... and the life review.

This is the thirteenth entry in my series on dying and life after death.

Although the life review can be a difficult experience because you are able to actually see and feel the impact of all of your non-loving words and actions on others, the being(s) of light who are present for and assist you with the review are not judgmental or critical in any way. In fact, experiencers describe them as being supportive, empathetic, loving and helpful.

The Rev. Howard Storm, for example, said, “(my) entire review would have been emotionally destructive if it hadn’t been for the love (I) felt from the light beings. Anytime (I) got upset during (my) life review, they would turn it off for a while and just love (me) with a tangible love that could be felt through (my) entire being. Because (my) life review would keep tearing (me) down, (I) would feel their love every time. (Through) it all was their love. When (my) life review was finally over, they asked (me) if (I) had any questions. Sometimes they would replay a part of (my) life review in order to answer (my) questions.”

Similarly, Betty Eadie, described her experience with “the council” (beings of light) as follows. “Then in the midst of my pain (during her life review), I felt the love of the council come over me. They watched my life with understanding and mercy. Everything about me was taken into consideration, how I was raised, the things I had been taught, the pain given me by others, the opportunities I had received or not received. And I realized that the council was not judging me. I was judging myself. Their love and mercy were absolute. Their respect for me could never be lessened.

Ned Doughterty was particularly surprised at his life review, primarily because he felt he had lived a very negative, destructive life in which he had hurt many people. “(He) was overwhelmed by the process and the feelings of love directed at him from the (beings of light). As events of his life were displayed, (they) would cheer for him and convey their love for him. They were saying things such as, ‘You are doing wonderfully. We are here to support you. Continue to do good work, and we will help you. You are part of us, and we are part of you. We stand ready to come to your aid when you need us, and you will. Call us. Beckon us. We will flock to you when the time comes!’ Ned became confused by all the attention. There wasn’t anything wonderful about the way he had conducted his life. Ned was then spiritually rescued from the negative thoughts he was having. He was told that he mustn’t think such negative thoughts there. He was told that only positive thoughts will be heard there.”

Again, these descriptions seem to turn many of the prevalent beliefs about God on their ear. A comparison of common beliefs about God and the descriptions of Him/Her from NDEs might look something like this.

Common View
Judgmental
Critical
Punishing
Focused on the negative
Disapproving
Fault-finding
Harsh

NDE Descriptions
Understanding
Accepting
Forgiving
Focused on the positive
Encouraging
Supportive
Loving

Not only do NDE descriptions challenge common beliefs about God, they also paint a very different picture of the universe, the purpose of life here on earth and the nature of the afterlife … all things we will explore in subsequent entries.