Posted on 06/10/2006 9:45:53 PM PDT by churchillbuff
Despite lifelong beliefs that have been ingrained in my faith since childhood, I have to admit that like almost everyone else I have from time to time wondered if my existence will simply come to an end on the day I draw my last breath.
There is, after all, no way to prove one way or the other that human life continues in another realm after the body ceases to function. Nobody has come back to testify about it, with one notable exception of course, and those who reject his divinity also tend to doubt what he had to say about life after death. And the late Madalyn Murray O’Hair, the infamous atheist, hasn’t weighed in on the subject lately either.
Some would insist such doubts are implanted by the devil himself. Others counter there is no scientific basis for belief in a hereafter in the first place.
But just about every time I entertain such doubts, something comes along to reinforce my long-held belief in the hereafter. It’s often the experience of a dying saint getting their first glimpse, as an old gospel song puts it, of what’s over on the other side.
I’m told the Rev. Dr. Hollis Pistole appeared to have one such experience at his passing a little over a month ago. According to the story, Dr. Pistole, after a long battle with debilitating illness, raised up and put his arms out just before he drew his last breath. Apparently he received that glimpse of what awaited him.
My wife’s father had a similar experience, opening his eyes and reaching heavenward just before his passing.
I also recently went over my mom’s notes made at the time of my dad’s death more than half a century ago. “Under me? Under me? Thank you, Jesus,” he said.
A whole category of what have been termed near-death experiences have been catalogued by those looking for insight into what happens at the end of life. A common phenomenon is a light-at-the-end-of-a-tunnel vision. Many claim to have seen friends or relatives but were unable to reunite with them when they were suddenly jerked back into life.
My Uncle Melvin had such an experience, claiming to have seen his brother and another loved one at the time he was suffering a severe heart attack from which he recovered.
It is impossible to figure out the working of the subconscious, thus rendering any attempt at concrete conclusions problematic. Are any or all of these phenomena merely the gyrations of an active brain or might they be an indication of a link between this world and one to come?
Belief in life after death has been part of human experience as long as mankind has pondered its existence. It has been reinforced by the most sacred writings of most of the world’s major religions, including Christianity, which bases its entire concept on the idea of God personally demonstrating life after physical death through the manifestation we call Jesus.
In this life, of course, our existence is tied to our physical body. But to define human life according to our physical limitations is an obvious understatement of our role in the universe. Human interaction is limited by our physical senses. But the true self that has developed over the course of our lifetimes would seem to go far beyond the senses.
And certainly there can be no doubt that the rationality of human beings and their capability to build on their life experiences place them in a category entirely separate from other living creatures.
Is there life after death? The question defies physical proof, to be sure. But there would seem to be glimpses enough into the future to show that our existence has only just begun.
And anyway, by preparing for eternity, I think I’m building a pretty good life here as well.
Jim Bailey’s column appears on Sunday. He can be reached by e-mail at jameshenrybailey@earthlink.net.
The problem you are having is that you are trying to shape a god to suit yourself. It is called idolatry. It is man's oldest and favorite sin. Your angst is that no one is cooperating. If you really wanted to know God, you would have reviewed the video link I gave you. But the God of the Bible is not what you are after.
If I had a nickle for every idolator that has done that to me in my evangelism, I could buy a car lot full of dodges. LOL
What do we know? There's all kinds of stuff out there in media/web land. Theology question : why was our lord Jesus crucified? "Not my will but thy will be done", as he sweated blood that night in gethsemene. For our sins? Yes, but something more : GOD was crucified in much the same way by the 24 "elders" as mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Who were they? Something like academic pharisees as earlier idea-concepts, to wit, point, then line, then volume, circles(root form of waves), topology, algebra, higher math...on and on for 24 iterations of conceptual growth...but nothing REAL comes of it. Along comes the 25th in the series, a righteous young "jew" who proposes a radically different solution. He is disparaged, despised, "crucified" and cast out as garbage(remember : golgotha was the garbage dump). Imagine GOD'S loneliness in the eternal darkness...then he realized that he had to give something of himself as a "sacrifice" to make it happen, thus "let there be light" or the BIG BANG as we know it.....Steven Hawking once told the Pope : we'll give you the first 10^-41 second of the universe, we have it pretty well figured out thereafter. Thus Jesus's sacrifice gives us a window into that first 10^41 second : a noble being, out of pure faith, DID IT...and here we are...
I am doing no such thing. I'm trying to get your opinion on a question, ie, do you think the deceased Hindu grandparents are doomed to Hell? If you read Scripture as saying "yes", then why not say so?
It is called idolatry. It is man's oldest and favorite sin.
Asking a simple question about your opinion on a scriptural matter is idolotry?
Your angst is that no one is cooperating.
I assure you there is minimal angst, other than the tedium of trying to get a straight "yes" or "no" answer for our poor little Hindu friend.
If you really wanted to know God, you would have reviewed the video link I gave you. But the God of the Bible is not what you are after.
Correct! As I keep repeatng-- I'm after your opinion. And I'm having a devil of a time getting it.
I will not give an opinion one way or the other as I do not want to judge their lives. That is not my job - that is God's dominion and only He can read the whole of the person - heart and soul.
All I can do is teach what God told us to do and hope that she will come to learn, accept God and follow the teachings. She would be mighty foolish to not believe because her dead relatives were of a different belief. Does she think that just because she does not accept the Bible and instead chooses to remain a Hindu that that changes what will ACTUALLY happen upon her death?
So many ways to look at these situations...
- Too controversial to get into judging unknown dead relatives, too prone to dwelling on the past unchangeable outcomes rather than the future of the alive person.
- If every person must be given comfort/solace over the choices of earlier now dead relatives, there would be no teaching of the truth because all teaching would have to condone all life choices of every prior human. Therefore, no life choices, just an all-accepting God with Satan and all his minions welcomed into Heaven so none are harshly dealt with.
- Why does man feel he can shop for a religion that conforms to his view of how eternal life must be given? Does each and every view of what is needed for eternal life mean that God creates a personal version for each of us?
Or, do we have it backward?
Maybe God created the heavens and earth and God gives eternal life as God chooses since there is no eternal life unless God gives it. Man is only man being offered eternal life or not.
"From this I must conclude that if there is a heaven, and people I know to be good Christians go there, there must be cats and dogs there."
Yes! See my post 155 -- I learned something very nice that I'd never thought of before!
P.S. I'm sorry I took your point the wrong way before.
Jesus also says (Matthew 28:19) "Therefore go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." Don't you see that He means to make disciples of people of all nations?
That would be actual men and women (and children), human beings --- since it is human beings, not collective abstractions such as "nations," who are the objects of salvation.
Did his experience have an effect on your own faith? Did he ever put into words what he had witnessed, and what the meaning - as he took it - was?
DITTO
That's a good observation. Keeping a balance between the Old and New Testaments, or integrating them, can be challenging. OF course, the Old Testament is shot through with references that clearly point to Jesus. So it is a "seamless web."
'sok no offense taken. Words on a screen lack all the other cues that make intent clearer.
What a blessed occurence.
Good point. I've always wondered how the disciples knew it was Moses and Elijah who were meeting with Jesus. I suppose they were given Divine knowledge that these were their identities.
.....my mother saw angels before she passed away....
When the silver cord is snapped, the golden bowl broken
I see you have read Rampa's books.
Bull! I am simply trying to get your opinion on a simple question.
In doing so you hope to bring the word of God down to a level where you can contend with it. You do this in an effort to subjugate the word of God to the god you've created in your mind. Which is called idolatry.
And you are making false claims about my position.
I've answered your question and hers.
Nope. You dodged her question.
God does tell us though in His word what He requires of us to become right with Him and spend eternity with Him in heaven. And that everyone should learn God's word to know what that is. And then abide by it.
Why not just tell her the truth-- Scripture says her grandparents are doomed to Hell. Moreover, it the righteous and just thing to do. It must be, because that is what a literal reading of Scripture says will happen. Seems you are loathe to come right out and say it plain English, though.
IOW, ask me another question, 'cause I don't want to deal with that one!
- If every person must be given comfort/solace over the choices of earlier now dead relatives, there would be no teaching of the truth because all teaching would have to condone all life choices of every prior human. Therefore, no life choices, just an all-accepting God with Satan and all his minions welcomed into Heaven so none are harshly dealt with.
Sounds like you're implying that your reading of Scripture, is that her deceased Hindu grandparents are doomed to Hell. But you don't want to come right out and say it to her.
We have nothing more to discuss.
I like the way you put that! ... I'm a big fan of R. Feynman though.
This is correct - for each life we live. And after each succeeding embodiment there is a judgement, a life review -and hopefully we progress. (This judgement is different from the judgement of the second death, reserved for souls dedicated to absolute evil). This little detail was removed from the Bible by the Council at Nicea, a reference to which was made in the da Vinci code movie.
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