News you won't see in controlled mainstream media.

--An Eye-Opening Interview with the "Father of Near-Death Experiences,"
~~Dr. Raymond Moody ~~

~~IN 1975, Dr. Raymond Moody released his best-selling breakthrough book, Life After Life. It was an instant success as people were comforted to know that their faith and belief in heaven was affirmed. Dr. Moody was the first to use the phrase "near-death-experience," or NDE for short. In the 45 years since his first book, he has talked to thousands of people about their NDE experiences and written eleven books on the subject. Dr. Moody recently gave an interview to Guideposts' Mysterious Ways magazine.

~Q/ How do you define a near-death experience?

~RM/ It's an experience people have after dying or almost dying. No two NDEs are exactly the same, but there are striking commonalities.

-Most people say they seem to leave their bodies and watch from above as their body is resuscitated. They pass down a dark tunnel and come out into a brilliant, warm and loving light. They meet deceased friends and loved ones in spirit form. And they undergo a panoramic or holographic review of their lives in which they witness everything they've done from an external point of view. Often, this life review happens in the presence of a being of love and light.

~Q/ Do you have to be religious to experience an NDE?

~RM/ No, I have had lots of people tell me that, prior to having an NDE, they had no religious background. But they came back with some kind of assurance that there is a world beyond this one and that God exists. It changes their lives dramatically. They come back and say that the most important thing we can do is to learn how to love. They have no more fear of death.

~Q/ Critics say that there's no scientific proof of NDEs, only stories. Is that true?

~RM/ Life after death is not a scientific question. It's a philosophical and religious question. It may well be that sometime in the future we will have proof through science. But the fact that we don't yet doesn't mean that we can't accept it on rational grounds. People just get so swept away by that word scientific.

~Q/ Some people have admitted to lying about having an NDE. How can we tell who's telling the truth?

~RM/ There's something different about people who've actually had NDEs. They have a serenity to them. With imposters, it's all about "me, me, me." Wheras someone who's really been through this, it awakens a kind of modesty in them. A willingness to acknowledge that there's a lot they don't know.

~Q/ You wrote Life After Life at age 31. Do you think more about your own mortality now?

~RM/ Oh, yes, Both my parents died at 72, so you have to think about things, especially when you have kids. I'm focusing on my kids and getting everything knitted together in this interesting existence that I'm in now. It's very nice to be in the home stretch. It's just fascinating to watch every little wrinkle form. I'm ready to be out of here when God calls. My prayer is, "Guide me gently through a painless and peaceful death on your schedule, [God.]" That's what I always say. ~~
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--A GUIDEPOSTS EXCLUSIVE~