I once attended the funeral of a young girl who had died of leukemia. She was a beautiful, intelligent homeschooled teenager who had so much promise. But her family were atheists and her funeral was so full of secular readings, etc., and nothing of faith or hope or even eternal life. This couple had no comfort, had no faith or even hope of seeing their loved one again. It was the saddest funeral I’ve ever seen because it was devoid of hope. The parents are now divorced.
Around the same time, a young girl near us, Sarah Ann Wood, was kidnapped and murdered. They have never recovered her body. But her parents were able to go through this praising God in spite of it all. He was a pastor and they both had a great relationship with their Lord. They KNOW they will see their child again. That’s the difference.
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False delusional faith is still false and delusional no matter how strong that faith is. There is no afterlife.
I hope the parents of the young girl who died of lukemia learnt to live with their tragic loss and to continue to live their lifes to the full.
The fundi I suspect will put off living their life in the hope of their afterlife and that is sad, because it will mean they've missed their only chance.
Wow thats such a sad story... and also a gigantic lie.
Here's what tipped me off: If her parents weren't fundies, why was she homeschooled? And even if they home-schooled her for some other reason (and I know some do) if her *athiest* parent were homeschooling her, she would have been taught all about evolution, and homosexuals, and all that stuff that would make her an undesirable person in your eyes.
Yep, another Fundie Lying for Jesus.
Yeah, losing a loved one sucks, and I sure that the thought you are going to see them again one day is very comforting, but that doesn't make it true.
Personally, I find it sadder when peopple at feunerals think they're going to be reunited.
Cause I don't believe that.
'Religion makes us feel better about stuff'. Some people think that's the only reaosn why it exists, y'know.
How dare you use the pain of suffering parents to try and support your sickening philosophy? You make me nauseous, you rotten c***. I hope you die of cancer and I hope it takes a very, very long time.
C***.
"intelligent homeschooled teenager"
Yes, this is actually possible. Trust me.
that's the difference indeed.
Atheists don't need imaginary friends to get them through difficult events in life, because they know what has actually happened and that there is no magical Plan.
The only hope you should have when someone is dead is hope that you can move on but not forget them, as they would want you to. [But actually they don't, because they're dead]
"If her parents weren't fundies, why was she homeschooled?"
my parents are agnostic and I was homeschooled for varying reasons, but it is kind of surprising this fundy didn't hate that girl for being a heathen.
I imagine I'd be happier if I believed Santa Claus existed and would bring me a haul of loot every year if I am nice.
Nevertheless, I prefer to live within the parameters of reality, as depressing as that can be many times.
Denial is not a solution, it's merely a temporary panacea.
The Atheist realises death is the end, and copes with it.
The Pastor (and family) couldn't cope with it, so denies it's the end.
The only difference I see is the cold-hearted isolation of your dream world.
Religion only unites those who believe the same, to the exclusion of all others.
Gods, Devils, Heaven and Hell are all inventions of the deluded.
Two different families believing two different things, sharing the horrendous experience of the loss of a child.
Using them as examples for your mythological belief system is disgusting and wrong on so many levels.
"I once attended the funeral of a young girl who had died of leukemia. She was a beautiful, intelligent homeschooled teenager who had so much promise. But her family were atheists and her funeral was so full of secular readings, etc., and nothing of faith or hope or even eternal life. This couple had no comfort, had no faith or even hope of seeing their loved one again. It was the saddest funeral I’ve ever seen because it was devoid of hope."
So, you can't face reality and instead need "faith" and "hope" that you're going to see someone who has died, sometime. Somewhere. Maybe. I personally find that sad.
I'd rather acknowledge the death and begin moving on rather than wallow in self-delusion that they're still "alive" somewhere waiting for me.
"The parents are now divorced."
So?
"Around the same time, a young girl near us, Sarah Ann Wood, was kidnapped and murdered. They have never recovered her body. But her parents were able to go through this praising God in spite of it all."
Hell of a lot of good that did, huh?
"He was a pastor and they both had a great relationship with their Lord. They KNOW they will see their child again. That’s the difference."
They know no such thing.
"Around the same time, a young girl near us, Sarah Ann Wood, was kidnapped and murdered. They have never recovered her body. But her parents were able to go through this praising God in spite of it all."
Why would they be praising god? Are they stupid or something?
So...the first parents got divorced because they couldn't go along with the lobotomy and fool themselves into thinking that their little girl was just invisible, and they just have to wait until they kick the bucket to see her? It's unthinkable that some couples just can't handle the strain of a major tragedy...religious or otherwise?
Siiiigh.
Atheists have things to lean on just like the rest of you. We may not have hope that we'll see the person again as much as theists do, but we still cope. "No hope, no comfort" is a bigoted assumption.
The parents are now divorced.
Facepalm. Non-sequitur, much.
Why would they be praising god? Are they stupid or something?
1. No matter how bad it gets, it could always have been worse.
2. It wasn't worse because God watched over us.
3. Therefore God is good!
Geez.
A funeral shouldn't have hope, and it should be sad. It is a time for mourning a legitimate tragedy, and trying to mitigate that with religious tripe is just sugar in the wound. Lying to yourself about the ultimate fate of your loved ones is simply a cheap cop out, and it devalues the life, and death, of the people whose deaths are overcome in this fashion.
You are sick for suggesting that this disregard for the value of life is somehow a point scored for the religious.
When my late companion passed away at 43, surrounded by her fundie family who expected to see her again in heaven, the only person crying in the room was me -- an atheist.
Denial of reality can be quite comforting in such situations. I can see the attraction. It would be lovely to be reunited with my lost loved ones for eternity in paradise. It's a great fantasy.
However, reality is not obligated to submit to our fantasies, and I cannot make myself believe something supernatural for which there isn't the slightest shred of evidence. Pain sucks, including emotional pain, but some of us deal with the reality of it rather than hide away from it in comforting delusions. That's called emotional maturity.
~David D.G.
You people already meddle in the lives of others. Can't you leave the deaths alone? People mourn the way they mourn - they get through things according to how THEY are, not YOU. You want to be all happiness and light at a funeral, good for you. Some of us just aren't wired that way, and we can't put our loss aside for something that may or may not be waiting for us after we're the ones being buried. You can't even leave us alone to deal with our pain? You have to stand there and ridicule it?
You're a sick, sorry bitch. Find something better to do, and leave those poor people alone to deal with their loss how they see fit. It's none of your damned business.
Just because something would be nice doesn't make it true. It'd be nice if George Carlin was still alive, because I've never been to one of his shows, but, I have to live within the bounds of reality, where he's dead, dude.
If they never found the body, how did they know she was murdered?
Now, Marysecretary, lets see if you can say this five times, real fast. Ded iz ded, ded iz ded, ded iz ded, ded iz ded, ded iz ded. Now you go home and think about those magic words.
...No they won't. By the way, I would be happier for the atheist girl, who would no longer have to suffer, than for the christian girl, who would have to go through either hell (literally) or eternal life haing been raped.
My dad's cousin (my first cousin once removed, I think) died at the age of 56. He wasn't a religious person, though there were spiritual aspects of his life. He was cremated and some of his ashes were spread (in accordance to his wishes) on a nude beach in Florida, where he was living at the time of his death (in Florida, not on a...oh nevermind). A few months later the family (son, daughter, wives- he was twice married, twice divorced) came back to his home town for a memorial service for him. The morning of the service a bunch of us went up to Cayuga Lake where his parents once had a cottage at Sheldrake Point. His son cast his ashes out on the water and they were shortly joined by about 2 dozen Peeps (This was around Easter time and he loved Peeps especially when they were slightly stale) It was a beautiful brisk day, too early in the year for any boaters and we just stood there as the peeps went floating away. It was sweet. The memorial service was at a funeral parlor and instead of a religious officiant, Rick's sister Patty read a wonderful eulogy (it helps that she's a professional writer). At the end she asked others to come up and tell stories and anecdotes about Rick. We were there for over an hour and the laughter never stopped. In fact it continued at the restaurant afterwards.
Sorry this is so long, but my point is that without so much as a single hollow promise of an afterlife or gibberish to that effect, we truly celebrated a life, a life that was far from perfect but was lived to the fullest and without apologies and without hurting or belittling anyone. It was the most REAL funeral I ever attended.
It kinda reminded me of the concept of a "Speaker For The Dead" in Orson Scott Card's "Ender" series.
I get more comfort from an atheists "I'm sorry for your loss" than from any Christians "Their in a better place".
HOW THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW! ACCORDING TO YOUR CHURCH MY DEAD FRIENDS AND RELATIVES ARE ALL IN HELL! FUCK OFF AND DIAF.
Edit:
Sorry about the rant, but I've lost family and friends who would not get into heaven by any fundies faith (Buddhist, gay, pagan, etc.). They're such hypocrites when it comes to the dead.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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