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Neurosurgeon: I've Been to Heaven

Neurosurgeon Eben Alexander says he visited another realm

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 8, 2012 6:09 PM CDT | Updated Oct 13, 2012 1:25 PM CDT

(Newser) – Dr. Eben Alexander held a scientific worldview until, he says, he went to heaven. As a nominal Christian—and a neurosurgeon with Harvard credentials—Alexander admits he had envied "those who wanted to believe that there was a God somewhere out there who loved us unconditionally," he writes at the Daily Beast. Then he contracted meningitis and slipped into a 7-day coma that shut down "the human part of my brain, the neocortex." Incredibly, Alexander visited a realm of clouds, higher beings, and a God-like wind that told him he was "loved and cherished, dearly, forever."

Now Alexander is encountering different beings—colleagues who give him "looks of polite disbelief" when he tells his story. In church, however, he "saw everything with fresh eyes," feeling again the universal love of his journey in the stained-glass windows, bass notes of the organ, and a painting of Jesus. And he is calling on scientists to paint "a new picture of reality" as an "evolving, multi-dimensional" universe with an all-knowing God. Click for the full article and its fiery comments section—or read this criticism of Alexander's science by Sam Harris.

What if you saw this while in a coma?
What if you saw this while in a coma?   (Shutterstock)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 215 comments
professortech
Oct 16, 2012 9:26 AM CDT
Hey, Let's state what we know for a FACT about death. When you die- respiration stops, circulation stops, perceptions stops, thinking stops. You become worm food or crematorium fuel. Those are the facts. All the rest is wishful thinking in the face of the reality of cessation of existence.  Now stop worrying about some wistful heavenly reward and make a positive impact on the world while you have the chance to.
truefreedom
Oct 14, 2012 12:59 PM CDT
I've come to the conclusion that most people when they die, they don't enter the Afterlife. Instead most people are either reincarnated into another life or they repeat their lives (i.e. Bill Murray in "Ground Hog Day") until they learn what they need to learn that they haven't learned previously. Don't take this to heart, it's only my theory. 
Twiny
Oct 14, 2012 9:01 AM CDT
The good Doctor will HAVE to spend the rest of his life at his new self-appointed task. The is absolutely no way to prove the existence of Heaven, or of hell, for that matter. The man has effectively pledged his life to trying to prove that his pipe dream is real. IT CAN'T BE DONE. Heaven and Hell are no more real than the world of Harry Potter.
 

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