Near-Death Experiences and the Afterlife

Near-Death Experiences and the Afterlife - http://www.near-death.com/ - is a website set up by Kevin Williams, someone who, for approximately forty years, appears to have been on a spiritual journey that has encountered many twists, turns and obstacles along the way, leading him to a number of changes in his theology (http://www.near-death.com/about.html). He has been fascinated by near-death experiences since the late 1970s.

In his early years, Williams was a stereotypical child of the sixties, an advocate of free love who lived his life to the full. In 1977, whilst he was a student, before he first became interested in near-death experiences, Williams claims to have had a 'born again' experience (http://www.near-death.com/experiences/visions08.html) after reading the Gospel of John (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John%27s_Gospel, http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/john.htm). This experience helped to turn Williams 'from being a wild, dope-smoking, hell-raising, alcoholic college student to a transformed fundamentalist Christian.'


After reading Dr Raymond Moody's (http://www.near-death.com/experiences/experts03.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Moody, http://www.lifeafterlife.com/) book Life After Life (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_After_Life) in the late 1970s, Williams, as mentioned above, became fascinated by near-death experiences, to the extent that he now believes that 'my mission in life is to bring these special insights from others to the Internet for all too [sic] freely receive. Somehow, I believe I have known this to be my mission since childhood. I strongly believe that the insights from near-death accounts are universal and that they speak to the heart of everyone. They are truths already known to all at the deepest core of our being.' Williams' interest in near-death experiences led him to abandon his fundamentalist Christian beliefs as he came to believe that salvation was not given to the chosen few by the Grace of God whilst the rest burned in Hell for eternity, but that salvation is achieved because a person chooses to accept Jesus into their life.

However, it was not long before Williams' theology changed again when he encountered what he calls 'the historical paradox found in Christianity': 'If Jesus redeemed all of humanity at the cross (and the redemption of all humanity implies the salvation of all humanity) then why does anyone go to hell?' Williams says that there are two solutions offered to this paradox, both of which he rejects:

'(1) Jesus died for all humanity in general. This means Jesus did not die specifically for anyone in particular. It also means salvation was not secured for anyone at the time of Jesus' death on the cross. Jesus' death only made our salvation a possibility. Salvation is conditional based upon our acceptance or rejection of Jesus' sacrifice. Once we accept Jesus' work of salvation on our behalf at the cross, then the possibility of our salvation becomes a reality.
(2) Or, Jesus died only for a chosen few and his death actually secured their salvation at the time of his death on the cross. The final act of the elect's salvation comes when the Holy Spirit calls those elect people who were predestined for salvation and gives them the gift of faith.'
'Either Jesus' work at the cross was limited in its power in that it did not actually save anyone at the cross or it was limited in its scope in that it was intended only for a chosen few.'

The problem for Williams - and I sympathise with him - is that there is no element of free will involved; one is not saved because of one's actions and decisions but because one is predetermined to be saved. 'It flat out contradicts everything Jesus taught in the gospels about there being behavioral requirements which we are expected to perform in order to attain eternal life and perfection.'

The more he researched near-death experiences, the more similarities Williams perceived between them and early Christianity: 'When I began reading about the NDE, I realized how bizarre Christian doctrines were compared to the profound insights found in NDEs. I saw a wonderful simplicity in the concept of universal salvation found in NDEs and the early Christian teachings of Jesus. I eventually had to deal with the contradictions between NDE insights I found and the Christian doctrines that I believed so deeply for so many years. These contradictions ultimately created conflicts in my mind and caused me a lot of mental anguish over the years. Eventually, I discovered that the more NDE concepts I learned and the more I learn about early Christian history, the more I found compatibility with NDE concepts and the teachings of Jesus. If one takes the time to research early Christianity, they will find it compatible with the universal salvation revealed in NDEs.' According to Williams, much of early Christianity, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls ('From time to time in Jewish history, there was an insistent belief that their prophets were reborn' - http://www.near-death.com/experiences/origen05.html) and the Gnostics, have since been covered up in favour of 'Pauline Christianity' (http://www.geocities.com/paulntobin/paulorigin.html) - based around the teachings of Paul, not Jesus. Modern Christianity, Williams says, does not actually follow Jesus' teachings.

Ultimately, Williams' theology is attractive, if simplistic - and very similar, it seems, to the theology he held when he was an 'out of control student.' Williams sees love as central to Jesus' message - if one loves everyone, that is sufficient and will create heaven on earth. Although he is still a follower of God and Jesus, Williams has rejected conventional Christianity in favour of 'a universal spirituality'.

Williams' website a minefield of information, with detailed sections on NDE Research Conclusions, Notable NDEs, Scientific Evidence of Survival (http://www.near-death.com/evidence.html), NDEs and Hallucinations (http://www.near-death.com/lsd.html), Reincarnation Evidence (http://www.near-death.com/reincarnation.html), NDEs and Religion, NDEs of Buddhists (http://www.near-death.com/buddhism.html), NDEs and Jews (http://www.near-death.com/judaism.html), NDE Resources and Multimedia, NDE Experts (http://www.near-death.com/experts.html), Triggers of NDEs (http://www.near-death.com/triggers.html), Miscellaneous NDEs, Pets in NDEs (http://www.near-death.com/animals.html), NDEs and Suicide (http://www.near-death.com/suicide.html), Edgar Cayce's NDEs and Revelations (http://www.near-death.com/cayce.html), NDE Articles (http://www.near-death.com/articles.html), Skeptical (sic) Arguments (http://www.near-death.com/skeptic.html), NDEs and Christians (http://www.near-death.com/origen.html), NDE Biblical Support, Christianity and Reincarnation, and Past Lives of Jesus Christ (http://www.near-death.com/experiences/origen04.html). In total, there must be three or four hundred articles, websites and internet forums linked from Williams' website.

Although an interesting read, I am unsure how to treat Williams' website. I am inclined to treat it with a degree of scepticism. Although packed with information, I am unsure of its academic viability, especially as there appears to be little or no attention paid to constructive debate (the 'Skeptical Arguments' section appears to contain as just much argument against the sceptics). To someone who is not an NDE expert, such as myself, it appears that from the start, Williams is trying to prove that NDEs do exist, and to defend them, rather than present an interesting examination of and discussion about them. Williams' conclusions simply do not appear to have been arrived at in an 'academic' fashion. I realise that such criticisms leave me open to being labelled an academic snob, however I cannot help but feel that the website is more a product of a fanatic rather than an academic.

Death: The Last Taboo

http://www.deathonline.net/ is an Australian website developed by the Australian Museum (see http://www.austmus.gov.au/ and http://www.amonline.net.au/). It approaches some of the key questions and issues surrounding death - what is death? (http://www.deathonline.net/what_is/index.cfm), what happens after death? (http://www.deathonline.net/what_happens/index.cfm), disposing of the dead (http://www.deathonline.net/disposal/index.cfm) and remembering the dead (http://www.deathonline.net/remembering/index.cfm). Although 64% of the Australian population described themselves as 'Christian' in the 2006 census, the country has no official state religion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia). As a result, the website is of a predominantly secular nature. It approaches death mostly from a legal (for example http://www.deathonline.net/what_is/whatis.cfm, http://www.deathonline.net/what_is/defining.cfm#legal and http://www.deathonline.net/what_happens/autopsy/autopsy_rights.cfm) and cultural/historical context (http://www.deathonline.net/what_is/signs.cfm, http://www.deathonline.net/disposal/burial/index.cfm and http://www.deathonline.net/remembering/mourning/index.cfm) perspective, the latter occasionally delving into religious areas (http://www.deathonline.net/remembering/mourning/jewish.cfm and http://www.deathonline.net/what_is/defining.cfm#religious).

Despite its suggestive title ('Death - the last taboo'), this website doesn't make any religious or moral statements about death, or approach the subject with any particular agenda. I suspect this is because the website is connected to the Australian Museum (as mentioned above), and therefore has to maintain Australia's status as a country with no state religion.