I'm sorry to hear you have an injury Onthebeach.
I can honestly say that at the end of life it isn't a belief in God, or prayers etc, that calmed anyone. They just wanted to be comfortable.

Mostly, they just want their loved ones with them, and they want to talk about their family or close friends. Many worried about how their family would cope with their death.
Strangely enough, very few mentioned religion at all, although maybe they did to other nurses!
The ones that did speak about the afterlife wondered what they would find.
I told them nobody knew really, but that it seemed to me that after a person died in a hospital or at home, they looked peaceful and happy to me.

Dear otb,

Sorry to hear about your injury.

Thank You for the link. It's always
interesting to read the opinions of others.

However, as far as I'm concerned - My religion
is embedded in my identity - (which means I know
all too well where it falls short).

Take it easy over this Festive Season.
And All the Best for 2015.
I look forward to more robust discussions with you
in the future.

All The Best.

Suseonline,

Thanks for the sympathy. Some moments affect concentration. Not complaining. Out doing things and that is good.

Thanks too for your experiences with patients and their families.

Foxy,
Thanks too.

The very best to you and all.

Any pretense that there are two distinct categories: secularists V religious , is shown to be pure sue-mantics when you have such devote believers in divine revelation as Foxy and Poirot lining up with the secularists.

Dear SPQR,

Rabbi Williamson points out that -

A healthy vital society is not one in which we all
agree. It is one in which those who disagree can do
so with honour and respect for other peoples'
opinions, and an appreciation of our shared humanity.

Our political conversation must shift away from the mass
infantile finger-pointing that now pervades it. What's
ruining our communities is the tendency on so many
people's parts to think that their way is the right
way and that people who disagree with them are bad.

What Rabbi Williamson says is particularly relevant
to this time of the year.

Pray for your friends and families, but by all means
pray for your enemies. And don't pray that they'll change;
pray that you might change from an accusatory mind to a
loving one.

Without a spiritual basis, every system disintegrates.
Any branch that does not bear fruit will fall off the tree.
As the Rabbi tells us - we must not think that we are
immune to the viruses that destroy nations, any more
than any of us are immuneto the flu if it's coming through
town. Many of the things that most of us were brought up
to think "could never happen here," have already begun
to happen; dangerous scapegoating, violent hate crimes'
small-minded intolerance for the views of others.

Enjoy the Festive Season - but come back to the Forum -
in 2015, with a positive outlook and a determination to
make more positive contributionss to further discussions.
I shall try to do the same.

Take care and All The Best.