How do you feel about death? Do you have fears?

[JRKH]

But doesn’t Scripture also say, “You shall not love this world, nor anything in the world. He who loves the world does not have the love of the Father in him. For the world, and the lusts thereof, are passing away.”

And: “Whoever hates his life in this world will inherit eternal life.”

Again, it is good that you are happy and content. But please spare a thought for those wracked with pain, those who are enslaved to labor, those who don’t have a share on the world’s resources.

I for one am not about to tell anyone that the world is good. If it has been good to them, they know it already. If it has not, it is no consolation to them it might have been good for others.

Fair enough…you stated your opinion on the matter and I stated mine…To each his/her own…

Peace
James

 

[JRKH]

Truly this earth is beautiful, but compared to the beauty of heaven it may as well be a dungeon.

For those who feel the need to look at things “comparatively” I guess that works.

Seeing as this mortal life is what stands between us and the glory of heaven, I would say it is valid to think of it as a prison.

Why does this life “stand between us and the glory of heaven”?
I always thought that this life was the path by which we get to glory and heaven…not a barrier.
At least I know of no way to get to heaven except by being born of woman and traveling this path.
This mortal life does not “stand between” but rather is the place, the time, the means by which we come to (hopefully) know God, His Love, His mercy and His creation as we (again, hopefully) prepare ourselves to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Peace
James

 

[Qoeleth]

How about a person on a low - fixed income with a terminally ill spouse (Late stage Alzheimer’s) and dwindling savings…Such a person, by the reckoning above should see the world as a prison.
Yet said person does not.
He sees God’s mercy and Love, the occasional smile of his lady, the sunrise and the rain, the goodness of others who pray for him and his wife and who come and help out when they can…and on and on…

You are quite right in saying that the world can be a prison or a garden but it does not depend on ones health or wealth so much as on one’s spirit and faith in our Loving God.

That’s how I see it anyway…

Peace
James

That’s true. It’s a matter of experience. Poverty and ill health are not, of course, absolute determinants of unhappiness.

I always remind myself that this world is a passing shadow, and eventually the soul will be set free- and find it a tremendous source of courage and consolation.

 

[Inego_de_Loyola]

For those who feel the need to look at things “comparatively” I guess that works.
Inego De Loyola:

Seeing as this mortal life is what stands between us and the glory of heaven

, I would say it is valid to think of it as a prison.

Why does this life “stand between us and the glory of heaven”?
I always thought that this life was the path by which we get to glory and heaven…not a barrier.
At least I know of no way to get to heaven except by being born of woman and traveling this path.
This mortal life does not “stand between” but rather is the place, the time, the means by which we come to (hopefully) know God, His Love, His mercy and His creation as we (again, hopefully) prepare ourselves to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Peace
James

A path is necessarily between one place and another. We have to get through this life to get to heaven, therefore it stands between us and heaven.

 

[InJesusItrust]

I don’t like this life. There is too much pain for me and I feel like an aimless fool wandering through a rocky desert. I don’t feel attracted to riches, to married life, or to most things of this world. Plus I had a foretaste of heavenly love as a consolation once. I would be a nihilist if God did not exist.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Am I the only one disturbed by the ironic similarity between nihilists and religious people here?

 

[InJesusItrust]

It is of my opinion that pure reason rejecting God or the supernatural,m coupled with intense suffering, naturally leads to nihilism. If there is no God, Nietzche is right.

 

[Inego_de_Loyola]

Am I the only one disturbed by the ironic similarity between nihilists and religious people here?

The nihilist want to check out because they don’t believe there is any point existing; we want to check out because we have somewhere better to be. We have important work in the mean time, but that doesn’t mean we’re wrong to look forward to payday.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

The nihilist want to check out because they don’t believe there is any point existing; we want to check out because we have somewhere better to be. We have important work in the mean time, but that doesn’t mean we’re wrong to look forward to payday.

Funny how you say this because I’m currently at work right now. You know what a part of my job is? I’m actually supposed to read up on online articles that speak about work place culture.

From that, I’ve learned that work can be a goal in of itself. It can be something good in of itself. What am I saying here? I’m saying that the journey we have here on earth is being downplayed by both nihilists and their religious counterparts.

I may look forward to pay day but deep down, I’ve realized that I constantly look further to what more I can do and how much more I can learn.

 

[Inego_de_Loyola]

Funny how you say this because I’m currently at work right now. You know what a part of my job is? I’m actually supposed to read up on online articles that speak about work place culture.

From that, I’ve learned that work can be a goal in of itself. It can be something good in of itself. What am I saying here? I’m saying that the journey we have here on earth is being downplayed by both nihilists and their religious counterparts.

I may look forward to pay day but deep down, I’ve realized that I constantly look further to what more I can do and how much more I can learn.

It’s not mutually exclusive. :aok:

 

[InJesusItrust]

Maybe we suffer so much that life in this world does not have any allure anymore. I couldn’t care about the latest fashions, the latest technologies, the latest entertainment media. These things used to seem so great and keep the mind busy, but then it becomes busyness for its own sake. Why would I care about these things if there is a gap so big in me that only God can fill? And it the only thing keeping us from the beatific vision is death, why not look forward to the day God finally calls us?

 

[jeannetherese]

For those who feel the need to look at things “comparatively” I guess that works.

Seeing as this mortal life is what stands between us and the glory of heaven, I would say it is valid to think of it as a prison.

Why does this life “stand between us and the glory of heaven”?
I always thought that this life was the path by which we get to glory and heaven…not a barrier.
At least I know of no way to get to heaven except by being born of woman and traveling this path.
This mortal life does not “stand between” but rather is the place, the time, the means by which we come to (hopefully) know God, His Love, His mercy and His creation as we (again, hopefully) prepare ourselves to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Peace
James

James, you are a poet. that was lovely.
A few years ago, I was in an emergency situation where I thought it quite likely I might die.
For myself, I threw myself upon the mercy of Our Lord and trusted in His mercy. Nothing more to think of in that respect. I was ready to go if that was going to happen.
However, I was greatly concerned about leaving my children; I felt they still needed me.
I was able to contact each with a last minute message: I love you-go to church.
The golden rule in my vernacular.
I’m ready when He calls, but I still want to help my kids. I bet I still feel this way 30 years from now-assuming I’ve not been called by then… It’s a mom thing.

 

[Qoeleth]

Am I the only one disturbed by the ironic similarity between nihilists and religious people here?

The nihilist and the religious person can actually be pretty close in outlook. Both might see all things of the world as empty vanities, futile and leading to nowhere. Due to circumstances, there is possibly a small difference between the person who sees this, and becomes a Carthusian, and the person who, seeing this, becomes a suicide or a dissipated hedonist.

A case which comes to mind is the philosopher E.M. Cioran- the most consistently nihilist philosopher. In Tears and the Saints, he shows a great empathy, and even profound understanding of many of the saints.

Somehow, both the nihilist and the religious person sets a very high standard for meaning- absolute meaning, or nothing at all. Eternity, or oblivion.

 

[Sair]

I basically welcome death with open arms! It actually calms me to think about my death.

I only voted ‘somewhat’ because it was the closest option to what I actually feel. I don’t fear death, but I don’t welcome it either.

As far as I can discern, death will be the cessation of my consciousness. This is nothing to be feared, since I will have no awareness of the condition of being dead. But neither is it something I wish to hurry on before its time.

Of course, I do fear the possibility that there will be some trauma or intense suffering in the lead-up to death, so in that sense, the ‘somewhat’ is a reasonable approximation of my feelings with regard to death.

 

[jeannetherese]

Somehow, both the nihilist and the religious person sets a very high standard for meaning- absolute meaning, or nothing at all. Eternity, or oblivion.

That is a good point Qoeleth. I like the way it honors the integrity of the seeker. it reminds me of a favorite quote: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
May all who seek be blessed. Amen.

 

[JRKH]

A path is necessarily between one place and another. We have to get through this life to get to heaven, therefore it stands between us and heaven.

Fair enough my friend.
I guess I would just have worded it differently…Perhaps “lies between” instead of “stands between”…Ain’t semantics wonderful…

Peace
James

 

[Abnormality]

I basically welcome death with open arms! It actually calms me to think about my death.

Hello Robert Sock.

When i really think about death i feel despair, because i don’t want to cease to exist. I find it bizarre that anybody would be happy about the idea of dying.

 

[JRKH]

Hello Robert Sock.

When i really think about death i feel despair, because i don’t want to cease to exist. I find it bizarre that anybody would be happy about the idea of dying.

When you know (as believing Christians do) that you will NOT cease to exist…the sting of death is substantially removed. The only question for such a person then is where and how will we spend eternity?

Peace
James

 

[ValPal]

None of the poll answers fit me. I don’t fear death, but I don’t necessarily welcome it either. A lot of that has to do with the fact that I was in a situation where my death was certain, had it not been for a split second reaction on my part (still spent some time in ICU). My fear of death went away at the point, because I know what goes through people’s minds just before death.

Something that is interesting in these thread is that people also associated pain with death. Personally, I fear a painful life more than I fear a painful death.

 

[Bob_Crowley]

Wow. Did this happen before you aware of your father’s passing?

Yes. I wasn’t told by normal human means until four days later, as his body wasn’t found for four days.

The person who told me was my mother’s brother, one of my uncles. I still remember standing there, and when the penny dropped, looking toward the bedroom, counting back four days, and then thinking, “What the hell was that the other night!!”

But I was an atheist at the time, and I then thought, “Nah, I don’t in those sorts of things. Must have been a dream or something.” This is despite the fact I asked that very question during the exchtange - “What is this - a dream or something?” to which my father replied “No, it’s not a dream. I died tonight.”

Rest assured, there’s a judgement. It takes place immediately after death, as the church teaches.

It’s a good idea to be one of the sheep, and not one of the goats.