Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife
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We're born, our brains mature and at some point we all begin to wonder how the Hell we got here and why. Some have taken to explaining things in a religious context. Others preach the gospel of science and science only. A growing subset has reconciled the former with the latter. Yet another group says that's impossible.
It is a is polarizing topic, to be sure. Reddit near exploded when Louis C.K. gave a response more complex than yes / no when asked about religion. So when someone comes out with a book saying he has proof of Heaven, you know tempers will flare. This time around the combatants involve one Dr. Eben Alexander and Luke Dittrich of Esquire.
In short, Dr. Alexander penned a little book called Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife. You can tell someone from marketing came up with that zinger of a title. As Dittrich notes in his article, the book has sold nearly two million copies and has remained on bestseller lists for over 35 weeks. No doubt some of this success can be attributed to the Oprah-bump Dr. Alexander received.
Proof of Heaven tells Dr. Alexander's near-death experience. He insists his brain was not in a state that could have created the images he saw and the experiences he felt, thus it must have been of what we typically refer to as Heaven. That, coupled with his background as a neurosurgeon, makes Proof of Heaven all the more interesting to believers and skeptics alike.
Naturally, this prompted Dittrich of Esquire to investigate, as any supposed proof of Heaven should warrant. The result of his months-long investigation included a series of "factual omissions and inconsistencies that call significant parts of Dr. Alexander's story into question." The crux of Dittrich's report is that Dr. Alexander was in need of a new identity due to some. lawsuits, so he reinvented himself like Robert Downey Jr. from a drug-addled troublemaker to superhero.
For his part, Dr. Alexander has released a statement to NBC News via a Simon & Schuster spokesman:.
"I wrote a truthful account of my experiences in PROOF OF HEAVEN and have acknowledged in the book both my professional and personal accomplishments and my setbacks. I stand by every word in this book and have made its message the purpose of my life. Esquire's cynical article distorts the facts of my 25-year career as a neurosurgeon and is a textbook example of how unsupported assertions and cherry-picked information can be assembled at the expense of the truth. ".
Little is known on whether or not Alexander will address Esquire's attacks one-by-one. Though it's understandable why he would refuse, he should respond. After all, there's a bit of responsibility that inherently comes with profiting massively off any story alleged to be 100 percent accurate, especially when you purport to have touched down in Heaven.
Reading user reviews of his book, you come across countless stories of how comforting Dr. Alexander's book was after a tragic event. You can also find others who have had practically identical experiences in near-death situations. It would be a shame if Dr. Alexander truly did reach up his backside for a story that would make him wealthy - not to mention ironic, if we are to believe that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a. rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
Now this is not to say Dr. Alexander is a BS artist the likes of which we have not seen since James Frey broke Oprah's heart into a million little pieces. Any fair-minded observer should be willing to allow the possibility that Alexander is telling the truth - that something currently unexplainable happened.
Therein lies the problem with Dittrich's article. Though carefully researched, the piece reads throughout as a condescending, determined effort to destroy Alexander's story. Dittrich very well could have brought up the important points he discusses without the constant, belittling tone of an internet commenter pwning someone he clearly disagrees with.
But what is most ironic about Dittrich's piece and those who have been trumpeting it as their own proof against Heaven is how quickly they have been to categorically pass off Alexander's story as crap. Alexander's previous troubles have nothing to do with whether or not he truly stepped into another realm. In fact, it simply makes him sound like a doctor. Malpractice suits are seemingly part of the deal of a life in the medical field, after all.
The flippant response from some toward Alexander's story reeks of the same variety that typically angers the scientific community when they beg the religious crowd to trust global warming is a real thing and not God showering a little extra love or what gay folks do in the bedroom has. nothing to do with weather patterns. Science loves repetition and Alexander is hardly the first to report similar findings from a near-death experience.
While it's impossible (not to mention illegal) to repeat the circumstances required of a near-death experience for scientific examination, there are plenty of similar tales of bright lights, reuniting with family and a sense of love and comfort during the event.
Of course, any skeptic would say this just proves that these people were hallucinating near-death. Maybe so. Then again, who cares? The universe is a mysterious, beautiful place. If people find comfort believing there is more to it all than a lucky string of coincidences, swell. If not, that's fine too.
Perhaps it would be best if we can all agree to let the mystery be. That means not profiting off of it or belittling someone who harmlessly believes.
