Not Quite Proof of Heaven, But An Intriguing Account

Back in October, I paid a visit to my grandparents. While I was there, we watched an episode of Katie Couric's talk show in which she invited guests who reported having had near-death or mystical experiences, and my grandpa lent me a couple books collecting stories of people who believed they had gotten a glimpse of a deeper reality. The theme seemed to permeate my visit, so I was intrigued when one of the first things I saw upon my return home was my dad's latest Newsweek, the cover of which pointed to an excerpt of a book written by a neurologist claiming Proof of Heaven.

I read the excerpt and decided to order the book by Dr. Eben Alexander. After all, not only did it feel like kismet after I'd encountered the subject so much at my grandparents', but accounts of that type have always fascinated me. Alexander's is particularly interesting because he approaches it from a scientific perspective. While the book is mostly written in layman's terms, it is informed by his years of study and skepticism. It attempts to reconcile faith and science in a meaningful way, though he uses very little specific religious terminology throughout the book.

I found Alexander's style accessible and enjoyable, albeit a bit hard to follow at times as he tends to follow a very nonlinear format. He spends a lot of time discussing his conflicted feelings about having been adopted and the emotions that swirled up in him when he first made contact with his biological family. He also discusses what was happening in the hospital while he was in a coma brought on by a particularly nasty form of meningitis, and he talks about the impact that his experience while in the coma had upon his life. What he doesn't really discuss in great detail is the experience itself. That part of the account is moving but brief, and the book includes few details that weren't covered in the excerpt.

What Alexander does share is intriguing, particularly as he ties it in with quantum physics and the idea that sheer materialism offers a deeply limited view of the cosmos. His description of love as the very fabric of the universe is moving and comforting, and I was particularly interested in his immersion in an almost tangible harmony and how that enriched his experience when he returned church after a long absence. He notes that he is an Episcopalian but that prior to his experience, the religious conviction he once felt had dimmed considerably. I would have been interested in hearing more about how he viewed his renewed childhood faith in light of what he believed to be a close encounter with the divine.

Despite the audacious title, the evidence Alexander offers is still something that can't be corroborated except to the extent that his medical records clearly indicate that part of his brain shut down during his coma. It's also not among the most detailed NDE accounts I have read. I think the book promises more than it delivers in terms of recounting the actual experience and uses repetition and rumination to mask the fact that the meat of the story is only maybe three or four chapters. Nonetheless, it does offer a specific viewpoint that makes it an unusual offering in this particular niche. While it's more anecdote than evidence, it opens up the conversation in an interesting way and is well worth a look for those who are drawn to these types of accounts.

All Dogs - and Lambs and Doves and Llamas - Go to Heaven

Losing a pet is a very difficult thing, especially for small children who may be experiencing death for the first time. Amy Nolfo-Wheeler seeks to ease this grieving process with All God's Creatures Go to Heaven, a picture book magnificently illustrated by N. A. Noel.

The story is preceded by the lyrics to Fly, a song, written by Jean-Jacques Goldman and Phil Gladston and recorded by Celine Dion, about a bereaved person releasing the spirit of a loved one until they meet again. The story is about a six-year-old angel named Jacob who learns shortly after his arrival in Heaven that the special purpose of children angels is to care for pets who have passed on.

As is typical for many books and movies about Heaven, including the moving The Littlest Angel, we are presented with the scripturally unsound idea that upon their deaths, people become angels with fluffy wings. There are probably many scripturally unsound aspects to this short book, but the central idea is that Heaven is not reserved for just people. Is that so? I certainly hope so.

The story isn't particularly well written, especially when Jacob begins exchanging dialogue with the youthful sage Angelica. Her manner of speaking is very unnatural and heavy-handed. What's more, the author seems to have an issue with commas; there are many places throughout the book where the glaring omission of a comma interrupts the rhythm of the sentence.

Whatever my issues with the writing, however, the paintings are absolutely gorgeous, awe-inspiring enough that the story becomes somewhat inconsequential. His angels, which appear to be unclothed but never are shown from the waist down, are amazingly realistic and infused with soft tones. A wispy-haired little girl clutches flowers in her hand; a wide-eyed boy gazes out from under a mop of spongy curls. And the animals we see - llamas, doves, rabbits and dogs - all with fuzzy white fur or feathers are so adorable you want to scoop them right out of the book and cradle them in your arms.

I presume Noel also is responsible for the large calligraphic letters that appear on some of the pages, usually at the beginning of someone's name. Accented by much simpler, stylized angels, they are ornate and add another nice touch to the book. It is Noel who really makes this remarkable; for a peek at what this artist can do, check out www.nanoel.com.

On the back of the book, Noel writes, "We cannot judge the animals by human measure... We have witnessed their kindness and courage, their joy and their sorrow, their loyalty and love. Do their lives deserve to be honored among the stars? I believe they do..." Me too.