by Sookie 34 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Sookie
I find the books on near death experiences very comforting. Raymond Moody and Melvin Morse are both doctors who have collected quite a few anecdotes from adults and children who were clinically dead, and what they experienced during that time. It's interesting to read, and get a different perspective from JWs anyway.
Sorry, maybe I should add they didn't stay clinically dead. These are stories from people who lived through whatever happened to them, not from ghostie things.
thanks for your response myauntfanny.
Sookie
*** w72 9/1 p. 518 A Death That Brings Gain ***
To answer this question, it is helpful first to consider the death of the rest of mankind. They are all dying due to sin. The apostle says that "through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned." (Rom. 5:12) Also he tells us, "The wages sin pays is death." (Rom. 6:23) Since death constitutes "wages" for sin, the Bible principle is, "He who has died has been acquitted [justified] from his sin." (Rom. 6:7, Kingdom Interlinear Translation) He dies because of the sin that is in him, but his death acquits him of the acts of sin he has committed. Nevertheless, there is no gain in this for him, for, "as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages."?Eccl. 9:5.
Thanks Saint!
Hi sookie,
Hon, I am so very sorry for your loss. These things are on my mind very much right now too and having been raised a witness myself (left at age 33) I know what you mean, we just don't question the stuff we were taught as kids.
Here is what I think. It is a belief system that I sort of cobbled together myself. 1. People are just too beautiful, horrible and complex to be here for such a short time as the average life span.
2. There is so much we don't know about reality, so much we can't begin to comprehend because there must be more to reality than what we touch and live and see---therefore - more to life and death - at least death as we comprehend it.
3. When we die here, in our reality, we go on to the next part of reality. I do not think that next part is bad, I think it is good and we get to take our lessons and experience with us.
So now your beloved has gone on the the next part of his life and you will be alright. Be strong and wise and loving. Be open to new ideas. Don't be scared or angry. You have more to learn and do.
Love,
Deb
Hi Sookie,
I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your boyfriend. No doubt many people have already said some pretty stupid things. It's amazing the insensitive things people can say. They often mean well but "they just don't get it". I know it can be hard to find someone to listen to you... even months or years from now... and even then, they probably still "won't get it". You're learning some painful lessons much earlier than your peers and it may stay that way until they lose someone also... then "they will get it".
Don't be afraid to tell people, "just shut up and listen to me, and if I start crying then keep listening to me and give me hugs." I actually recommend giving people (particulary men) very simple instructions like this. I know, because I was one of those men that wanted to help, but didn't know how until a lovely young widow of 28 gave me these instructions. Actually, her words to me were, "hold me", and I was so grateful she knew I needed instructions. I loved her for it... and even though we have not seen each other is many long years... I still love her.
Please accept my deepest sympathies.
Sincerely,
UpAndAtom.
I can tell you Sookie, that I have had several dreams that my Mom came to me and we spoke of these things, as real as if she was really there. In my dreams is the only "contact" that I have had with her, and still I am not sure if it is really her in my dreams or just my subconscience trying to comfort myself.
I have it on excellent authority, that deams of this kind are the "real deal". There is no doubt in my mind this was direct contact with your mother, and that in your dream state, you and your mother occupied the same space. In fact, this is the only way she can contact you. I know I'm speaking with confidence without offering proof... but I am so extremely confident, that I am willing to meet you in a dream to prove it. Don't forget, in my dream state I am not limited in any manner whatsoever... neither are you... and neither is your Mother... although, if I had to be technical; she has awoken from the dream, and you can only meet her in the dream. In effect, the roles have flip-flopped. Just like you forget a dream, she may be in danger of forgetting her dream - that is, OUR real life. But just like real life, some dreams stick with you a life time and you never forget them. I'm sure this is the case with your Mother... again... I am very confident of this.
Sorry if this is hard to follow. I am somewhat an expert on dreams having had them every night of my life, not only that, but dreaming all night long... so much so, I wake up feeling like I have not sleep. Colour, sound, hearing, smell... I get everything in dreams. I have even woken up and opened my eyes, to see the dream still taking place before me (extremely rare)... and lots of other stuff I won't get into here. Suffice to say, that's just scratching the surface.
On one rare occasion my Grandma's sister (whom I never knew) sent a message to my Grandma through me in a dream, which brought a lasting peacfulness to my Grandma, that noone of Earth could bring. Basically my Grandma had been paranoid about Death since her brith and no one could convince her to shut up about her own impending and paranoid death. Her sister basically told her to shut up, her fears were unfounded, and my Grandma is still alive today in her late 90's. Since my dream, she stopped worrying. It may sound like a small deal here on the Internet.. but to my family, this was somewhat of a breakthrough.
Cheers,
UpAndAtom.
UnA:
I know I'm speaking with confidence without offering proof... but I am so extremely confident, that I am willing to meet you in a dream to prove it. Don't forget, in my dream state I am not limited in any manner whatsoever... neither are you...
Thought I rarely dream spontaneously, I've had experience of such "lucid dreaming", too.
Given their rarity, in my experience dreams have meaning of one kind or another.
Hi Sookie,
I think at this point a question you'd want to ask yourself is whether it is time for you to grieve and get support or is it time to inquire about the nature of life and death. You can do both, but you might find that you are more inclined toward one than the other.
If you want support, it makes a lot more sense to have that unconditionally than ideas which may comfort, but is yet again just a belief like any other belief, if you don't know it is true or not. The thing is, though, someone doesn't need to have any beliefs or give you any ideas to support you.
If you want to really consider the whole life and death business, I offer this: Dying is the same as love, in a sense. Most people think of living and dying in personal terms, which is neither good nor bad, but I think we should point out what it is. When we look at things in general, though, there is life and death all the time - in that there is always change. Even if it is only a slight difference between this moment and the next, the previous moment died, and now this moment is the one that is alive. In the same way people can go through a death when they have a big change in their life, in that they are really a different person after the experience. What I've found is that's not really all that different than the physical body dying, and one of the things that can die is the fear of death itself. So when I say dying is the same as love, I mean embracing all of the changes that arise in life, all the deaths, which is just one side of the coin - the other is what is alive right now. We might call this the process of living. Put another way, it is our awareness of this constant reality of dying that prompts us to appreciate how precious every moment of life is. When you're ready to live that way, you'll find a certain tenderness in the heart, and it is indeed a love.
