I've asked this question before (not here though) and the standard answer is that "because we'll miss our loved ones until we finally meet in Heaven", or so it goes...
I've seen Christian mothers on the verge of passing out in grief....that's not what I believe a typical display of sadness when someone we love leaves for a long while.
Isn't it that, deep down, you know that there's no heaven and that when we die that's just it?
Is that a sort of momentary "Atheist Epiphany"? When you ask "Why GOD, WHY?? Aren't you actually thinking that perhaps there are no gods? But then, after a while, fundamentalism ensues back into your minds....
2007-11-15 07:06:29 · 24 answers · asked by Lex Fok B.M.F. 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Jennifer, your Mom is not in Heaven...she lives on through you and your memories....
2007-11-15 07:16:25 · update #1
Because we miss their physical bodies.
We are going to be on this earth until our death without their physical closeness, without hearing their voices, without feeling their skin, without seeing their faces for as long as we live.
It sucks. Ok?
2007-11-15 07:11:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I didn't cry at my grandmother's funeral because I know that I will see her again in a short while. She had lived a long and happy life (93 years) and was ready to go home. I cry sometimes, because I miss her and wish I could talk to her or show her my accomplishments since she passed. That is not any different than the tears I may shed for my son when he is off to summer camp for two or three weeks and I miss him. The tears of a mother that has lost her child are tears of what will be missed. You are supposed to be able to watch your child grow up, marry, have children, a career, etc. We do not expect to lose our children before we die, that is not the natural order of things. It is painful, even when you believe that you will see them again. My question to you is this...if that same mother didn't cry at her child's funeral, would you still believe that she was a caring mother that loved her child? No. Then you would be saying what kind of cold hearted woman doesn't even cry at the funeral of her own child. Seems that a Christian won't be right no matter what they do.
2007-11-15 07:15:55 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a grief process. Everyone goes through the stages of grief in one way or another. That's just human nature. We love our friends and family, and it's painful to know we won't see them for a time. Knowing their reward doesn't always replace the loneliness we feel. Have you ever lost a child? I ask this out of respect, because I really don't believe anyone knows what it's like until they've lost a child themselves. I also know a family who, for all their grief, has been nothing more than a living testimony. Their children were swept away by a drunk driver, and they've forgiven him, and gone on the road telling others the power of forgiveness God has given them. I pray for that strength should the unthinkable happen to my family.
2007-11-15 07:12:58 · answer #3 · answered by teeney1116 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No one of The True Christian Faith is immune to the weakness of the mortal body and mind.... grief is one of the things that is difficult to deal with... I have been to the funerals of True Christians... and the True Christians there were smiling and happy and telling all the good stories of the departed... and at the same time those not of The Church were sobbing unconsolably..... and I have been to funerals where those of the faith were weepping in grief because they knew the departed had not been saved and was lost.... there are other variations on how grief is delt with....God will not fault a mothers grief... and will know that a fatheres outward strength hides deep grief... God knows The Hearts of His people.... genuine grief is acceptable to God.
2007-11-15 07:15:38 · answer #4 · answered by ? 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First, I would like to know who have you had to grieve for? Maybe if grief is something you've never experienced, or if you have trouble feeling grief in general you're not able to understand what a person, yes Christians included are going through.
Christians might believe that their loved one is in heaven and they will be united, but we still have the same feelings.
Also try attending a few Pentecostal funerals, often they treat it more like a going away party than a good-bye ceremony .
2007-11-15 07:17:35 · answer #5 · answered by Linda J 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well you sound like you never lost someone and whether there in heaven or not grief can be a tragic experience to any one. Jesus even said, " blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted". I do admit that some people take death harder than others and not in every case it is because of a belief. So try to have a heart of compassion and remember death comes to everyone and you could have this experience. That is if you really had love for that person in your life doesn't matter who it is, do you love them?
2007-11-15 07:24:50 · answer #6 · answered by princecurtis7 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You cry when someone dies for selfish reasons, not because you think there is no God. I am a Christian, but when I cry when a loved one dies, it is not because I am worried where they are going or if they are going to be okay. I am crying because I am worried about my life on earth without them. I am sad and wonder what I will do and how it will effect me.
I am not saying that is the right way to be, but that is why I would be crying. Just like when I lost my dog after 15 years. I was not crying because he may or may not have gone to heaven, I was crying because of the loneliness and and the absence of this tongue licking my cheeks that I foresaw in my future.
We are all imperfect and our first thought when something happens is how it is going to effect us, not how it is going to effect someone else.
2007-11-15 07:15:51 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
It's subconscious... they really do question whether or not they're loved ones are in a better place, but the mourn the loss because they know they lost. No amount of wishing will bring the person back at that point. It's never easy to say goodbye, even if you do tell yourself you'll see them on the other side.
2007-11-15 07:11:57 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I'm Roman Catholic and lost my twin aged 44yrs three years ago and yes it did test my faith. That was the real moment when I was really and truly scared. Was all that I believed true?
I came through it with a stronger faith - but I can say no matter what religion you are - when you lose someone you really love and adore you do grieve just the same as everybody else.
best wishes
Star
2007-11-15 07:18:24 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm an atheist, and I think this question is unfair. Who the hell wouldn't be struck with grief at the loss of a loved one? Even some lesser animals than us grieve. It's natural. And even assuming that this is a legit question, you're making the assumption that they know their deceased loved one's fate and know that the deceased is in Heaven. But according to Christianity, their god is the judge and only he knows.
2007-11-15 07:11:40 · answer #10 · answered by I'/\/\AZILLA2 3 · 5⤊ 0⤋
When I was 12, I had the privelege of attending a funeral of a close friend and neighbor who died. He was black, 16 yrs old, and the funeral took place in a Black Baptist Church..
What I learned is that death is a celebration from their perspective. His mother mourned, but she did it at home. The service was a time of celebration.
Nobody wore dark colors. They were all bright colors and there was lots of singing, dancing, and hand-clapping.
I thought this was a great way to view someone dying, because it really does make sense.
2007-11-15 07:12:24 · answer #11 · answered by Big Bear 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋