http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAULS7DKEoQ&list=UUql_9-KVhxF0IiW1n-VdPug&index=1&feature=plcp

I was on a hospice board and a head hospice chaplain for a number of years.   The following are my personal observations about end of life decision making.

“I am not afraid of death, and thus I am not afraid to live.” – Pastor John Jackson

“I’m not afraid to die / I’m not afraid to live.” - U2 “Kite”

“Life is difficult.  This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths.  It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it.  Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult.  Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.”  M. Scott Peck “The Road Less Traveled”

From Star Trek:  The Next Generation – episode “The Neutral Zone.” 1988

[Crusher reports about 'Sonny' Clemonds's extensive drug abuse in his earlier life]

Capt. Picard:   Sounds like someone who hated life. Yet he had himself frozen, presumably so he could go through it all again.

Doctor Beverly Crusher:  Too afraid to life, too scared to die. 

“For me to live is Christ, and to die gain.”   – The Apostle Paul

I  believe in critical/reflective thinking – thus it is good to listen to information sources which disagree with your beliefs. Michael Shermer wrote, “The Believing Brain,” and his main idea seems to be that -If you are a Liberal then you Read the NY Times, Watch MSNBC, Listen to NPR, and net surf the Huffington Post (plus similar sites).  If you are a Conservative then you Read the Wall Street Journal, Watch Fox News, Listen to Rush Limbaugh, and surf websites like National Review.

Unsurprisingly these information sources are non-threatening to your beliefs and are actually encouraging to your preconceived ideas.

I like information sources that exhibit “contrariness” to their culture.   So I like the Conservative “Morning Joe” on the Liberal Network of MSNBC, and I like the moderate positions of people like Neil Cavuto on Fox News because I believe it reflects critical/reflective thinking.

The same thing happens with faith, Christians adhere to information that reinforce their beliefs, as do Atheists.  Thus “true believers” are quick to condemn contrary positions as false personal beliefs and say there own positions are based on “facts.”  Thus I think it is great for Christians to listen to Atheists and for Atheists to read theology.

I like Social Media Sites like Facebook because I have a wide variety of friends who expose me to information sources beyond which I would come into contact with because I (unintentionally) choose to limit my information to those sources that already agree with my beliefs.

Yet, I cannot help but discount people who are so quick to disparage all information that contradicts their beliefs and make “holy” every bit of information that seems to reinforce their beliefs.

To Quote the  Poet Gerald Manley Hopkins Poem “Pied Beauty.”

“GLORY be to God for dappled things —

…All things counter, original, spare, strange;”

First Some Background:
Most North American Christians view Christianity through Greek Mythology.   I want to lift up two aspects of Greek Mythology that are prevalent in North American Society in comparison to Christianity and views of the after life.
The first is Platonism – that every imperfect structure, happening, and institution here on earth has its perfect corollary in the clouds in “heaven.”  This is where we get the idea that when we die we live in the clouds driving Cadillacs,  play harps, and live a perfect life without any anguish.   Thus mortals toil and sweat here on earth, but someday we will live ascend into heaven into the sweet life where we leave the material world and live a perfect spiritual world.
The second is Greek dualism which has overtaken North American Society – this is most clearly seen in the Star Wars anthology – where there is “Dark” Versus “Good” Side of the Force.  Thus Luke Skywalker must choose between the “Light” and “Dark” side of the force (Evil and Good).
This reflects into populist (but inaccurate views) of Hebrew, and New Testament Faith.   People inaccurately believe that when they die (if they are good) then they will good to live in the clouds and have a perfect life (Platonism) , but if they are bad, then they will go and live in Hell where they will suffer forever (Dualism).
Let me make it clear – these views are bad theology and have nothing to do with Christianity or good Hebrew Theology.
The Hebrew Testament makes it clear that there is only one force in the Universe – God.   This is clearly shown in the opening chapters of the book of Job (A wonderful theological book which discusses the problem of Theodicy).  In this mythological, but archetypal story, God (being portrayed as a ancient King in a royal court) calls together his advisers    Among God’s advisers is one called Satan.  Thus the story teaches us that Satan is under God’s authority.  God then asks Satan what he has been up to, and Satan talks about a faithful servant of God named Job, and Satan challenges God and states that Job is only faithful because God has blessed Job.   A challenge is then struck between Satan and God to discern the nature of Job’s faithfulness.
In this story Satan is seen as the “Prosecuting Attorney” who brings charges against humanity.  God is thus seen as the judge.
The term “Satan” is best translated as a “deceiver” who seeks to separate humanity from the love of God.  Satan is not a separate entity that has existence separate from God, but Satan’s only power is the power of deception, if people believe in Satan then Satan has power over them, but if they respond in faith – then Satan’s power is ephemeral.    This teaching (theology)  is best represented in the the reformation hymn “A Mighty Fortress is our God” which I will link here (http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh110.sht)
The gist of this has to do with “exorcism.”   Once, about ten years ago, I was asked by a new family to the church I was serving in Ohio to perform an exorcism.   They had recently moved into a home, and were subsequently concerned when they learned that a violent murder had taken place in the home in the recent past (before they moved in).
This disturbed them greatly and they told me that their young toddler children had reported seeing spirits.
I did pray for the family that they and thus their home, would be safe, and that God would protect them.  However, after the prayer I assured them that God loved them, and that “Satan” was trying to deceive them, and that if they trusted in the love of God then they had nothing to fear for “Satan” had no real power…There is only once force in the Universe – God’s love.  They seemed comforted by this, but somewhat confused because they were so set in the Platonic Mindset (even though they would have never had recognized that  they had that theoretical knowledge which formed their cosmology of the universe.)
On a side note, the Early Christians (before the 4th century) were called Atheists by the general Roman population because they believed in only one God – not multiple gods. The Roman and Greek world was filled with gods and demons around every corner, which primitive minds had to give onerous obeisance to if they wished to function in Roman Society.- Early Christianity were the ultimate rebels, they did away with all these superstitions and trusted in one God who cared about their lives.  Christians were “free thinkers” who were no long constrained by silly superstitions of the ancient world and thus they could live open, productive, lives.
Obviously great evil has happened in the world, and that is because human beings have chosen to be “God forgetful”  and live in a manner which has allowed “evil” to deceive their minds do unspeakable harm.  This view of theology comes from Schleiermacher [Schleiermacher: On Religion: Speeches to its Cultured Despisers (Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy))] who sought to make Christianityunderstandable to the educated intelligentsia of the Enlightenment.

Pastor John