Hellish NDEs

One theological criticism of NDEs I've run across is that NDEs are heretical inasmuch as there are so many heavenbound NDEs in contrast to hellbound NDEs. Now, I haven't done as much study of NDEs as Jason Engwer, so I'm going to discuss the objection from a hypothetical standpoint.

i) One issue is whether we have reliable statistical data on how many unbelievers reportedly experience heavenbound NDEs, in contrast to Christians. 

ii) But here's another consideration. Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that some clinically dead patients catch a glimpse of hell before they are resuscitated. It wouldn't surprise me if hellish NDEs are underreported. (Just as it wouldn't surprise me if heavenly NDEs are overreported or misreported.) Unlike a heavenbound NDE, where there's an incentive to report it, isn't there a disincentive to report a hellbound NDE?

To take a comparison, from what I've read, many people who have horrific experiences in wartime (to take one example) may never discuss their experience. Or it may be years before they talk about. Or they may refuse to talk about it even when they are questioned about their experience. Their experience was so horrific that they try to push it as far back in their minds as they can. Try to think about anything except that searing experience.

Likewise, if you actually had a hellish NDE, it might be so unnerving, so terrifying, that it's not something you'd ever talk about. 

iii) On a related note, wouldn't it be embarrassing to say "I went to hell when I died on the operating table!" That's a pretty self-incriminating admission. That's telling other people what a terrible person you must be. How many people are going to volunteer that information?

iv) Of course, some people might tell a tale about their hellish NDE as a get-rich-quick scheme. Tell a juicy story about their wicked life as an unbeliever, then say they were converted when they had a hellish NDE. Go on TBN to recount the alleged experience. A good way to sell books. 

But, of course, we'd be justifiably skeptical about hellish NDEs of that variety. 

v) Now I'd like to make a few general observations about NDEs. There are Christians who are understandably nervous or disapproving of putting any stock in NDEs. We shouldn't crave for extrabiblical confirmation of the afterlife. We should rely on Scripture alone concerning the afterlife. To that I'd say a few things:

vi) This isn't necessarily a case of going on a quest for extrabiblical confirmation of the afterlife. Rather, reported NDEs are thrust upon us whether we like it or not. We don't have to solicit these reports or go in search of them. It's just a modern fact of life that in the age of medical science, where clinically dead patients are sometimes resuscitated, that there's going to be a cumulative record of reported NDEs. That will just proliferate over time. This fell into our lap, unbidden. So it's a question of how or whether we should respond. There's a difference between seeking evidence of the afterlife and responding to prima facie evidence of the afterlife.

vii) It's because we have the Bible that Christians are especially well-positioned to evaluate NDEs. If we vacate the field, then the interpretation of NDEs will be left to New Age pluralists. By contrast, Christians have a standard of comparison. 

viii) Of course, once you decide to evaluate NDEs, that commits you to investigate NDEs. What are the best sources? Who are the most reliable researchers? What are the most credible cases? You have to sift through the literature. Find out who's worth reading. 

ix) I think some or many Christian critics of NDEs are conflicted about corroborative evidence. It's my impression that many Christians who criticize empirical confirmation of the afterlife have no problem with empirical confirmation of other Biblical truths. They generally support Biblical archeology. They generally support scientific confirmation of Genesis. Or corroborative evidence for the historicity of the Pentateuch or the Gospels. Or corroborative evidence for the traditional date of Daniel. Or corroborative evidence for the resurrection of Christ. 

If so, it's arbitrary for them to draw the line with the afterlife. 

x) We also need to be clear on the limitations of NDE evidence. Assuming that some NDEs are veridical, the main thing they establish is the fact that human consciousness can exist apart from the brain. And I don't see any theological reason why Christians should object to empirical evidence for substance dualism. How's that essentially different from empirical evidence for other things Christians believe in? 

For instance, prolife Christians often include scientific arguments regarding conception and gestation. Likewise, Christian social conservatives cite scientific evidence promoting heteronormative behavior. 

xi) We also need to be clear on what we mean by "hell." We need to distinguish between the intermediate state of the damned and the final state of the damned.