Appropriately, Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman, who played God in Bruce Almighty and its sequel Evan Almighty, is the presenter of the six-part documentary series. It takes him around the globe as he explores the beliefs of different religions.
In the opening episode, Beyond Death, Freeman discussed the religious complexities of death, resurrection and what lies beyond. In doing so, he met David Bennett in a New York City church to learn more about his remarkable survival after having drowned off the coast of San Diego.
Described as “a once boastful and ego-driven commercial diver”, Bennett talks about crossing over to the Other Side where he was surrounded by “fractals of light” and ultimately given a second chance at life.
“I became a more positive person,” Bennett told Freeman. “I possess more compassion, I’m more selfless than before – in many ways, death taught me how to live.”
Bennett has told the story of his near-death experience (NDE) in far greater detail in Voyage of Purpose. In his book he reveals that he felt his body had gone.
“I was becoming light without form. I didn’t judge this. I just accepted my change. This all seemed as if it was natural. I was just a fragment of light that was like the light around me and as the intensity of the light around me increased, the intensity of my fragment of light increased.”
Echoing the experiences of many others who report NDEs, Bennett says in his book, “Not only was I in awe of the love I was feeling, I suddenly had a greater understanding and knowledge of how everything worked. The universe made sense to me. If I pointed my thoughts in a certain direction, I would be faced with the answers.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t retain all that knowledge, but while I was in that light, it was all available for the asking. What was even more amazing was that I could see and think about more than one thing at a time. It was all so fast. It wasn’t like how our brain normally moves from one thought to the next.
“The information came from all directions instantly. I had no trouble comprehending all of that simultaneously.”
In the National Geographic series, Freeman travels to locations all over the world, including Rome, Cairo, Jerusalem and Mexico City, seeking to uncover the world’s divine mysteries, myths and beliefs.
“We all desire to know what happens after we die,” says Freeman. “It’s the mystery that eludes us all and yet, once we know the truth, most of us never get to tell anybody. That’s what makes David Bennett’s story, and others like him, so fascinating.”
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