The Death Of A Church Community

Painful as it may be, such experiences brings home the finality of death. Something deep within us demands a confrontation with death. A last look assures us that the person we loved is, indeed, gone forever.” (108) Cable finishes his essay by asking, Tim if his job ever depressed him. Tim in reply says, “No it doesn’t, and I do what I can for people and take satisfaction in enabling relatives to see their loved ones as they were in real life.” (108) After reading this essay I feel as though sometimes we don’t understand death so therefore we do not talk much about it. By reading about what goes on after your loved one dies and is sent to these places to be prepared and ready for burial, it helps to understand why morticians and funeral directors do what they do. Knowing that someone enjoys taking the responsibility in providing that comfort in a sorrowful time makes me appreciate these people in these occupations a bit

The grieving that individuals experience with death is unique, but the main stages are universal across cultures (Axelrod, 2017). There are five stages of grief. Nicolas Wolterstorff’s story, Lament for a Son, addresses these five stages as he tries to find joy after the loss of his son. The meaning and significance of death in light of the Christian narrative is also addressed in the story. Having a hope of the resurrection can help comfort individuals in situations similar to Wolterstorff (Wolterstorff, 1978).

In order to keep the world in line and in balance death has to occur. The world is one perfect place where everything is done for a reason as proposed in the line “Just as a target is not set up to be missed, in the same way nothing bad by nature happens in the world” (Hackett, 61). This is citing that the earth, as a whole is good, and that, in the grand scheme of things, nothing compares to the awesome power of the nature of our world. Another example of how perpetual our world is is the line “Remember that you are an actor in a play, which is as the playwright wants it to be,” which distinguishes us as being sort of like puppets (Hackett, 59). In this sense, unknown forces control us and these forces determine our life or our death. We have no control over this so there is no point in worrying about it. Ideas like this are not needed for survival and are merely just wants. As Epictetus says, “You are foolish if you want your children and your wife and your friends to live forever since you are wanting things to be up to you that are not up to you” (Hackett, 58). This is clearly pointing out exactly what we aren’t to do. Death is unknowable to us and we shouldn’t concern ourselves with what we cant

Death is something that people must deal with every day in our world, and there are several aspects of death that sometimes the living do not consider. For example, how does one celebrate or remember passed loved ones? What happens to you when you die? How would you like to be remembered? There are multiple ways to answer these questions, and examining differing points of view can be enlightening.

Death has always been and will be a topic that just a few want to talk, but since time immemorial man has worshiped their dead, and this is reflected in the various rituals and forms of burial. The anguish of death has been considered the deepest anguish of man. Death is the inevitable companion of life, is the final stage. It can occur at any age, suddenly or after a long illness. Despite knowing that someday we will have to die the death of a loved one is a terrible fact, very difficult to accept, that affects everyone around the deceased person. When the link with the deceased breaks, the suffering is so great, that they put into question the fundamentals of being, of human existence and our deepest beliefs, affecting significantly the basic family and social relationships.

Criticisms of American funeral practices have been made publicly aware since the 1920’s, and actually go back to ancient times in the scope of human’s ceremonies for the dead. Since the first published argument against modern funerals various authors joined the movement publishing their disparagements of customs for the deceased; that in essence contend the grandiosity and lavish displays are merely a social and psychological representation of the monetary opportunity of funerals (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2015, p. 306-307). Even further, regarding the encompassing funeral industry as exploiting grieving loved ones for their financial gains, while disregarding the actual needs of modern society (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2015, p. 307).

When an individual dies, their death can greatly impact the loved ones they leave behind. Each mourner may feel and perceive the death differently from one another, but one common factor that can influence the mourner’s beliefs, values, and views about a person’s death is their culture. Their culture can regulate the way the mourner copes with the death of a loved one, what they do with the physical deceased body, and how they may honor the dead afterwards (Cartaret, 2011). For me, my culture is relatively related to the Catholic, Hispanic American culture, which is a broad and subjective category, but it is what I believe that guides my views towards life and death. I have additionally chosen to learn about the cultural practices of Hinduism of Indians on death

1. Watch “The Undertaking” where this video examines a family who works in the funeral industry as a window into American feelings on death and dying. Then, respond to the following questions: How do funeral rituals describe by the Lynch family show our cultural values about death and dying? How would a sociologist create a research question to systematically evaluate the claims that the Lynch family makes about death and dying? The funeral industry arguably exists to serve micro-level relationships, consoling individuals who have just lost others central to their social existence. How is the funeral industry connected to institutions at the community and

Death is a subject we tend to shy away from, but why? It’s a natural occurrence that happens all the time, and it’s something we cannot avoid. At least once in our lives we will attend a funeral, but how many times will we visit the diseased once they are gone? A cemetery is a burial ground where those who have passed away lay to rest for the rest of eternity, and it gives their loved ones a place to go and visit them.

Grief is a result of loss; be it a divorce, loss of a pet, home, job, or a relationship, but grief due to death is the most common form, known to mankind. This group will focus on five stages of grief, and the benefits of mourning after a loss. We will explore answers to questions, such as how should Christians grieve after a loss, what is normal in the grief process, and how long should I grieve? We will also discuss their responses to their own personal loss, along with the way that their responses are/were perceived by others in their lives, including family, friends, coworkers, and other Christians. Ultimately, the group member’s own personal experience will become the tool of empowerment that breaks the bondage of other peoples’ expectations of their grief process.

Next, we will discuss the biblical, theological, and cultural perspectives on the end of life issues. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” When God created everything, he advised us about our time on earth before we inherit the promises in our heavenly home. “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” In today society, many people are dying at a young age for various reasons. One barrier is the change in our dietary. The older generations grew most of their own food. With my generation and afterwards, farm life decrease and more fast food chains increase. Farmers are now using more chemical to make the food grow faster to meet the need of the fast food chains. Also, there has been more man-made food and concepts. These options have impact life leading to more clog arteries, digestive issues, cancer, heart-attack, and others. Another barrier has been increase number in gang related death, suicide attempts and death, and being murder. “While most pastors, theologians and ethicists agreed that it was permissible to

With millions of people expiring because of widespread disease, poor living conditions, or the brutality of the legal system, death was a common and inescapable enemy in Elizabethan times. Because death was so much a part of living, religious beliefs, rituals, and traditions that payed homage to death and honored the deceased became important. These traditions, however, were not the same for everyone. In fact, the attitude, treatment and approach to death and burial in the Elizabethan age was not so much guided by spiritual and religious belief, but moreso by the social status of the deceased. Such after death beliefs in Elizabethan times tended to be heavily religious based.

A universal theme that all human beings encounter that triggers emotional and physical aspects is grief. However, different cultures experience bereavement in a variety of ways (Pomeroy & Garcia, 2009). From a priest’s standpoint, Hater (2017) shared how he learned how to cope with death when he spent time with his ill father and during his priesthood. While he remained at his father’s side during his sickness, he stated how the emotional event was like an up and down rollercoaster, but at the end of the journey, the Holy Spirit invites us into a new life, which renews hope. Nevertheless, Hater (2017) discloses how the grief process helps us become stronger and support others who are psychologically and physically suffering from a loss of

When it comes to things in this world that people most fear, almost nothing makes mankind quake more than death. Religion itself, one of the core components of society and culture, came about as an explanation for mortality and the afterlife. The classic tragedy Hamlet is no exception to this phobia, as the stench of murders and ironic demises reek throughout the entirety of the play. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, death is a prevalent subject; Hamlet’s opinion on the topic evolves from a want for the sweet release of death, but tinged with a fear of the afterlife, to a bitter yet calm acceptance that death is inevitable and that one cannot control one’s fate. In the very end of his existence, Hamlet dies peacefully because of this knowledge.

According to the Christian community, death is a rite of passage from the world to either heaven or hell. This means that those righteous in the eyes of God will have a place in his home (heaven) whereas those who were wicked will be thrown into the fires of hell forever (Vial, 2004). Christians believe that the first human beings, Adam and Eve were meant to be immortal beings but they threw that chance away when they signed by eating the forbidden fruit. According to the holy bible, the incident at the Garden