HelenM

You pretty much said why in your first post with your comment about 'gate-crashing' - i.e. that would be 'playing God'. It is for God to decide when it's time for someone to leave this life and go to heaven. Not for people to take matters into their own hands.

That certainly is inconsistent with a belief that heaven is 'better by far' (which is what Paul wrote in the letter to the Philippians, assuming he wrote that), if Christians are acting that way.

Do you see a lot of evidence that Christians are afraid to die?

take care
Helen

Scrambles

Helen,

Are you saying that if you were in a situation where your life was in danger, you would not be frightened?

Say, if someone was holding a gun to your head?
You'd feel no pain if they pulled the trigger, so you shouldn't be frightened of the pain...the only thing to fear is death...would you be frightened?


Scrambles

lpetrich

All their efforts to keep themselves alive and avoid dying.

I've never understood the gate-crashing argument. It seems like an invention of some priest who wanted to keep his followers from offing themselves and putting himself out of business.

And calling it "playing God" is a first-class absurdity. It is as if we would become invulnerable to a lot of causes of death if God decides to slack off:

Drowning
Asphyxiation
Bleeding
Poisoning
Electrocution
Excessive heat or cold
Being struck by a fast-moving object
Dismemberment
Various diseases

[ September 23, 2002: Message edited by: lpetrich ]</p>

HelenM

I didn't realize this was the 'fear of death' being talked about.

I was thinking of a non-crisis scenario, myself.

Helen

HelenM

Non-sequitur.

Avoiding something doesn't mean you're afraid of it.

I don't steal things but it's not because I'm 'afraid' of stealing. I don't eat frogs but it's not because I'm afraid of them...

Things aren't always what they might seem to someone.

*sigh*

take care
Helen

Feather

God put fundies on earth to torture thinking people...I mean infidels.

Scrambles

Of course we are talking about fear of death...
lpetrich asked why christians acted as if they were afraid to go "there" (to heaven) and you replied by asking whether he had seen any evidence of Christians being afraid to die.

So are you saying that you WOULD be afraid if it were a crisis scenario but not if it wasn't?? If so could you please explain why?


Scrambles

agapeo

Oh. My mistake. I thought the original post was a rant, not a serious topic of discussion. In which case I don't know why a "fundie" wouldn't commit suicide if they thought it would bring them into the promise land. Other than perhaps they're having such a good time living that they're willing to wait. Otoh, I suppose it's only reasonable to conclude that if by doing so they would forfeit the prize, it would be a strong deterent.
What's that got to do with the subject?

[ September 23, 2002: Message edited by: agapeo ]</p>

diana

I've always thought fundies don't commit suicide because that's a form of murder (if successful) and they are forbidden to murder people.

In short, it's a one-way ticket to hell, according to Xn scripture.

d

HelenM

I think my body (and/or brain) would not be functioning properly if I didn't have a 'try to survive' response to a crisis. The fear is part of that. It's a response that is at a level we cannot prevent happening, even though perhaps we can then calm ourselves down through our beliefs.

Common sense tells us that all creatures [that are healthy] have a will to survive and will fight to survive. It's only people in the irrationality of depression (an illness of the brain) who have a compromised will to survive. (Or perhaps people in intense physical pain - I wouldn't know about that)

Anyway, it would be foolishly presumptuous of me to claim I wouldn't be afraid, but obviously, I don't know do I, since it hasn't happened to me...

(Unless you count the psych unit, but that was an emotional rather than a physical crisis. It certainly evoked a strong desire to get out of there which may be related to a will to survive...)



take care
Helen