[Serious] Comfort in Faith at Death

[chimp3]

I am an RN that works in palliative care. What ever works and is kind.

[AFTT47]

I DEFINITELY wish I had that comfort. I think my fear of death is much higher than that of the average individual because I believe the future of humanity is fantastic and I very much want to see it and be a part of it. So I have cultivated naturalistic, scientific possibilities for life after death my whole life. There is some small comfort there as there ARE possibilities but the rational, logical side of me is forced to acknowledge that they are probably wishful thinking. I will try to cling to some small hope on my death bed but I will not have the comfort your mother allegedly has. I DEFINITELY envy her that.

That said, I must invoke Spock in Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan. The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few. IMO, religion does more damage to society than it does good. Therefor, I will oppose it - while not begrudging those like your mom who derive comfort from it at the worst time.

[brewer]

I don't think I've ever had a negative reaction when afterlife is brought up by the dying or those around them. If it makes them happy it's no skin off my teeth. If they ask me to affirm or agree with any afterlife statements, I take a neutral position and either don't react or deflect with something like "I understand, that sounds wonderful, ..............". 

On a personal note, both of my parents have passed and I don't recall afterlife being much of our conversations, if any. We just had other things to discuss I guess, maybe I directed the conversations away from afterlife. Plus, they both died of cancers that took their minds away early on.

[Rev. Rye]

I read this poem in high school, and I think it offers an interesting alternative to finding comfort in Heaven; instead of thinking of people just being buried and turned into worm chow, imagine using that as our opportunity to become a part of everything, of nature, of the ancestors who laid down their lives in the general area:





My great-uncle was buried in the same cemetery and even the same section as famed sportscaster Harry Caray. I didn’t know him very well, but maybe when he was buying that cemetery plot, he got a kick out of the possibility that his remains could be intermingling with those of Harry Caray. Or maybe that was just a coincidence, since Caray died about two or three years prior to him.

Of course, this doesn’t work for cremations, maybe it happens after you scatter them? At any rate, western man did not really do cremation in 1811.

[Macoleco]

I have always thought that facing reality as it is is important. But sometimes I wonder if that should always be the case.

[The Grand Nudger]

People see their loved ones and find comfort, at the end, regardless of their faith or a lack of faith. Except when they don’t, again regardless of faith or it’s lack.

It doesn’t seem as if any particular belief or even belief in general is the thing providing comfort when we can get it. I am an anti-theist...and while I’m no more bothered than anyone else when people attribute their state of mind to religion(and when that reported state of mind is actually positive, lol)...I just don’t think that whatever unspecified comfort theism may provide some people could ever balance the scales of effect.

[Fake Messiah]

How do you feel about finding comfort in faith while dying? Please don't use my mother's situation as an example. I'm bound to take debate about it personally.

As much as someone finds this kind of comfort beautiful I find the idea where that kind of thinking is nonexistent even more beautiful because, without it, people wouldn't stop researching cures, there would be a Biopolis in the US and medical science would be perhaps so advanced that people could live as long as they want.

[ignoramus]

I can see an old person turning religious on their death bed. I find it natural. A natural instinctive drive to stay alive.

[Shell B]

People see their loved ones and find comfort, at the end, regardless of their faith or a lack of faith. Except when they don’t, again regardless of faith or it’s lack.

It doesn’t seem as if any particular belief or even belief in general is the thing providing comfort when we can get it. I am an anti-theist...and while I’m no more bothered than anyone else when people attribute their state of mind to religion(and when that reported state of mind is actually positive, lol)...I just don’t think that whatever unspecified comfort theism may provide some people could ever balance the scales of effect.

In terms of seeing loved ones sure, but you’re wrong otherwise. People the comfort of theism is not unspecified or insignificant against a lack thereof.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I can't see that it makes a lot of difference is the comfort is real or imagined - comfort is comfort.  I don't view religious comfort at death or at other times of great stress to be some sort of balance sheet with the rest of theism.  If someone is able to die peacefully due to their faith, all well and good.

Probably the most significant event in my life was the death of my father.  He was an atheist who died peacefully, but I was hammered by friends and relatives offering me religious comfort (it was well know how close I was to Da).  It infuriated me - not because I thought religious comfort was foolish or useless, but because I wasn't able to avail myself of it.

Boru