Upon Reaching the Statistical End of Your Life?

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 24 Mar 2013 6:32 am

I don't think God hates sin. I don't think God hates anything. Hate comes from misunderstanding and God knows all. I don't think a loving God asks his children to die or be tortured for him. I don't look at my children as sinners. I would be horrified if one was hurt. How can I imagine that a loving God would want his children to be hurt, tortured for all eternity.

To me you need a diametrically opposed view of a loving god than I have to make that dogma hunt.

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 24 Mar 2013 10:30 am

There has been a real diversity of opinions,,,and amazingly, without any REAL serious arguments,,,I know that must make b0b very proud of our membership. And we all look to youtube more and more for answers,,,I ran across this one that I would share,,,before things get tooooo heavy,,,,

http://www.youtube.com/embed/0AKvRvL5r3A?rel=0

while this does NOT reflect MY opinion,,,this guy is entitled to his,,,

Sid Hudson · Post by **Sid Hudson** » 24 Mar 2013 11:10 am

Randy Gilliam wrote:the non Believers are many,So you will have plenty of company, I Pray I am not one of them!

Amen Brother!

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 24 Mar 2013 1:23 pm

Well if Hell is any worse than here
..........................i sure don't wanna go there !

Mike Perlowin · Post by **Mike Perlowin** » 24 Mar 2013 1:57 pm

Getting back to the original question of what happens to us when we die, I again suggest the book "Life After Life" by Dr Raymond Moody.

As I said before, this is a study of people who died in hospitals, but were brought back, and what they experienced during the time they were technically dead.

The people all said that they experienced going through a tunnel, where they met the souls of previously departed loved ones, and at the end of the tunnel they met what they described as a "being of light."

This is as close as we are ever going to get to scientific proof that God is real. But at the same time it negates many religious teachings, including the idea that any one faith is "The Truth" with a capital T, and that it's necessary to believe in any particular one, or even have any religious beliefs at all.

Some of these people gave the being the name Jesus. Others said its name was Allah, or Yahweh, or Krishna, or Jehovah or Zoroaster.

It didn't matter to the being what name people gave it. It told everybody that it was not their time to join it yet, and they had to return to Earth.

Some of these people had done wrong during their lives. Some had not been honest in their business dealings. Some had been abusive toward their family members and/or others, What the being of light did with these people is teach them and make them aware of the harm they had done and told them that now that they know better, they should go back and do better.

This makes more sense to me than any of the stories I was taught as a child, or any of the "witnessing" and proselytizing I hear today.

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 24 Mar 2013 3:20 pm

Mike, That's reinTarnation ai'nt it ?
considering how many of us are here, on mother earth,
we just have'nt gotten any better have we ?
never did get any Nirvana in Cracker Jacks
Goodness, i still got my steel geetar...

reminds me of that Albert King tune
everybody wants to laugh
..........................ain't nobody wants to cry
everybody wants to go to heaven
................................but nobody wants to die

Bill L. Wilson · Post by **Bill L. Wilson** » 24 Mar 2013 10:49 pm

Having raised a lot of hell, in my younger days, I was confronted by a friend who some how didn't look like the friend I had known in the past. We had done a lot of dope together, and he was a dealer. This new look on his face was very noticeable, and I couldn't figure him out. He said he had asked Jesus in to his heart and he had gotten saved. Well I dwelt on what he said for a few weeks. He was always so happy, and I thought, I've got to have this happiness. So I decided to ask Jesus to help me. Folks, I can't tell you how to live, but I can tell ya, I've lived on both sides of the fence, and the JESUS side is for me! The fear of the Lord, is the beginning of wisdom.

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 25 Mar 2013 5:24 am

I have to agree with Mike,,however, I think that of all the 1000s of near death experiences, the most compelling one to remove all doubts would be Dr. Eben Alexanders. He is a practicing neurosurgeon that, due to a rare form of meningitis was brain dead, no brain activity what so ever, for several days. Do a search on you tube,,,his book is "Proof of Heaven",,,,and IS the best proof I've ever seen. Here is just one of his MANY clips on you tube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW_dxq-KaME

I think this is what Gene was looking for in his original post.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 25 Mar 2013 5:53 am

Over the decades, we've all heard stories about near-death experiences and how people consistently see this extremely bright light, peaceful presence, etc. I've always wondered, though, whether that could be because they too had heard the stories and so were conditioned to expect these things, and so that's what they saw. I wonder whether it was ever asked and confirmed that some of these people had never heard any stories of near-death experiences and so had no such expectations.

Similarly, I wonder whether Jews, Muslims, Hindus, even atheists, all see these same things, or perhaps different? Someone posted above that the being encountered came by different names (Jehovah, Krishna, Allah, etc.); were those always the name given to the higher being in their own religions on earth, or might a Jew, for example, find out that the higher-being in his near-death experience was (surprisingly?) called "Krishna"!? Or do you get the same one you honored during your life and, if so, is it possible that your choice during your life is what created the outcome you got during your near-death experience? Finally, do atheists meet anybody over there (and is it Richard Dawkins?

)

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 25 Mar 2013 6:25 am

Nothing more pitiful than an atheist's funeral: All dressed up and no place to go.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 25 Mar 2013 6:43 am

Life is not a dress rehearsal, Erv.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 25 Mar 2013 6:48 am

Life is just the time we spend kicking tires until we get to Heaven.

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 25 Mar 2013 7:09 am

Pitiful?

I only wish my funeral is as "pitiful" as Christopher Hitchens: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commenta ... le4103156/

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 25 Mar 2013 7:33 am

I find that dog and pony show to be extremely "pitiful".

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 25 Mar 2013 8:00 am

I guess that is the difference between us Erv. I like to celebrate a person's life. The first thing I turn to in the morning is the obituaries. i love reading about what different people have accomplished in their lives. I find the individual journey's we take to be fascinating and uplifting.

For whatever inspiration that may have driven them, it is humans who have given us the music of Bach, the paintings of Van Gogh, the plays of Shakespeare, the writings of Hutchenson.

To look down on any human and negate their accomplishments, to pity them because they had the audacity to think for themselves is a concept that is just foreign to me. To me, it demeans us all.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 25 Mar 2013 8:19 am

Bill,
Yes, I guess that is where we differ.
The only accomplishments I find of inportance to emphasize at one's funeral are the ones that the individual has done to advance the kingdom of God and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 25 Mar 2013 8:32 am

Deleted

I hope everyone finds the peace they need at the end.

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 25 Mar 2013 8:46 am

My Dad is 81 so he is on the other side of the avg of 78.
I'm currently trying to work through this type of stuff before time runs out.
I don't even know where the spare key to the front door is hidden.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505146_162- ... r-parents/

Dennis Graves · Post by **Dennis Graves** » 25 Mar 2013 9:02 am

I agree with you Erv because you believe in what the Holy Bible says. Anything inspired by man alone is not worth a hill of beans.

"In whom the god of this world (Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,"
II Corinthians 4:4

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 25 Mar 2013 9:17 am

Bless you, Brother!

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 25 Mar 2013 11:50 am

http://www.deism.com/bibleorigins.htm

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 25 Mar 2013 1:09 pm

"The only accomplishments I find of inportance to emphasize at one's funeral are the ones that the individual has done to advance the kingdom of God and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ."

That has particular meaning for me. When my mother died, we had the service at the local Presbyterian. Even though my mother's family had been huge supporters of the church for 4 generations, they gave us a Reverend who was new, had come to visit my mother when she was in the hospital, but really didn't know my mother or our family. She insisted on giving the service even though she hadn't a clue about my mother's life, that everyone in the audience that day knew her by her lifelong nick name. Some probably heard her real name for the first time in their lives.

I, for my part, insisted on giving a eulogy. They tried to discourage it but agreed on the condition that they approve my eulogy before hand and the main focus had to be on her connection to the church.

That was not my mother. My mother, who everyone who knew her called Rooney, even though her name was Anne because of a childhood illness that almost cost her life: the doctor thought she looked like a popular cartoon of the time, Little Annie Rooney. My mother loved games and toys, she loved to drink, she loved her friends and she loved to go out, to travel.

I fit in enough to satisfy them at the church, exaggerating here and there in order to make sure we plugged the church enough. But I was also able to speak to the heart about my mother, the illness that almost took her life at age 7,her nickname, her love of music boxes, the alma mater, her sorority. The things she loved and which made up the thing we loved about her.

The Reverend said some words, calling her Anne from the pulpit.

My eulogy left the audience in tears, because they finally heard something that reminded them of my mother and her spirit.

How empty it would have been if I had only talked about her work spreading the word of jesus . The only thing she ever spread was a canasta hand. How much we would have missed in celebrating HER life.

To me those things about her WERE the important things.

I vowed from that day forward to never step in a church again.

And I haven't.

Bill L. Wilson · Post by **Bill L. Wilson** » 25 Mar 2013 11:20 pm

Bill Mc. That church where you had your Mothers service, sounds a whole lot like the one mentioned in St MATTHEW 23. In my old King James Bible. I would be interested in your take on that chapter.

Niels Andrews · Post by **Niels Andrews** » 26 Mar 2013 10:44 am

I get a kick out of post like this, Man assuming he understands the complexities of Creation. Having been "clinically dead" for a time a few years ago I can tell you all this. You are all going alone, no need for a u haul, because you can't take your stuff with you. It is a wonderful place and the Creator of the Universe did not build a stairway leading nowhere. You can refer to the Creator as God, Allah, Mother Earth whatever floats your boat. But like the saying goes, there are very few atheist in foxholes. But hey God bless each and everyone of you.

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 26 Mar 2013 12:24 pm

Yes Niels,,,we must all ask ourselves,,,,"am I worshiping a God that created mankind",,,or,,a "God that mankind created"??????

The Steel Guitar Forum

Upon Reaching the Statistical End of Your Life?

Re: Plenty of Company!

Love all of the different opinions!