So, thinking was trained out of "The Christians" at school, was it Ozandy?

Consider that so many of the top ranking schools are Christian schools, and the roles that those schools play in nurturing and developing great young minds.

Therefore, it is utterly indefensible to imply that Christian schools somehow reduce or stifle childrens education or thinking- on the contrary, there is evidence which suggests that the opposite is true.

The second thing that I must take you up on is the assumption that "The Christians" all go to Christian schools. What nonsense.

oh the huge mystery...
of.................................
the Buddhist Tao,............................................................................................................................................... tao.............means...................
.....................................the way

branding is everything...................apparently...lol

we have this real secret...the tao
sounds so much better than we have ........the way

the way to mindless-ness...no mind...no way

the heading was buddists on dying
if it was re-incarnation...jesus did that
and for those educated buddists...who say that was reserection...not reincarnation...your correct [of course...

but re-incarnation was believed by the xtians..till nycia...when they dropped the concept...not because it were wrong
but because,...what good giving grace..[jesus forgiving our sins/died by our sins...if karma is the only reality...

well its not...re-incarnmation is more about picking a medium...that can channel...the dead master...possesion...

there is the other lower..re-incarnation's of course..but more usually it is a downgrade...into beasts...like the king in the o.t..that...thought...it..was a beast in the field...[for 8 years]..

there are other biblical references..but will let you continue...on your tao..[way]

the key is enjoying..doing the good unto others...and buddists appear to do this....only they dont need to suffere..so much..for their faith..you dont get extra points..for deliberate suffereing

I recently saw my life partner die in an intensive care unit. She had toxic shock and multiple organ failure. A few hours before the life support systems were turned off, a cerebral oedema had shut her brain down.
Nevertheless, as she died, her body arched and she almost sat up as she seemed to be trying to get one last breath.
Death IS something to be feared and it seems to me, as an atheist, that that very reasonable fear creates the need for such beliefs as reincarnation and life after death. I respect those beliefs in others.
The meaning of death for me is it encourages us to cherish what we have while we have it, to enjoy every moment of every day while planning for tomorrow, and not to waste time and energy on denigrating ourselves or others. Be gentle; we all have this opportunity to help one another.

“(M)any people hold an assumption that the scientific view of the world should be the basis for all knowledge and all that is knowable. This is scientific materialism. ... Underlying this view is the assumption that, in the final analysis, matter as it can be described by physics and as it is governed by the laws of physics, is all there is. ...

One of the principal problems with a radical scientific materialism is its narrowness of vision that results and the potential for nihilism that might ensue. ... In this view many dimensions of the full reality of what is to be human - art, ethics, spirituality, goodness, beauty, and above all, consciousness - either are reduced to the chemical reactions of firing neurons or are seen as a matter of purely imaginary constructs. The danger then is that human beings may be reduced to nothing more than biological machines, the products of pure chance in the random combination of genes, with no purpose other than the biological imperative of reproduction.

It is difficult to see how questions such as the meaning of life or good and evil can be accommodated within such a worldview. The problem is not with the empirical data of science but with the contention that these data alone constitute the legitimate ground for developing a comprehensive worldview or an adequate means of responding to the world’s problems. There is more to human existence and to reality itself than current science can ever give us access to.”
(Dalai Lama, The Universe in a Single Atom - The Convergence of Science and Spirituality, Morgan Road 2005, pp. 12-13)

Thank you, Jolyon - as a fellow atheist who has recently lost my dear wife, my dearest companion, my mate, I have to come to terms with death, the death of someone else besides oneself, someone one loves passionately, a predicament which (with respect) Mr Nance either skirts around or seems to be oblivious of. I don't care about my own life, except insofar as somebody may love me and be desolated if I go, but I do care about the lives of other people who I love and care for: their passing has enormous impact on me and other people. Who cares whether one is reincarnated, or goes to some other place, or finds a place in a heavenly choir, or is reanimated as a blowfly or whatever - people that we love live and contribute and shape our lives, and thereby leave a permanent impact on us - they have enriched our lives, they have made a difference, and in that sense, they will live on - in our hearts and in the stories we tell others. Life is struggle, yes, but it's not for nothing. We come into being, we act on other people for good or ill, we go: we each have our flash of eternity, but what we do with it IS important, if not for ourselves then for others. We get only one flash each and others will judge how we use it. Not resignation, not release, but rage, rage against the dying of the light ! Make a difference !

Joe

Jolyon and Joe, I was really moved by your eloquent words on the recent passing of your' loved ones.
It sounds like the two of you were very supportive partners.

I have been involved and present at many deaths in my work situation over many years. Yes, there have been what we call both 'good' and 'bad' deaths.

Good deaths were those that seemed peaceful and painfree, with loved ones by their sides. These deaths were lovely, no matter what religion or culture they were from, or whether they had no religious beliefs at all.

Bad deaths were those that were unable to be medically managed to reduce or prevent the suffering caused by pain, vomiting, nausea, fear , and cerebral irritation.

No amount of palliative care can help these people unfortunately.
No thoughts of where they will go after death, or whether they will be reincarnated or not would help these people at all.

They just wanted to die to stop the suffering. Nothing else mattered.