Study: Stories of God's Love Common among Those Who Have Near-Death Experiences

A doctor studying people who have near-death experiences has determined that most return to life with a better understanding of God’s love. 

Dr. Jeffrey Long wrote in The Washington Post thousands of people have shared their near-death experiences with the Near Death Experience Research Foundation. Of these, most speak of feeling God’s presence and experiencing God’s love. 

“Theologians sometimes talk about the omnibenevolence of God, the idea that God’s grace and charity is unlimited or infinite. For many who talk about encountering God, this term comes closest to the reality they describe,” Long wrote. 

Approximately 400 people of various backgrounds who had near-death experiences answered a longer survey, including the following question: “During your experience, did you encounter and specific information/awareness regarding love?”

The respondents answered as follows: 58.1 percent said yes, 32.4 percent said no, and the remainder were uncertain. 

“These transformative experiences of a unique love — a love that is total, unconditional and enormous — speak not just to what happens after we die, but to what matters while we live. These people described their encounters with death, but the message, instead, is one about the meaning of life,” Long wrote. 

Publication date: June 30, 2016