Reverend John W. Price (book link) has been a priest of the Episcopal Church since 1965. He serves as a spiritual director and is also a member of the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF). After hearing over two hundred accounts of near-death experiences, Rev. Price shared some of the cases, and how they correlate with religious teachings. Referring to those who experience NDEs as "returnees," he related an early case that he heard when he was stationed in the National Guard. The returnee said his NDE occurred after a drug overdose, and he was told "it was not his time." During his "life review" he was shown that he was throwing away the gifts that God had given him. Once revived, "that man...got up and walked away cold turkey from drug addiction,"-- the NDE absolutely turned his life around, he said.

Price has heard of four different ways people exit the body during an NDE-- the tunnel of light happens in only about 40% of the cases. The medical idea that a brain deprived of oxygen explains the tunnel effect, doesn't account for why during the NDE, people report a joyous reunion, a life review, and instruction, and then when they come back they're a different person, he contended. Suicide, Price has learned from the accounts, is not a good escape option. Though people aren't punished for it, they are still aware of all the problems they had in their life, as well as the grief they caused their loved ones. When people were resuscitated from their suicide attempt, they came back with the knowledge that they had to deal with their problems, he said.

Regarding hellish NDEs, Price shared a man's NDE account of being attacked by the claws of a T-Rex type creature. He would be healed only to be torn apart over and over again. When the man yelled "help me Lord," he woke up back in the hospital, and was subsequently able to turn his life around. Price also cited the case of Howard Storm's hellish near-death-experience, and how help finally came when he called on the Lord. For more NDE accounts, visit the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS).

New Spontaneous Combustion Case

First hour guest, researcher Larry Arnold reported on a possible new case of spontaneous human combustion (SHC) which took place in Oklahoma. Fire Marshall Ronnie Marshall said he'd never seen a body burnt like that of the victim Danny Vanzandt. There was also a lack of heat and flame damage to the areas surrounding the body, "which is the hallmark of what history has defined as the concept of spontaneous human combustion," said Arnold. He added that the new case bore similarities to the famous 1966 SHC case of Dr. John Bentley.

News segment guests: Lauren Weinstein, Mish Shedlock, Richard C. Hoagland-- related image/related video