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How do you view death?

Nimos

Well-Known Member
So were to a funeral today and I think my first actual or at least announced atheist funeral, so it were in a chapel, but no priest or any religious mish mash as the deceased had wished for in his own words :). He was much like me in the sense that he valued and put his love and trust in humanity. The ceremony was really good, with closes family sharing memories, there were even live music performed by my talented half cuisine. And the usually (at least from what im used to) sadness and joy. Personally I am a person that prefer to celebrate the life of the deceased and their memories rather than be sad about the lost. But obviously think that there should be room for both.

Anyway, it obviously got me thinking, because for me as an atheist, dead is end of the line, lights out or simply nothingness for the deceased.

But how do you as a religious person think about death? Because obviously a lot think that it is not end of the line, but maybe rather the ultimate prize to "finally" reach the end of the line and get to judgement day or what to call it. And I assume that most people hold the believe that the deceased is saved by Jesus, reincarnated or whatever afterlife you believe exist. So do you see it as a new and better beginning or end of the line?

Personally, given that I have been an atheist my whole life, I can understand the sadness of loosing someone as a religious person, but also if God and Jesus (if that is what you believe in) is the ultimate good and love, shouldn't one be happy for the deceased or if possible how would you describe it?
 
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Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
So were to a funeral today and I think my first actual or at least announced atheist funeral, so it were in a chapel, but no priest or any religious mish mash as the deceased had wished for and his own words :). He was much like me in the sense that he valued and put his love and trust in humanity. The ceremony was really good, with closes family sharing memories, there were even live music performed by my talented half cuisine. And the usually (at least from what im used to) sadness and joy. Personally I am a person that prefer to celebrate the life of the deceased and their memories rather than be sad about the lost. But obviously think that there should be room for both.

Anyway, it obviously got me thinking, because for me as an atheist, dead is end of the line, lights out or simply nothingness for the deceased.

But how do you as a religious person think about death? Because obviously a lot think that it is not end of the line, but maybe rather the ultimate prize to "finally" reach the end of the line and get to judgement day or what to call it. And I assume that most people hold the believe that the deceased is saved by Jesus, reincarnated or whatever afterlife you believe exist. So do you see it as a new and better beginning or end of the line?

Personally, given that I have been an atheist my whole life, I can understand the sadness of loosing someone as a religious person, but also if God and Jesus (if that is what you believe in) is the ultimate good and love, shouldn't one be happy for the deceased or if possible how would you describe it?
Physical death is only the end of the physical body, but death is none existing in a sufi way of thinking because the spirit lives on in the spirit world for lack of a different term.
If that is paradise, hell or something in between is unknown right now for this sufi :)
Probably it comes down to how our actions, words and thoughts has been in physical life.
 

Lain

Well-Known Member
So were to a funeral today and I think my first actual or at least announced atheist funeral, so it were in a chapel, but no priest or any religious mish mash as the deceased had wished for and his own words :). He was much like me in the sense that he valued and put his love and trust in humanity. The ceremony was really good, with closes family sharing memories, there were even live music performed by my talented half cuisine. And the usually (at least from what im used to) sadness and joy. Personally I am a person that prefer to celebrate the life of the deceased and their memories rather than be sad about the lost. But obviously think that there should be room for both.

Anyway, it obviously got me thinking, because for me as an atheist, dead is end of the line, lights out or simply nothingness for the deceased.

But how do you as a religious person think about death? Because obviously a lot think that it is not end of the line, but maybe rather the ultimate prize to "finally" reach the end of the line and get to judgement day or what to call it. And I assume that most people hold the believe that the deceased is saved by Jesus, reincarnated or whatever afterlife you believe exist. So do you see it as a new and better beginning or end of the line?

Personally, given that I have been an atheist my whole life, I can understand the sadness of loosing someone as a religious person, but also if God and Jesus (if that is what you believe in) is the ultimate good and love, shouldn't one be happy for the deceased or if possible how would you describe it?

I think of death as a horrific severance of the soul and body, an unnatural state to be restored as soon as possible to the natural state of union (hence the General Resurrection to occur). Of course the dead who are saved are enjoying beatitude, but they are still not fully human in the sense that they have been severed, like one would not say a person had their full body if the lower half was amputated. It has good for the saved but also is still a bad event that happened. It is a full-body amputation.

When a person dies to me if it is not manifest that they were saved (as it is with some holy persons) you pray for their salvation and offer Masses for their soul, that it would have been saved and for their purgatory, especially praying to God for them with Psalm 129 (LXX/Vulgate).

(All the above is in my opinion.)
 

Nimos

Well-Known Member
Physical death is only the end of the physical body, but death is none existing in a sufi way of thinking because the spirit lives on in the spirit world for lack of a different term.
If that is paradise, hell or something in between is unknown right now for this sufi :)
Probably it comes down to how our actions, words and thoughts has been in physical life.
But emotionally how do you feel about it, if that make sense? Meaning you believe the person goes a better place, hopefully. Whereas as I said, to me its end of the line there is no salvation, afterlife or comfort waiting for the deceased they just stop existing.
 

Nimos

Well-Known Member
I think of death as a horrific severance of the soul and body, an unnatural state to be restored as soon as possible to the natural state of union (hence the General Resurrection to occur). Of course the dead who are saved are enjoying beatitude, but they are still not fully human in the sense that they have been severed, like one would not say a person had their full body if the lower half was amputated. It has good for the saved but also is still a bad event that happened. It is a full-body amputation.

When a person dies to me if it is not manifest that they were saved (as it is with some holy persons) you pray for their salvation and offer Masses for their soul, that it would have been saved and for their purgatory, especially praying to God for them with Psalm 129 (130 in Hebrew).

(All the above is in my opinion.)
But as my question to @Conscious thoughts do you feel joy for the deceased (in case they are saved) that they go to Jesus and God? I don't know if I can explain it, because I can only assume how I would feel were I a believer in Jesus and God. Because obviously I would be sad to never see the person again, but on the other hand happy for them, because the best possible thing I could imagine happened for them.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
But emotionally how do you feel about it, if that make sense? Meaning you believe the person goes a better place, hopefully. Whereas as I said, to me its end of the line there is no salvation, afterlife or comfort waiting for the deceased they just stop existing.
Death comes when it is supposed to happen, nothing to fear :)
So the feeling is death is welcome when it arrive.

About seeing other passing, it is the missing of the joy from that person in life that is difficult, not being able to see them again :)
 

Nimos

Well-Known Member
Death comes when it is supposed to happen, nothing to fear :)
So the feeling is death is welcome when it arrive.

About seeing other passing, it is the missing of the joy from that person in life that is difficult, not being able to see them again :)
But according to your believe you will see them again?
 

Lain

Well-Known Member
But as my question to @Conscious thoughts do you feel joy for the deceased (in case they are saved) that they go to Jesus and God? I don't know if I can explain it, because I can only assume how I would feel were I a believer in Jesus and God. Because obviously I would be sad to never see the person again, but on the other hand happy for them, because the best possible thing I could imagine happened for them.

I feel either peace for them, joy for a little bit, and then it is just a fact of the world to me and I may pray to them to help me (for I think the dead saved are an active part of the world and we are not separated from them).
 

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
my talented half cuisine

I know you meant cousin but the slip was fun.

Personally I am a person that prefer to celebrate the life of the deceased

From my perspective - yes. I would say "completed the work of this lifetime" since I accept reincarnation. This does not of course mean that I don't miss the person who has left his physical form behind. It does mean that I have not experienced grief since my father died while I was in school. Sadness, yes, but grief no.
 

Altfish

Veteran Member
So were to a funeral today and I think my first actual or at least announced atheist funeral, so it were in a chapel, but no priest or any religious mish mash as the deceased had wished for in his own words :). He was much like me in the sense that he valued and put his love and trust in humanity. The ceremony was really good, with closes family sharing memories, there were even live music performed by my talented half cuisine. And the usually (at least from what im used to) sadness and joy. Personally I am a person that prefer to celebrate the life of the deceased and their memories rather than be sad about the lost. But obviously think that there should be room for both.

Anyway, it obviously got me thinking, because for me as an atheist, dead is end of the line, lights out or simply nothingness for the deceased.

But how do you as a religious person think about death? Because obviously a lot think that it is not end of the line, but maybe rather the ultimate prize to "finally" reach the end of the line and get to judgement day or what to call it. And I assume that most people hold the believe that the deceased is saved by Jesus, reincarnated or whatever afterlife you believe exist. So do you see it as a new and better beginning or end of the line?

Personally, given that I have been an atheist my whole life, I can understand the sadness of loosing someone as a religious person, but also if God and Jesus (if that is what you believe in) is the ultimate good and love, shouldn't one be happy for the deceased or if possible how would you describe it?
My brother is a Humanist Celebrant and does about 3non-religious funerals a week.
To be honest, I'm at the age of attending funerals relatively frequently and I must say the vast majority are non-religious.

I just treat death as an inevitable end to a life I've been lucky to have.
 

Secret Chief

nirvana is samsara
All things are impermanent, which isn't really news is it? :)
That which constitutes us as a person is changing moment by moment throughout our life, both physically and mentally. The final loss of consciousness is one more moment of change and expression of impermanence.

I like the celebration of the life lived. I have been to a few funerals "led" by celebrants and they were good occasions.
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
So were to a funeral today and I think my first actual or at least announced atheist funeral, so it were in a chapel, but no priest or any religious mish mash as the deceased had wished for in his own words :). He was much like me in the sense that he valued and put his love and trust in humanity. The ceremony was really good, with closes family sharing memories, there were even live music performed by my talented half cuisine. And the usually (at least from what im used to) sadness and joy. Personally I am a person that prefer to celebrate the life of the deceased and their memories rather than be sad about the lost. But obviously think that there should be room for both.

Anyway, it obviously got me thinking, because for me as an atheist, dead is end of the line, lights out or simply nothingness for the deceased.

But how do you as a religious person think about death? Because obviously a lot think that it is not end of the line, but maybe rather the ultimate prize to "finally" reach the end of the line and get to judgement day or what to call it. And I assume that most people hold the believe that the deceased is saved by Jesus, reincarnated or whatever afterlife you believe exist. So do you see it as a new and better beginning or end of the line?

Personally, given that I have been an atheist my whole life, I can understand the sadness of loosing someone as a religious person, but also if God and Jesus (if that is what you believe in) is the ultimate good and love, shouldn't one be happy for the deceased or if possible how would you describe it?
Hi friend! :D Death is a big topic and I am kind of on the run right now but I will be back later.

I just wanted to say a few things. I view death like going into the next room, an analogy that Abdu'l-Baha once used. I cannot find the quote right now, maybe later. I believe that the next life will be lived in a spiritual world which is just an extension of this world. When we die we go to that spiritual world where we continue the life that we conducted in this world. The only difference is that it is not physical and we will not have a physical body; we will have a form of some kind, a spiritual body, through which our soul will continue to operate and advance.

“A friend asked: “How should one look forward to death?”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá answered: “How does one look forward to the goal of any journey? With hope and with expectation. It is even so with the end of this earthly journey. In the next world, man will find himself freed from many of the disabilities under which he now suffers. Those who have passed on through death, have a sphere of their own. It is not removed from ours; their work, the work of the Kingdom, is ours; but it is sanctified from what we call ‘time and place.’ Time with us is measured by the sun. When there is no more sunrise, and no more sunset, that kind of time does not exist for man. Those who have ascended have different attributes from those who are still on earth, yet there is no real separation.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, pp. 95-96
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
Sorry you lost a friend. But consider the friend may be gone but the first law of thermodynamics tells us his atoms and molecules live on. Possibly to help create new life in the future. In that way we are all made of dead people.
 

osgart

Nothing my eye, Something for sure
Well for me an afterlife may or may not happen. I feel the finality of it. But I also sense the onward journey. Death is my great mystery. If anything lies beyond this death then I'm sure it has its problems too. If nothing remains of me in any meaningful way, then I choose to celebrate life. Same goes for others who have gone on that I miss, and those I don't know.

I suspect an onward journey though. And I have my reasons for believing so. It don't feel like there is an onward journey, but my sense is there is. So ultimate reality is veiled, and the truer reality is so much more. I've had a taste of both worlds, finality, and continuing life forever.
 
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