And neither does sin.
I reached these simple conclusions as a result of a careful observation and analysis of thousands of Near Death Experiences (NDEs). Obviously, “sin” and “hell” are two fundamental elements of religious dogma. Clearly, there are millions – well, actually it’s billions – of people who are alive on the planet right now who believe both sin and hell are very real. They live their lives guided by a fear of going to hell when they die. Be good, or suffer for eternity.
When studying NDEs you quickly come to understand there is an overwhelming amount of data available to study. I mean, a lot. Millions of accounts from all over the world. People in many cultures are more open to discussing their personal Near Death Experience now than they might have been even twenty years ago. Much of the stigma has melted away. Why?
The Internet has “democratized” NDE accounts. Meaning, just a few decades ago when Moody wrote his book, the Internet did not exist. People read books, magazines, and newspapers, watched television, and listened to the radio. They also spread information among family, friends, coworkers, and social spheres by word of mouth.
The ability for a concept like NDEs to penetrate the zeitgeist at the time was extremely focused, like the pointy end of a pin. That’s why everyone who studies NDEs knows all about Moody. He basically started it all.
Now, compare that to the Baby Shark Dance: Produced by Pinkfong, this nursery rhyme is the most-viewed video in internet history, with well over 15 billion views. There’s only 8 billion people on the planet. That means every human not only watched it, they watched it twice. Well, to be fair, you probably watched it once. Your kids watched it 86 gazillion times, each… That’s not going to happen with a magazine article or a book.
Well, maybe a couple of books. Best selling books of all time? Religious Texts: The Bible (~5-7 billion copies) followed by the Quran (~3 billion) and the Book of Mormon (~150-192 million). But religions are “franchises” with people working hard to grow their membership and influence (more on that one, later – in a future article). No one is going to come knocking on your door to ask “Have you heard the word of Our Lord and Savior Pinkfong and the story of the Baby Shark dance?” That’s an unlikely scenario, and those words have probably never been uttered in a sentence, until right now.
Thanks to the Internet people who have had a Near Death Experience are much more likely to sit down for a podcast interview. I spend a lot of time listening to NDE accounts on many different podcasts around the internet. Like right now, I’m writing this article with one part of my brain while a podcast is chattering away on my tablet. It’s sort of what I do now.
Here’s a sidebar for you. Betty Guadagno. If you have never heard of her and you’re into NDEs, you’ve absolutely have to check her out. She’s all over the Internet and has done a bunch of important podcasts. If the Internet had a “hell does not exist” posterchild, it would be Betty. This interview dropped about a month ago and it’s one of my favorites of her.
I’m a huge Betty Guadagno fan. I live in New York so I hope to meet her someday. She just simply reeks of “authenticity” – that’s critically important in the NDE research space. She can talk endlessly about her NDE experience without taking even a microsecond to think about anything. She knows what happened because she was there. Uber-cool stuff.
And as it relates to this article – Betty didn’t go to “hell.” And if anybody what going to slide down that chute, she would have been a prime candidate. She was a criminal, drug addict, and prostitute who purposefully got other young women addicted to drugs so she could pimp them out. Her NDE was the result of a drug overdose. How’s that for a “ticket to hell” resume?
But Betty was met with love, understanding, and compassion. The Internet is literally filled with thousands of similar accounts. People who have led hard lives and made questionable decisions – including hurting their own family members and loved ones – and not one of them talks about anything similar to what we describe as “hell.”
I dedicated an entire chapter in my book to the concept we’re discussing here. NDE accounts are crystal clear. The data is remarkably consistent. Everyone is met with nothing but love, compassion, and understanding. No one is ever met with any “judgement” whatsoever. If you’re expecting to see Saint Peter guarding the gates of heaven and passing judgement on your life like some sort of a celestial nightclub bouncer – you’re going to be disappointed. That shit doesn’t happen…
You have the opportunity to examine every single thing you ever did in your life during the “Life Review” process. And as a matter of fact the only time the word “hell” comes up in NDE accounts is when people are discussing their life review.
Here’s a quick take on how the “Life Review” process works, according to the NDE data. First of all, you get it all in one shot. Just like a file being downloaded from a computer to your brain. The whole thing, instantly, in one big shot. “Poof” and it’s there. Once you’ve got that file, you can then “take your time” and review every single moment of your entire life at your leisure. Remember – time as we know it on earth does not exist (at all) on the other side. You might be clinically “dead” for two minutes but you spent what felt like “an eternity” on the other side, because time is completely and totally irrelevant.
It’s not like watching a movie. You can relive every moment of your life, from the instant of conception to the moment of death, in great detail. All of the senses are there – so if you were having a conversation with your mother as a child and she was baking cookies at the time you can smell the cookies, feel the sunshine on your skin that was pouring through the window, hear the birds chirping outside, and see every little detail of the scene, exactly as it occurred.
And it comes complete with feelings. Not just your feelings, but also the emotions, feelings, and psychological state of the person you were interacting with. The fundamental question – “how did you make them feel?” Maybe in that particular moment you were sharp, harsh, or insensitive. Maybe you were trying to land an inappropriate joke and just the wrong time – and you inadvertently (and unknowingly) made the other person feel really, really bad.
So the word “hell” does come up often in the NDE data, but it’s almost always presented in the context of the discussion surrounding the “Life Review” process. This is particularly true for people who have lead lives filled with drama, trauma, and poor choices. People who were criminals. Abusive parents. So what, exactly, do people describe as “hell” during the Life Review? After reading thousands of accounts, several themes appear over and over again.
Feeling the Pain of Others (Empathetic Resonance)
- Emotional projection: Experiencers do not just watch their lives; they actively re-live events from the perspective of the people they interacted with.
- Experiencing inflicted hurt: If a person was abusive, manipulative, or cruel, they must directly feel the exact emotional or physical pain they inflicted on their victims.
- The ripple effect: A person often sees how their negative actions cascaded to hurt people they never even met, compounding the sense of distress.
Overwhelming Remorse and Moral Failure
- Self-judgment: NDE accounts consistently state that there is no external judge. The individual acts as their own “judge and jury,” evaluating their actions with absolute clarity.
- Extreme moral anguish: Stripped of human ego and excuses, realizing the magnitude of one’s poor life choices causes severe psychological agony and remorse.
- Exposure of hidden intent: The review uncovers the real, sometimes selfish motivations behind actions that seemed positive on the surface, creating a painful clash with the soul’s true self.
Profound Feelings of Unworthiness
- Rejection of the Light: Some individuals experience an intense sense of shame or guilt during the NDE.
- Self-imposed isolation: Believing they are inherently “bad” or unworthy of love, they may pull away from a peaceful presence, plunging themselves into a distressing, dark void.
Resistance to the Process and Lack of Control
- Ego wrestling: Individuals who had a strong need for control in life often fight the involuntary, rapid-fire nature of the life review.
- Panic and confusion: Fighting against the transition or refusing to accept the reality of their death can distort the review into a terrifying, chaotic experience.
Real Experiences from Community Discussions
First-person accounts often highlight that even the most painful reviews are ultimately geared toward spiritual growth rather than punishment. “I was looking at myself, but better than a 3-D movie as I was also capable of sensing the feelings of the persons I had interacted with through the years. I could feel the good and bad emotions I made them go through.”
“Life Is A Schoolhouse – Not A Courthouse”
So there’s the bottom line. Hell does not exist, as it is typically presented in modern religious context. You can conduct your life in such a way as anyone would consider you to be a “sinner” – but no one is going to judge you for those actions, except yourself. That’s the entire point of life. Live and learn. It’s really that simple. The only real currency that matters at all is love. Treat others with caring and compassion. Make people feel good about themselves, even when they are going through the roughest patch (or moment) of their lives.
Thanks for taking the time to read this article. Now, go forth and don’t be a dick…