“Just as only Christians truly appreciate the sadness of death.”
Not sure I buy that. When I die, I know where I’m going. When an atheist dies, they are just dead - forever. Reminds me of the android’s poem at the end of Blade Runner:
“All these memories
will be lost
like tears in the rain”
Androids knew that once they died, that was it, and they fought like hell against that four year life span.
Christians can afford to be pretty sanguine at least, and pretty stoked at best, to find out that death is right around the corner.
I’ve asked questions like, “Do you think he’s really gone?” or “Where do you think he went?”
People grieving after someone they loved are pretty open to the idea that maybe they don’t really have to be gone, and that there might be a strong possibility you are going to see them again.
They make react strongly to the suggestion at the time (only one has), but most ask me what I meant by the question. Now you have an opportunity to explain it.
When you say 'dead', do you mean their consciousness does not survive?