athiests how do you feel or what do you think when you hear person say."I know he watching over me or I know

Question

she is looking down on us"And that person is reffering to someone who just died?

Answer 1

I usually just smile, give them a hug, and say I'm sorry for your loss. Mentally I "roll my eyes". I am not an evil person, I don't challenge the recently bereaved on their unfounded belief that the departed is still around somehow. That would be pointlessly cruel.

Answer 2

I feel glad to hear it because that means the person is feeling their way through their grief and finding an even keel to remember their lost loved one in a good way. It gives us a means of thinking that those we love are in a good place where they can be happy. These kinds of thoughts are important to have and should never be degraded.

While I know that the frames of reference regarding death are culturally based, I feel good for people who find constructive ways to deal with grief. My personal belief system is immaterial.

When my family members talk about what sorts of things some of my deceased family members are doing in heaven, I take part in it right along with them. I don't have to believe in heaven to believe that it's important to be a part of the family. No, I don't think it's hypocritical, either. We all know what my religion is.

Answer 3

I understand that it brings them comfort, so I don't mind.

But at the same time, I find myself wishing that they could understand that they could get the same comfort simply by reflecting on how much they enjoyed their time with that person while he/she was alive.

That's the power of positive thinking, as opposed to lamenting a loss.

(And for the record, my father died a few months ago. I couldn't help but notice this Christian woman standing over the casket and talking to my father's corpse, which like it or not... was basically a petrified statue of what was once my father's body, now full of anti-freeze, and covered in makeup. No matter her intentions... I found this to be quite silly.)

Answer 4

Happened to me recently, with the death of a close friends mother.

I felt like telling him the truth (that out of body experiences can be induced with narcotics in lab settings, and NDEs are the hallucinations of a dying mind) - but realized that it wouldnt help him at his time of mourning, so I kept my mouth shut.

Because that is what a true friend would do. Allow someone to mourn in solace, rather than try to use that time as a conversion point. Like others were trying to do (his heavily Christian aunt from Texas.)

Answer 5

It is a comfort to the person who suffered the loss. Unfortunately it can't be proven. Religion has many positive and negative attributes. Acting as a crutch is a good one. I'm sure that you don't want to hear about the negative side of religion.

Answer 6

I feel glad.... Regardless of my personal beliefs, the person is finding comfort in their own beliefs. There is nothing wrong with someone finding comfort when they're hurting, especially if it's to no harm of anyone else. I think anyone that would take offense is awfully self centered and absolutely ridiculous.

Answer 7

I hope the person that they are talking about is in a better place, but I really have no idea. I know that the person who says it is just trying to make themselves and others feel better, or they know something that I do not know.

Answer 8

I think it's nice that the person is convinced that their loved one has gone to a 'better place' and is watching over them, though I don't believe in it. People find comfort in their own beliefs and convictions, and I respect them for that although I don't agree with it personally.

Answer 9

I don't think anything. If it comforts someone to think that, who am I to contradict them.

My dad died, and even though I knew it was irrational and silly, at first I would think the same thing. It is an emotional response to a terrible loss.

Answer 10

I feel sympathy for their loss and understand their grief. I also understand the need to believe in a higher power during times of a loved ones death. I respect their desire, even if I do not agree with it.