Seeing the Dead

The article starts off with this story: 

As the preacher-man got up to leave, the widow put her hand on his arm, saying, "Don't go, I got one more thing." The kitchen quieted. Her boy said, "Ma, don't tell him." The preacher-man said, "Don't tell me what?" Ma whispered, "Last night, 'bout midnight, I heard a noise in this here kitchen, and so I come in to take a look around. I flicked on the overhead light, and right there front of the sink, right there, standing looking right at me, big as life -- was my dead Stan, the love of my life. He always washed the dishes after supper. I know he's dead, but it was him. He was looking at me with those lovin' eyes, and smiling, like he was telling me he was OK. That's the warm feeling I got -- that he's OK. He's OK. Isn't he? Preacher? He was smiling so sweetly, and I felt loved and good. My kids think I was either dreaming or crazy. Sadness can make you crazy. I read that. I ain't never seen nothin' like that, preacher. Nothin'."The preacher-man stilled himself and said, "No, you're not crazy, Mrs. Kolinsky. Can't tell you how many times I've heard similar stories on days like today, sitting around kitchen tables just like this, talking about death and funerals. What you saw happens to many people, all types of people, only people don't talk about their experiences publicly, except to folks like me, because it sounds crazy, but it's common. It's a gift, Mrs. Kolinsky. Stan was telling you he's OK. And so are you."

The author of the article was the preacher-man. He has also come into contact with his deceased family members as well. His dad once saw his Grandmother sitting at the foot of his bed, and ran over to her house and found out that she had died. These occurrences happen frequently, but are rarely said to anyone besides a preacher or their close family because they are afraid they will be seen as crazy. The preacher says it's amazing to see the look on the people's faces when they see their loved ones and they know that it is ok and really start to believe for the first time that there is an afterlife. The preacher says he now knows that the soul is as real as any physical part of the body, but it's up to you to decide whether it is fact or fiction. 

Youcef Nadarkhani, Iranian Pastor, May Face Execution For 'Apostasy From Islam'

In 2010, Youcef Nadarkhani was found guilty of apostasy and sentenced to be executed because he refused to give up his Christian faith. In Iran, the national religion is Muslim, and over 98% of the population is in practice of this religion. Youcef has been practicing Christianity since he was a teenager and is now being persecuted for it. Now he is one step closer to being executed. "A death sentence that has been sent for implementation by the judiciary would suggest the person is at imminent risk of execution. If it has been sent to the implementation department, that is very troubling." The United States is in full support of stopping this hatful execution and there is now even a Facebook support group trying to get as many members as it can to help stop this horrible execution. To join the Facebook group click the link below. 

http://www.facebook.com/groups/nadarkhani/

Grief Without God Is A Challenge For Atheists

In times of pain, especially death, religion is the sole support people need to get through their grief. So what happens if you don't follow a religion? What happens to Atheists who grieve? It is hard for someone who doesn't believe in a higher power to be told "You will see your loved one once more" or "You will be able to hold your loved one soon" because to Atheists, they don't believe this is the truth and these words can seem like they are down playing their lost. Now there are websites and support groups in the Agnostic and Atheists community that can help people with their loses through other ways than religion. These websites come with some guidelines though. Anyone is welcome to share their grief or look for support, but any start of a religions (or nonreligious) debate is unacceptable. One woman writes about the website "It has given some meaning for me to the death of my son. I certainly don't believe there is anyone out there with a plan, or that everything happens for the best. But I do believe it is possible to create meaning from tragedy."

Darrell Gilyard Controversy: Church Hires Convicted Sex Offender, No Kids Allowed At Sermons

Darrell Gilyard, who plead guilty to molesting two young girls and served three years in prison, is now preaching at the Christ Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. Because he is a registered sex offender, the church is not allowing children under eighteen years old to attend Sunday services. Though children are not allowed, attendance at the Christ Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church has spiked since Gilyard began preaching in January, less than two months after he was released from prison. 

Priest Responds to Jefferson Bethke's Video

This was a video response from a Catholic Priest to the video "Why I hate Religion, but Love Jesus." This video is called "Why I love Religion, and love Jesus." It's a different perspective on how the Church is either beneficial or corrupt.

Religion and Health

 According to a recent survey, religion may play a part in your health. On average, when a person was told to evaluate themselves on their mental, physical and overall health, people who identified as very religious often ranked themselves higher on this health scale. There isn’t really a precise reason why, but it may be because religious people have a defined state of being and that importance in life makes them an overall happy and healthy person. Church attendance leads to more personal interactions with people and thus builds strong friendship. Religion involves meditation toward a higher power and this in turn has been proven to lower stress, reduce depression and promote a happy life. 

Who Am I? Bodies, Souls and Identities

           What makes you you and not somebody else? Scientists, philosophers and theologians are trying to figure out the same thing. Memories can become lost over time or through traumatic experiences such as an aneurism or stroke, maybe even a specific event. So are you who you remember yourself to be? This can’t be true if these events take away memories. We change, grow and become different people and forget who we once were before these times of change. Personality couldn’t be the only determinate of whom we identify ourselves as.

            So is our “spirit” the source of who we are? Most of society would agree to this, that there is a soul trapped within our bodily flesh. Science, theology and philosophy don’t support this vast theory. Bodies have to matter to God. Jesus was born into flesh and dealt with events that every body must encounter. Paul points out that bodies matter because matter matters and perishable bodies are raised as spiritual bodies. Jesus identified himself through his bodily identity and who he was revealed how he was. Who he was as a body extended on into eternity.

            Our identity is not something that is functioned by brain chemistry or our soul trapped in our body, it is everything we have done in our bodily encounters that will move forward into eternity. We are our story.