"I do not fear death because I am in Christ."

[Tcg]

.
I just heard this statement by a person who is much in the news these days.

Is this a valid statement?

Does anyone have the right to express such confidence?

What would qualify one to feel this confidence?

I'll refrain for now from reveling the identity of the person who made this claim. If a robust discussion develops, I'll reveal their identity and then we can discuss if that changes any opinions.


Tcg

[TRANSPONDER]

I'm inclined to credit the statement. After all, the warriors for the Jihad do not fear death as they are in Allah. In my own way, I don't fear death as an end to life. Though the process of death can be unpleasant. But what atheism gives me is, I do not fear Hell. Now these people may say they do not fear Hell because they believe the right religion, and that brings up the question of - are they sure they have the right one? The very act of saying 'They are sure' and of course 'Faith' is the reason they are sure, we see clearly that their certainty is based on nothing valid.

I'm not here to cause them to fear they got it wrong and they should fear death and Hell, but that's the way it is. Faith is no valid reason to believe anything.

[JehovahsWitness]

Does anyone have the right to express such confidence?

I cannot see who can or should deny someone the right to say how they feel. So to answer the question , yes, of course he or she has the right to express their feelings of confidence.

[TRANSPONDER]

Does anyone have the right to express such confidence?

I cannot see who can or should deny someone the right to say how they feel. So to answer the question , yes, of course he or she has the right to express their feelings of confidence.

Yes,of course people have the right to say such things (within the law), but I don't thinks that's what the OP was after; I think is was asking where it was a reasonable or credible claim to make, not whether they were allowed to make the claim. Legally or morally,I reckon they are within their rights to make the claim, but rationally and evidentially, not. It does not have logical or evidential validity. That I think is the point and the answer.

[1213]

...But what atheism gives me is, I do not fear Hell. Now these people may say they do not fear Hell because they believe the right religion, and that brings up the question of - are they sure they have the right one? ...

But are you sure that you are correct? How you can be sure?

This also is not for to make anyone fear hell, I don't think there is any good reason to fear hell, all though I believe it is real.

[sridatta]

.
I just heard this statement by a person who is much in the news these days.

Is this a valid statement?

Does anyone have the right to express such confidence?

What would qualify one to feel this confidence?

I'll refrain for now from reveling the identity of the person who made this claim. If a robust discussion develops, I'll reveal their identity and then we can discuss if that changes any opinions.


Tcg

The effort in achieving the grace of the Lord is the most important goal of human life. This point will be realized when the human being is in the last minute of this life cycle because at that time of juncture, the upper world starts appearing practically to the eyes through the arrived messengers of Lord. Unfortunately there will be no time for spiritual effort at that juncture, even though realization comes.

God told me the following two verses and asked me to memorise these two verses ten times a day so that the mind will be fixed on God. The first verse means ‘At the time of death the last knowledge dawns to the mind by which the human being realizes that for those whom he has spent his energy and lifetime, are unable to protect him from that moment onwards. The Lord who can protect is not arriving then because no time and energy was spent for Him’.

The second verse means ‘When the time was there, this realization did not come and when the realization came, there is no time. By this the human being undergoes silent suffering, which is the agony’. Lord told me that every human being will be given this last knowledge and this agony in the last couple of moments. I started remembering these verses every day ten times and the result of their memory is this wonderful divine knowledge.

When the soul embedded by subtle body leaves the gross body in death, there will be inconvenience in the exit of the soul. This inconvenience gives some pain because the soul was so far attached to properties(welath) earned by it and to its family members. To leave all these in one instance permanently gives lot of pain. That is the last minute in which the fascination to wealth and family exists, which is known by the soul in death. As much fascination you develop with these worldly bonds in your life, so much will be the pain! The inconvenience in leaving the gross body is just like removing a tight shirt from the body. The fascination developed to this gross body is this inconvenience, which also joins the pain. The two names of the gross body as deha and sharira always remind you that one day the gross body gets destroyed. Deha means that which is burnt in fire (dahyate iti). Sharira means that which decomposes into five elements in case the body is not burnt and buried (shiryate iti). Whenever, you refer your gross body, you must use these two words so that your fascination to it does not grow much.

Apart from the above said pain, lot of intense pain is also developed as I explained in two verses above regarding the last flash of intelligence and last agony subsequently developed. This pain is far greater than the pain received by soul due to the inconvenience in relieving itself from gross body. To understand this clearly, I give an example: One person is travelling in a bus, which was crowded much and the person felt lot of inconvenience and pain in the journey. After reaching the next city, he attended an interview in which he failed since he could not answer any question.

While travelling also, he knows very well that he is zero in the subject and will certainly loose the interview. He is attending the interview forced by his parents and hence the journey is inevitable. The pain caused due to inconvenience in the journey is far lesser than the future pain imagined due to certainty in loss of coming interview. Hence, the pain in the inevitable death is far lesser than the pain to be received in the hell in the immediate future due to absence of protection from God, whom the soul never cared. The cared family cannot protect the soul in the hell. Knowledge of this topic and its frequent memory in life will help any soul in developing care to God and in reducing fascination to these worldly bonds.

Jesus advised the people weeping for Him (while He was carrying on the cross), not to weep for Him, but to weep for themselves and for their children. The meaning of this advice is that those people are not putting up any effort in the spiritual path for which only they should weep or worry. The real worry comes only at the time of death, when all our valid worldly activities look like zeros and all the invalid spiritual activities look like numbers with numerical values! He was advising us about such time of death during His time of death, in which only we can find zeros and numbers separately in reality.

The main aim of human life starts with the recognition of God and in fixing the main aim of human life as attainment of the grace of God before this rarest human life ends. The analysis of human faculties and human behavior etc., involves various concepts of mere living of a person in this world. When the spectrum is limited to the worldly life only without touching the divine life, what is the use since the main aim is not touched at all? A student admitted in the college for studies is also admitted in the hostel. The academic life in the college is far better than the hostel life since attaining the degree is the main aim. Of course, absence of all hostel problems gives peace that helps the academic studies. If this peace is not used for the main academic studies and is used to have good health, which is useful in enjoying the luxuries, such peace is useless and solutions for hostel problems are also insignificant. The direction of the worldly life is important in deciding good or bad.

[TRANSPONDER]

...But what atheism gives me is, I do not fear Hell. Now these people may say they do not fear Hell because they believe the right religion, and that brings up the question of - are they sure they have the right one? ...

But are you sure that you are correct? How you can be sure?

This also is not for to make anyone fear hell, I don't think there is any good reason to fear hell, all though I believe it is real.

I am pretty sure that the concept of Hell is absurd. And even those who believe it can't be sure that they have the right religious, denomination or even correct translation of their Holy Book. They could end up in their hell along with the atheists. If I am to lean a bit too heavily on my own take on it, the confidence of various believers that if hell is real, they have got right and they are safe. My take is that self - confidence that they are Right is rather good evidence that they are wrong.

[brunumb]

God told me the following two verses and asked me to memorise these two verses ten times a day so that the mind will be fixed on God.

Your God sounds confused. You only need to memorise something once, then you remember it. Maybe he wanted you to recite it ten times a day. But to what end? You have already memorised it. Maybe it keeps your mind occupied making it less likely that you will recognise the absurdity of it all.

[AquinasForGod]

[Replying to Tcg in post #1]

It seems you have already revealed who it was. I already knew, so my answers would have been the same either way.

Is this a valid statement?

Yes. However, an evil person can make a valid statement and it not actually apply to him. Satan can say, God is good and that is true. Satan can say God is good and is the cause of my existence thus I cannot be purely evil. That is also true. Satan can say, God is good and is the cause of me being good. That is false, although God is good, satan is not.

So the idea is true, that if you are in Christ you might not fear death, but the person saying it might lack a fear of death for other reasons or he might be lying.

Does anyone have the right to express such confidence?

Yes. If they actually do not fear death, I see no reason why they should not express it.

What would qualify one to feel this confidence?

An actual lack of fearing death. I heard a lot of psychopaths do not fear death.

[TRANSPONDER]

I've learned that a lot of Christians do, not to mention, they wail and lament at a funeral as though a deceased relative wasn't going to eternal life after all. At atheist funerals we say what a helluva fella or a cracker of a lady the deceased was and sing "Always look on the bright side of Life".

[1213]

I am pretty sure that the concept of Hell is absurd....

Please explain why it is absurd.