Resuscitated in the OR, struck by lightning, rescued at sea - people snatched from the jaws of death from around the world tell remarkably similar stories. Many feel outside their bodies, sense a powerful "being of light," journey to a heavenly (or hellish) realm, undergo life review, and then are pulled almost cruelly back to earth. Dramatic and scholarly, "Religion, Spirituality and the Near Death Experience" is the first book to bridge the gap between science and spirituality in the study of death. Placing the latest research from psychology, sociology, and neuroscience within the framework of current philosophy and theology, Fox reveals what the hard evidence can tell us about God, the afterlife, and the meaning of human existence. Drawing on nearly 100 never-before-published near-death accounts, Fox rigorously reviews the claim that a "common core" of experience exists across cultures, assessing what this means for varying religious traditions. He also scrupulously examines the fantastic claims made by some returnees, such as the congenitally blind who at the brink of death were able to see. Neither a religious argument touting near-death experiences as proof of God nor a scientific treatise that tries to explain them away, "Religion, Spirituality and the Near Death Experience" thoughtfully integrates theological theory with scientific evidence in a fascinating work that will captivate skeptics and believers alike.

Dr Mark Fox is a member of Lampeter University's Religious Experience Research Centre committee, and an active member researcher into religious and paranormal experience. He currently lectures in philosophy and religious studies at Joseph Chamberlain College in Birmingham.

Introduction 1. A Brief History of NDEs 2. A 'DeafeningSilence': Theology and the NDE 3. Defining the Light: Language, Epistemology and the NDE 4. Of Plots and Minds: Neuroscience, Narrative and the NDE 5. Second Sight? NDEs and the Blind 6. The RERC Study 7. Building Bridges of Fighting Wars? Religion, Spirituality and the Future of Near Death-Studies Notes Bibliography _ _