I have two people in my life who have experienced so much loss this year and i want to help them. One is a Catholic (loosely practiced) and the other only believes there is some kind of God out ther but would rather go to a fortune teller. Both of them are "good people" and are not worried about hell. They seem to be more in a state of shock (losing three family members in a short amount of time). I dont think they would read anything deeply theological. Got any ideas?
I don't have any books to suggest but I took a death and grieving course with my Psychology degree and the main lesson I remember is that everyone grieves differently and not to judge people (or yourself) for the way in which people handle death. Some people don't cry, many people do. Some people take no time off of work, many people have to. The thing is not to judge a person either way.
Wish I could suggest some good reading but apart from my textbook I've got nothing lol sorry.
Deena I think many people are just as scared of heaven as they are of hell. The heaven that is portrayed is well... boring. I was kind of scared of not really liking heaven for a long time. That may be why the "rebellious" types are into hell. You know death metal folks, goth people. They create an mix of the common versions of heaven and hell. Its a big party place, dark, but fun.
Anyway I was just thinking maybe you talk to them about the resurrection. Most people don't talk about it so much. Paul said that is our only hope, or else we are more pitied than the rest. People need the real hope, not the christianized version.
Thanks Red. Yes the ressurection is our hope--being delivered from these bodies of humiliation. Maybe the dead are the lucky ones.
A question I asked my sister that made an impact on her when the subject of death came up is: Do we ever consider that the reason God allows physical death, for us to be physically separated from those that we love is so we could understand how God Himself feels in being spiritually separated from us?
But I do not think it can be asked at anytime, it has to be at the proper moment, which I know God's Spirit would bring it to mind at the proper time.