Latter-day Saint Life

Why Are Mormons Obsessed with Near-Death Experiences?

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What lies beyond the grave?

Mormons love a good near-death-experience story because of the echoes to the teachings of their faith. Seventh-Day Adventists believe when we die we sleep until the Resurrection. The hope of Anglicans is to join Christ in a bodily renewal of the entire cosmos.

Differing theologies abounded this week when representatives of 10 different faiths shared their views of the afterlife at Brigham Young University, but that was the point at a conference titled "Beyond the Grave: Christian Interfaith Perspectives." . . .

Joseph Smith had a near-death experience and Brigham Young had at least two, said Brent Top, BYU's dean of Religious Education. Latter-day Saints enjoy a rich heritage of such stories, which have been shared at the pulpit in general conferences, in Sunday School classes and in church magazines. Hundreds of near-death experiences are found in the archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Lead image from Deseret News.

For more about near-death experiences and the LDS view on the afterlife, check out Brent L. Top's Glimpses Beyond Death's Door.

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