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4887
qualitative
book
Long, Jeffrey. God and the Afterlife. HarperOne, 2016. Chapter 2. Vietnam Veteran.
God and the Afterlife - Vietnam Veteran - Chapter 2 - 2016
2016
M
A veteran experienced a near-death experience during the Vietnam War when an antitank mine detonated directly below the vehicle he was riding in. The explosion was severe enough to cause a life-threatening situation that triggered his NDE.
During the experience, he reported that God took over his "reins" in the sense that his individual self no longer existed - only God existed. He felt overwhelming bliss, love, and compassion. The True Home and True Self of all things were miraculously revealed to him. This revelation gave him direct experiential knowledge of God's existence, transforming his relationship from one of faith and belief to one of knowing through direct encounter. The veteran described God as loving, compassionate, and forgiving - qualities he had not expected to encounter. He used the metaphor that God picked him up in the palm of His hand, an image conveying both the power and gentleness of the divine. The experience provided him with permanent knowledge that "God is" - not as a matter of faith but as a certainty based on direct experience. He stated that thirty years later, tears of gratitude still came to his eyes when remembering this encounter. This NDE permanently transformed his understanding of the divine nature and continues to affect him emotionally decades after the event. The direct encounter with God's unexpected compassion and forgiveness became the foundation of his spiritual understanding.
5
Other
5
2
7
Weak Evidence
0
Antitank mine explosion causing life-threatening injuries in combat setting.
Spiritual encounter with God providing knowledge of divine nature. No verifiable physical observations.
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Combat explosion trauma
8/1/2025
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