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4752
Wills-Brandon, Carla. Seven Heavens: The Afterlife in the Jewish Tradition. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 2023. Diane LaRoe, pp. 88-89.
32
Moderate Evidence
7
Low Compatibility
Contact with dead, healing powers
This experience presents significant biblical compatibility concerns despite some positive elements. The affirming aspects include the encounter with God described as the "Omnipotent Power," which acknowledges divine sovereignty. The experience of perfect peace, safety, and feeling "at home" aligns with biblical descriptions of God's presence. Being sent back with a mission parallels biblical prophetic commissions. The certainty that consciousness survives death agrees with biblical teaching about eternal souls.
However, there are substantial concerns that place this in the low compatibility category. The teaching that humans can "contact those on Earth as well as those who had crossed over" directly contradicts biblical prohibitions against necromancy and communicating with the dead (Deuteronomy 18:10-12, Leviticus 19:31). The emphasis on humans having inherent healing powers and spiritual abilities that just need to be "found and used" suggests self-sufficiency rather than dependence on God for healing and spiritual gifts. The message that "there is no such thing as death" contradicts biblical teaching about the reality and seriousness of physical death as a consequence of sin. While the Bible teaches about eternal life through Christ, it doesn't minimize the reality of death itself. The absence of any mention of Jesus, salvation, repentance, or judgment is concerning given the explicitly divine nature of the encounter. These elements suggest a more new age or universalist theology that diverges significantly from biblical Christianity.
Diane LaRoe, a Juilliard-trained vocalist, was killed in an automobile accident many years ago. The ambulance doctor pinned a DOA (Dead on Arrival) sign on her coat and delivered her to the Santa Monica morgue. She was clinically dead and had been pronounced dead by medical personnel at the scene of the accident.
While dead, she heard a voice ask if she wanted to stay where she was forever. She recognized this as the Omnipotent Power speaking to her. She answered as quickly as she could: yes. She felt completely protected, safe, and truly at home in this perfect place. She had never been so happy in her life and completely surrendered to the experience. The feeling of being in this realm was one of absolute perfection and belonging. During her time on the other side, she was taught about the blessings, powers, and gifts that humans were given because they are loved. She learned that humans could heal themselves and others, contact those on Earth as well as those who had crossed over, and conduct this service for others. God explicitly told her she had to return to this plane to tell everyone how to find and use these powers. Following her return from death, she wrote a book called "The Awakening" with the mission of making sure all know there is no such thing as death - it is just a transmission from one plane to another. The experience left her with a profound sense of purpose and a message to share about the continuation of consciousness after physical death. She was given specific knowledge about human spiritual capabilities and a divine mandate to share this information with others. |