NDEs, like mystics of all traditions, tell us that God loves us unconditionally. We don’t have to “buy” or deserve His love. Nothing we do can deprive us of His love. Nothing, not even the most horrible things you can imagine in your worst nightmares, can deprive you of God’s unconditional love.
Easier to write than to live
It’s easy to write and easy to read. It takes a lot longer to assimilate, because it’s radically different from what we do ourselves.You can say, or your partner or your parents or your friends tell you “I’ll love you no matter what you do”. But you know very well that this is a statement of principle. There will always be a limit to our love for someone.
Sometimes we can accept the actions of someone who hurts us – if the damage is not too great – because we care about them. And because we remember that we ourselves are far from perfect… But more often than not, we only love those who love us. Or, at least, who don’t hurt us.
A God in our image?
We often create a God in our own image. It’s a divinity who asks us to live in a particular way, to believe in something particular, in order to love us. And of course, each of us believes that our own beliefs and rules of life are the only ones capable of earning us this divine love.
Wherever we look, on Earth or in Heaven, we only see a love that is limited, conditional and largely dependent on our behavior.
A moving encounter
That’s why this direct encounter with a Being who loves us radically, without expectation or judgment, is so disconcerting and overwhelming. We can’t even imagine this quality of love until we meet it.
Raymond Moody, who has interviewed hundreds of Emists, explains: “People felt that God loved them for themselves, completely and totally (…) God is not interested in justice. God has a much better idea. He loves and educates, rather than dispenses justice. God is not interested in justice. Justice is an aspect of life in this world.[1]
Life review transforms experiencers
During the “life review”, people relive their entire existence. It is often at this moment that they have the most profound revelation of their NDE. They realize that they are not being judged, even for actions of which they are deeply ashamed. They understand that it’s not about fixing their punishment. The aim is to show them why they acted the way they did, and how they could have done things differently. They also realize the consequences of their choices, for those directly involved and for many others, in a kind of chain reaction.
“The life review is a learning experience, and that’s it. It’s all about love and helping others. It’s about love, love, love and love. It’s about feeling and knowing that you’re always connected to other people, animals and plants. It’s an experience of unity. You know not only that it’s love, but also that you’re connected to that love (…) Experiencers realize that everything they’ve done to others will also come back to them – the positive or negative aspects. And that’s why they change their way of life to put love first.[2]
The mystics already said so
Long before there was any talk of NDEs, many mystics had already explained that there is no judgment on the part of the divine: “Some people describe God as a kind of angry tyrant, who ruthlessly watches over and judges human beings. They distort the reality of God, who is the merciful Being, the infinite Source of unconditional Love, unlimited acceptance and eternal goodness”.[3]
Even people at the forefront of observing Love in action were unable to believe in a love so totally unconditional, without any limits. The apostle Peter had thought he understood Jesus’ teaching on the importance of forgiving those who have hurt us[4]. How many times must I forgive? Shall I forgive 7 times? I imagine he felt he was being very tolerant and a good disciple by setting such a high limit. After all, who among us would forgive someone who hurts us 7 times in a row… Yet Jesus gives him this incredible answer: “I’m not just telling you 7 times, but 77 times 7 times”, in other words, without any limit. I can just imagine Peter’s stunned face and his reaction of astonishment and annoyance: “But how can that be?
For me, this episode perfectly illustrates the gulf between our capacity to love, which always knows a limit, and divine Love, infinite and unconditional. The latter is limitless, and we can count on it no matter what happens, no matter what we do.
[1] God is Bigger Than the Bible
[2] D.J. Kadagian and G. Shushan – The Crossover Experience
[3] Paramahansa Yogananda – At the source oflight
[4] Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 18
For further information, see the article on Amsterdam’s magnificent declaration, which associates EMI and unconditional love, and Raymond Moody’s website.
