NDE: 90 Minutes in Heaven

m_huber

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m_huber
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My mother gave me a book a little while back that actually led to me finding this forum. The book was 90 Minutes in Heaven, by Don Piper.

The book chronicles his tale of having an automobile accident while driving home from a pastor's conference. He was pronounced dead on the scene by EMT's. After an hour an a half, another preacher from the conference came and "felt God telling him to pray for him," even though the EMT's were saying he was dead. He went and prayed for him, and after a minute or two, the dead pastor woke up and started singing.

The pastor reports experiencing a near death experience, where he went to Heaven and saw many of his old friends who had died. They went through the gates of Heaven, where he saw streets of gold and heard angels singing. The place was bright and beautiful, by his description.

Anyway, I did some research on the subject of NDE's after reading the book, including this forum, and came to the conclusion that they represent the brain shutting down.

Today, I had a conversation with one of the secretaries in the building where I work about this book. I made no effort to contradict her (have to keep the secretaries happy), and while I pandered to her belief, she reminded me of the string of coincidences that happened to the man.

He had a wreck and died (was pronounced dead, anyway). His leg and arm were crushed, and the EMT's thought he should have bled to death (if he didn't die from being crushed). The other pastor came and felt God urging him to pray for him. After waking up from death, the pastor felt a hand holding his, but the pastor praying for him had his hand on his shoulder (he concludes that it was an angel's hand).

Anyway, I don't think that any of this is proof of anything, but I am curious if anyone is familiar with Don Piper or might know more than I do about NDE's. I think the best possible evidence for God lies in NDE's being true, but from what I have studied, near-death is questionable at best. If anyone could share their thoughts, they are much appreciated.
 
Why Heaven, particularly? Knowing what I do about preacher-men, I'd at least half-expect him to get a taste of the other place.
 
Maybe his brain didn't shut down fast enough? I was thoroughly sedated for open-heart surgery and it was like my switch was flipped off. One moment I'm breathing in, the next I'm strapped in a table with various tubes stuck in me. I had no awareness of the passage of time at all. Certainly, although I was clinically dead for hours, I had no experiences in the sense of being aware of anything.
 
sackett said:
Why Heaven, particularly?
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Exactly. I would point out that if the Norse had colonized North America instead of the British, then we would probably have their culture and their religious beliefs. A person suffering from an NDE would say, "I saw Valhalla, and I even sparred with old friends, relatives, and war heroes from ages past!"

Actually, that sounds like a lot more fun than the Christian Heaven. :p
 
I think that shortly after Bette Eadie wrote her "Embraced by the Light" books some lady came out with her story about going to Hell. Of course her whole life was changed by the Truth blah blah blah.
Funny how religious people always see what they expect to see.
My father died for awhile in ICU and recovered for a short while. He told me he desperately hoped there was an afterlife, but there isn't. He said that he saw absolutly nothing and experienced no such visions. He became deeply depressed by that.
 
I suppose I come from a Christian background that I'm not far enough removed from just yet, so as much as I understand that other religions have completely opposing views to Christianity, I still hear comments on the authority and accuracy of the Bible on a regular enough basis to let the idea seep into me that it is infallible.

I once had a semi-near death experience. I was doing martial arts with a guy who weighed two of me (I'm not too big), and he landed on my chest. I couldn't breath, and I was unconscious for three or four minutes (my brother almost did CPR on me.. glad I didn't wake up to that). During the time I was out, I saw a tunnel and heard a voice speaking to me that indicated that I wasn't going to die. I have never really made too much of a big deal of the experience, but I also have never been able to shake it out of my head.
 
Minarvia said:
My father died for awhile in ICU and recovered for a short while. He told me he desperately hoped there was an afterlife, but there isn't. He said that he saw absolutly nothing and experienced no such visions. He became deeply depressed by that.
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For such maladies, Doctor Darth perscribes Mezcal.

(Caution: Don't operate cars, heavy equipment, or activties involving open flame. Carpentry is right out. )

DR
 
Silentknight said:
I would point out that if the Norse had colonized North America instead of the British, then we would probably have their culture and their religious beliefs. A person suffering from an NDE would say, "I saw Valhalla, and I even sparred with old friends, relatives, and war heroes from ages past!"

Actually, that sounds like a lot more fun than the Christian Heaven. :p
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No, he wouldn't. Only those who die in battle get to Valhalla. It's not a place for the feint of heart. Sure, there's partying, drinking and eating, but there's also the daily battle where most people die yet again.

Dying a violent death once a day doesn't sound like much fun to me.
 
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Yeah, I guess crashing one's car doesn't quite cut it. Everyone else ended up in the underworld ruled over by Hel, which was more dank, dismal, and dreary. However I was making an analogy to how a Christian believer who has an NDE would invariably see Heaven, like the guy in this story did, whereas nobody ever says they saw a place of fire, brimstone, and little guys in red pajamas poking them with pitchforks.

However I still say that Valhalla sounds more interesting than Heaven, where you'd be surrounded by the most pious religious fanatics, be listening to monotonous prayers and hymns sung all day long, and have nothing to do but kiss Yahweh's erm-- back parts.
 
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Darth Rotor said:
For such maladies, Doctor Darth perscribes Mezcal.

(Caution: Don't operate cars, heavy equipment, or activties involving open flame. Carpentry is right out. )

DR
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I certainly hope you aren't making fun of my father for dying in desperate depression.
 
Silentknight said:
Exactly. I would point out that if the Norse had colonized North America instead of the British, then we would probably have their culture and their religious beliefs. A person suffering from an NDE would say, "I saw Valhalla, and I even sparred with old friends, relatives, and war heroes from ages past!"

Actually, that sounds like a lot more fun than the Christian Heaven. :p
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Oh, you bet. :D
 
Mister Agenda said:
Maybe his brain didn't shut down fast enough? I was thoroughly sedated for open-heart surgery and it was like my switch was flipped off. One moment I'm breathing in, the next I'm strapped in a table with various tubes stuck in me. I had no awareness of the passage of time at all. Certainly, although I was clinically dead for hours, I had no experiences in the sense of being aware of anything.
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Umm..you weren't clinically brain dead at all, for any amount of time.
You were simply under general anesthesia, which makes people unconscious.
There is no dreaming, no thoughts, no sense of self...nothing. It's lights out.
Nobody home. But, that's FAR from being brain dead.
 
Does anyone know where this accident supposedly happened? I wonder if there are any news accounts before the book was written. The fact this guy has a book and a ministry makes it look equally likely as a fabricated event to make money as it does a real event where the guy believes his dream was real.

Oh, and to be misdiagnosed as dead is not unheard of. I can tell you however, that unless you are extremely hypothermic, your brain cells won't survive more than 10 minutes without a heart pumping and some means of O2 in your blood getting to those cells.
 
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The book says it happened between Trinity Pines, TX and Huntsville, TX, on Hwy 19.

I can't find anything with a quick google search, but the book included pictures of the accident. Additionally, he was required to wear a metal growth device on his leg to rebuild the bone that he had lost, which has left him with permanent walking problems. He also has some other obvious medical problems. His website gives a synopsis of what happened to him.
 
m_huber said:
he went to Heaven and saw many of his old friends who had died.
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This has interesting theo-cosmological ramifications. According to the Bible, everyone stays dead until the End Times, when people are resurrected, "the seas give up their dead", etc. Then y'all stand there and get sorted out into Heaven and Hell. Or maybe Jerusalem and outside-the-gates, not sure.

They went through the gates of Heaven, where he saw streets of gold
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An interesting reward for a land where there's no wants, and thus no need for gold, which is an evil object of greed in any case.

and heard angels singing.
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No corner kiosks everywhere with video displays of gurlz-kissin-gurlz? :mad: Boring!
 
Beerina said:
This has interesting theo-cosmological ramifications. According to the Bible, everyone stays dead until the End Times, when people are resurrected, "the seas give up their dead", etc. Then y'all stand there and get sorted out into Heaven and Hell. Or maybe Jerusalem and outside-the-gates, not sure.
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Actually, when I was a Baptist, I remember having a two-hour long debate with a guy from Church of Christ one time about whether we would go straight to heaven or if we would see heaven at the end of time. Interesting mental fodder.
 
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