It's a "quick read" (2-3 hours), but it affects you for the rest of your life....

I've read it twice.... The first time, it sounded too unbelievable and yet was compelling enough that I never forgot it.....

Several years later, after much spiritual growth, I read it again, and the truth of it rang loudly within me.... I thought the experience he related "too detailed" the first time.... But I since read much about "near death" experiences and learned that a large percent of people who have an experience have one just as detailed as George Ritchie's -- and many of the details closely match his own account....

Give it a read and see what YOU think.....


Christians BEWARE!   July 18, 1999
 11 out of 37 found this review helpful

This book asserts that Jesus appeared to George, while dead, and taught him that disembodied human spirits are roaming the earth tampering with other people's lives when and where they can. The basic notion is that demons are human ghosts.

Clearly this is an occult idea, and readers should regard such a conclusion as a glaring red-flag. Consider how much energy Satan has extended to promote the doctrine of "ghosts" being disembodied human spirits through horror movies, books, etc. As Christians who have been conscripted into a spiritual war, let us not be found resonating to and spreading ideas that the enemy loves and has a keen interest in. Whose side are we on, anyway? (John 8:44, Col 2:4, 2Cor 11:14, Rom 16:17-18, 2Cor 10:3-5)

In style, the book is disingenuous. To be sure, this was a well-written book. A little too well, in fact. Is such polish and psychological smoothness and manipulative technique the hallmark of truth, or error? If a message is true, does it need to couched in the manner of refined propaganda? What kind of content is it that requires such an environment?

Rather than tell us his story in an honest, forthright manner, George give us instead a plot-line didactic of a "session" with "Fred" (patients names have been changed) who acts as a sort of straw-man opponent. Fred is sort of an Ed McMahon, the all-too-leading-question pseudo-antagonist. The subterfuge in employing this sort of artificial technique is to encourage credulity, is it not? For George is not speaking to us, after all, but to hapless Fred who is an unbeliever of a VERY needy sort, and thus we are hoping for Fred to "see the light" [pun intended]. By such contrivance we are emotionally set up to pull for George to BE right, whether he really is or not, lest poor old Fred perish! Is this a presentation of the truth, or emotional blackmail? Do you find this sort of gimmick honest? Was not this book "written" and "designed" this way deliberately? Why? The machination continues as Fred brings up his pathetic retorts right on cue to give George a chance to "explain" in mock response, creating the illusion of banter and testing of spirits.

This book is not playing fair, being so overly smooth, slick, and manipulative. It is hard to say how much of the artifice inherent to the construction of this book should be blamed on George or on Elizabeth, who helped "find the words". But in any case, the manner of writing screams DECEPTION. There is more wrong with this book, but a "word to the wise will suffice."


Life changing book   November 23, 1998
 8 out of 11 found this review helpful

I read this book when it first came out and it changed my life. I saw how we can ask diifferent spirits to be with us according to our doing. I was able to then call in the spirits of love, peace, light and joy and ignore thsi spirits of hate, jealousy, fear and separation. I found out that the native people look at spirit this way also.