Christophor’s refreshing and comprehensive analysis of major religions in light of the profound lessons from numerous NDE journeyers offers a rich new tapestry of understanding that I find most valuable.” Eben Alexander, MD, author of Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife (NY Times Bestseller)
One of the most fascinating topics of religious or spiritual debate concerns what happens when you die. And while you really can’t find out until you get there — and even then it is pretty much impossible to report back to those left behind — there is a small slice of the human population who have had what are referred to as near-death experiences, or NDEs, and who come closest to telling us what it’s all about.
Author Christophor Coppes is fascinated with NDEs. Coppes’ studies have revealed a recurring theme in reported NDEs, the existence of The Light, representing a powerful, all-encompassing and unconditional love that is referred to in a variety of ways in the world’s great religions.
In his new book, The Essence of Religions (Select Books, April 1) Coppes compares the fundamental elements of NDEs with those of five world religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. His conclusion is that the teachings of these religions can be found in NDEs, but that not all the elements of NDEs can be found in each religion. He includes on that list the feeling that we are all profoundly interconnected, that everyone is important, that there are no lesser souls and that Heaven is our birthright.
Coppes describes the book as one written to discourage any kind of misuse of religions. It is meant to provide the much-needed tools to reconsider some of the dogmas of the five major world religions that may be detrimental to human beings and to the world at large. It is also meant to replace these dogmas with something more uplifting to greatly benefit us all.
In a readable and easily accessible style, Coppes dissects the basic tenets of each religion so that the reader understands how NDEs reflect the various beliefs, and compares them one to the other, citing their differences and then illustrating the similarities from the NDEs he’s studied.
In the last chapter, some of the most important topics of the near-death experience are summarized and compared with spiritual insights from the five religions. These topics involve the belief that God, or The Light, is in all of us, that love and compassion are the most important things there are in our existence, that each person has a task to fulfill in life, that there is free will, that everything in our life is recorded, and that there is no final judgment of us or a punishment for our earthly transgressions. In this way, it is revealed to us that the more we are aligned with the unconditionally loving Light, the better our lives — and the world — will be.
