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5122
Atwater, P. M. H., The New Children and Near-Death Experiences, Bear & Company, Chapter 4, Denise Mendenhall, Pages 97-101, 2003
33
Moderate Evidence
7
Low Compatibility
psychic abilities, seeing auras, spirit communication, astral projection
This experience presents a complex mixture of deeply biblical elements alongside problematic occult practices. The positive aspects are substantial: three days spent with Jesus Christ learning about His life, death, and resurrection in vivid detail, gaining knowledge of God's unconditional love, and experiencing miraculous healing from a medically impossible condition. The detailed knowledge of Christ's suffering and biblical events that a ten-year-old could not naturally possess suggests genuine spiritual encounter. The recognition of both good (guardian angels) and evil (dark spirits) aligns with biblical spiritual warfare concepts.
However, the post-NDE developments raise serious biblical concerns. The ability to see auras is associated with New Age and occult practices not found in Scripture. Communication with spirits of the dead violates biblical prohibitions against necromancy (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). The concept of "earthbound spirits" contradicts biblical teaching about immediate judgment after death. The ability to "fly" during sleep and witness past events resembles astral projection, an occult practice. While some gifts like discerning spirits have biblical precedent, the specific manifestations described here align more with occult mediumship than biblical spiritual gifts. These problematic elements significantly compromise the biblical compatibility despite the strong Christ-centered core experience.
Ten-year-old Denise experienced dramatic personality changes and excessive water consumption in summer 1999. On November 5, she became unresponsive with eyes rolled back and was rushed to the hospital. Doctors diagnosed her with diabetic coma and discovered she had suffered a major stroke at the base of her brain, destroying over two-thirds of the left side. With organs shutting down, doctors gave her less than 24 hours to live, stating that if she survived, she would be a "vegetable" and considered harvesting her organs.
During her three-day coma, Denise spent the entire time with Jesus Christ. She later described in vivid detail His birth, life, suffering in Gethsemane, and crucifixion, including specific colors, smells, and sounds that her father stated a ten-year-old could not possibly know. She witnessed biblical events firsthand and gained profound spiritual knowledge about God's unconditional love, the importance of gratitude, and the reality of both guardian angels and dark spirits. After three days, she suddenly woke saying she was hungry, defying all medical predictions. Her recovery required relearning everything including talking and walking, but she progressed miraculously fast, leaving doctors unable to explain her survival and recovery. Following the NDE, she developed remarkable abilities including seeing auras around people, perceiving spirits of the deceased, and maintaining daily interactions with Jesus Christ. She can accurately read people's hearts and spiritual states, and when sleeping can "fly" to witness past events, having observed "all of the Bible." The medical documentation confirmed the severity of her condition with the stroke, organ failure, and dire prognosis, making her complete recovery and the spiritual knowledge she gained during the three-day coma particularly remarkable and inexplicable to medical professionals. |