People don't understand the significance of NDE's in that they are very distinctly reporting an OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE. This is distinctly outside the parameters of a brain, and the physical body. This isn't some mental disorder or hallucination of a malfunctioning brain which takes place within those confines folks...these are conscious experiences of people specifically leaving their body, they watch themselves literally leave their bodies behind! meaning they are able to travel freely away from their body. Under normal conditions (confined to a brain that is) our conscious parameters never leave the observation point of our earthly body...our consciousness is always present where our physical body is.
When the soul (which exists independent of the physical body) separates from the human form, the observation point at which you experience everything is distinctly separate from the confines of the brain and body. This is paramount in defining a specific reference to consciousness surviving a physical death, the shutting down of the physical body. Through NDE cases we can specifically show that people observe themselves leave their body, they can literally watch their material body as they continue to experience a parallel world (an afterlife).
This is not a coincidence that religion has provided very precise propositions of both a soul and an afterlife, and here we have evidence that correlates perfectly with both propositions. It IS very significant, claiming and speculating alternative explanations that have no clear and precise answers to what is most certainly a clear and precise (repeatable) event which can be distinctly matched with a Theistic proposition.
Now, had we just had NDE's alone with no awareness of what spirituality has been showing us for as long as humans have walked the earth we would have only a first hand testimony and we'd probably be scratching our heads. But, we have a precise claim of two kinds and a precise match of evidence that details and supports both claims. Why then, would we need to go out of our way to speculate nonsense with such clarity involved. I mean I understand we need to examine and be skeptical to make sure we have all the dots connected but honestly the dots are already clearly connected here.
Being clinically dead (no pulse and no signs of brain activity) souls should not be leaving the physical body and having very vivid and clear conscious experiences right? wrong, if it is true that the soul (consciousness) exists independent of the physical body and brain, and there is some form of an afterlife then our conscious experience will continue after the heart stops beating and brain shuts down.
This is exactly what we see with NDE's, the soul leaving the body and experiencing a parallel universe....it is so precise to what we would define as clear evidence that correlates perfectly with both claims we would have to be real pathetic to sweep it under the rug as some other explanation. It is exactly what it reports to be, and each of you will all experience the very same thing when you leave this world. It is not something to shun or mock, it is something that every soul should be waiting for and looking forward to.