDEs) to the philosophy described in the spiritual text A Course in Miracles (1976). It provides an overview of the text's philosophy, previous literature comparing the text to NDEs, and an analysis of how the philosophies are similar and different, with references to specific cases.
Physical Description
199-230 p.
Notes
"[The Journal of Near-Death Studies] is the only peer-reviewed scholarly journal (ISSN 0891-4494) devoted exclusively to the field of near-death studies. It is cross-disciplinary and published quarterly."
Pagination is continuous through volumes.
Notes
Abstract: Near-death experience (NDE) researcher Kenneth Ring and several experiencers themselves have noted several parallels between the philosophy implied by many NDEs and the philosophy conveyed in teachings of the contemporary spiritual path A Course in Miracles (the Course), a 1976 book dictated by an inner voice claiming to be Jesus. A link between the two sources is also suggested by an NDE-like experience that the Course's "scribe had years before the Course was dictated. In this article, we describe our comparison of the two philosophies under several headings: the nature of God; true human identity; the spiritual realm; the nature of the world; the power of thought, choice, prayer, and healing; and the purpose of life on earth. In each category we found a number of specific parallels, and in some we also found differences or apparent differences. The two philosophies converge, in our view, on a distinctive synthesis of what we term a "dualistic/learning model" -- in which souls travel through time on a divinely orchestrated educational journey aimed at achieving union with God -- and a "nondualistic/awakening model" -- in which minds awaken from the illusion of separate existence into the reality of undifferentiated oneness. We found in the Course a consistently greater emphasis on the nondualistic/awakening model, yet both NDEs and the course share a central focus on unconditional love. If future researchers conduct more systematic analyses of the philosophy (or philosophies) expressed in NDEs and confirm our findings of predominant commonalities between the philosophies expressed in NDEs and the course, we suggest that the commonalities cannot be explained as a product of cultural indoctrination."
This article is part of the following collection of related materials.
Journal of Near-Death Studies
The Journal of Near-Death Studies is a scholarly peer-reviewed journal devoted to the field of near-death studies. It is published on a quarterly basis by the International Association for Near-Death Studies. The Journal began publication in 1982 under the name Anabiosis which was changed to its current title in 1986 with the start of Volume 6.
