{"id":68,"date":"2012-02-24T09:28:00","date_gmt":"2012-02-24T15:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2012\/02\/24\/to-fear-death-vs-to-fear-dying\/"},"modified":"2014-02-17T11:06:20","modified_gmt":"2014-02-17T17:06:20","slug":"to-fear-death-vs-to-fear-dying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2012\/02\/24\/to-fear-death-vs-to-fear-dying\/","title":{"rendered":"To Fear Death vs To Fear Dying"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

I have posted this to both of my blogs this time.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a Christian, I have the faith in God, that there is a promise of life not death upon the physical death. \u00a0<\/span>This is a belief I find h<\/span>ope and comfort in.\u00a0 The idea of death is not anxious creating but freeing, as a Christian.\u00a0<\/span>This relief extends not only to my own loss but to the loss of people around me.\u00a0 Loss of someone you know can create a hole in your existence.\u00a0 A familiarity of presence is lost when someone dies.\u00a0However, the trust in the promise that death has been defeated is greater.<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a>I hear people talk about death anxiety but this is not what I feel.\u00a0 It is not the death but the process of dying that can cause anxiety for me.\u00a0 There are several ways that I absolutely do NOT want to die, given a choice.\u00a0 For me, fire, beheading and drowning are my top three.\u00a0 However, anyone of those three while dying for my beliefs as a Christian, I can take some comfort in.\u00a0 Knowing that I would die for being a Christian is an honorable way to go, but the impact on those left can be extreme.<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
So what if I am wrong?\u00a0 What if my beliefs and faith is flawed?\u00a0 What then?\u00a0 Do I need to fear and become anxious over death?\u00a0 What is it is about death that some fear?\u00a0 Prior to becoming Christian, I did fear death and dying.\u00a0 I did not want to die and lose out what I could live out in life.\u00a0 To die before I could get the most done was an anxious feeling to have.\u00a0 I will lose out of getting and doing of all the things I could get done.\u00a0 For others to die, it was a great loss to see someone not have a chance to do more and be more and be with me and do for me and me for them.<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
Do I have doubts?\u00a0 Sure, from time to time I doubt.\u00a0 My doubts allow me to question my beliefs and my faith.\u00a0 To prove why I do believe what I do and to strengthen my faith.\u00a0 If I am wrong, I have not lost anything.\u00a0 I have done as much as I can in the name of Christ, in my faith.\u00a0 This in turns allows much to be done for all and thus I did not lose out at all.\u00a0 If I am right, then I have no fear of death and receive life.<\/span><\/div>\n

\n<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cDoubt isn’t the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u2015\u00a0<\/span>Paul Tillich<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have posted this to both of my blogs this time. As a Christian, I have the faith in God, that there is a promise of life not death upon the physical death. \u00a0This is a belief I find hope and comfort in.\u00a0 The idea of death is not anxious creating but freeing, as a … [Read more…]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-admin","4":"post-68","6":"format-standard","7":"category-lossandgrief"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2m6h5-16","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":186,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2012\/02\/24\/to-fear-death-vs-fear-dying\/","url_meta":{"origin":68,"position":0},"title":"To Fear Death vs Fear Dying","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"February 24, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I have posted this to both of my blogs this time.As a Christian, I have the faith in God, that there is a promise of life not death upon the physical death. \u00a0This is a belief I find hope and comfort in.\u00a0 The idea of death is not anxious creating\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Death"","block_context":{"text":"Death","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/death\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_Tof3kEgqgoM\/SSDo_TfBzOI\/AAAAAAAABoA\/myTQBBrgHHc\/s320\/mirror2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":183,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2012\/02\/15\/obsessed-with-celebrity-loss\/","url_meta":{"origin":68,"position":1},"title":"Obsessed with celebrity loss","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"February 15, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Twenty four seven coverage\u00a0every time\u00a0a\u00a0celebrity\u00a0dies is just so amazing. \u00a0What is it that attracts us to other peoples experience in loss? \u00a0What about sharing in their grief? \u00a0As I been watching and for the most part, unwillingly watch the drama of the Whitney Huston coverage, I began to ponder what\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Loss and Grief"","block_context":{"text":"Loss and Grief","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/lossandgrief\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1125,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/19\/disgusting-does-not-cover-it-even\/","url_meta":{"origin":68,"position":2},"title":"Disgusting does not cover it even","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"November 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I have just finished reading\u00a0Redskin, tanned hide: A Book of Christian History. This is paper is about a Christian Theology School who was gifted a book about Christian History. \u00a0This book however was bound in the flayed skin of an American Indian. \u00a0This book was proudly on display at this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Attitude"","block_context":{"text":"Attitude","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/attitude\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":188,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2012\/02\/29\/loss-of-a-monkey\/","url_meta":{"origin":68,"position":3},"title":"Loss of a Monkey","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"February 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"At this point I suspect most of you have heard of the passing, and very unexpected passing of Davy Jones, one of the members of a 60's group called the Monkeys. \u00a0I remember growing up and watching their show on TV, or at least some of the re-runs I for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Loss and Grief"","block_context":{"text":"Loss and Grief","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/lossandgrief\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.billboard.com\/photos\/stylus\/1713869-davy-jones-the-monkees-dead-617-409.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1571,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2016\/06\/27\/traveling-light-ch-11-12\/","url_meta":{"origin":68,"position":4},"title":"Traveling Light Ch 11-12","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"June 27, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This is part 4 of a 6 part series from Max Lucado\u2019s book, Traveling Light: Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Intended to Bear. Click here for the audio of this sermon. \u00a0 Isaiah 57:1-2 (DSSB) Dead Sea Scrolls Bible 1\u00a0And the righteous person perishes, but no one takes it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Baptism"","block_context":{"text":"Baptism","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/baptism\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Traveling Light Calvary Alter","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Traveling-Light-Calvary-Alter-1-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":906,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2014\/04\/18\/gone\/","url_meta":{"origin":68,"position":5},"title":"Gone!","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"April 18, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"He was taken from us, why did this happen!? God, Jesus said He was Your Son. \u00a0If that were so, then why did You let Him die? \u00a0Why God, why have you forsaken Your Son? \u00a0If Him, then what about us? Jesus, King of the Jews, Son of man, Son\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Death"","block_context":{"text":"Death","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/category\/death\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acelebrationofwomen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/good_friday_wallpaper1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acelebrationofwomen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/good_friday_wallpaper1.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acelebrationofwomen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/good_friday_wallpaper1.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acelebrationofwomen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/good_friday_wallpaper1.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acelebrationofwomen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/good_friday_wallpaper1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acelebrationofwomen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/good_friday_wallpaper1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":203,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68\/revisions\/203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}