Multifaith Round-up: Views of the Soul

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Registered: 03-09-2001
Multifaith Round-up: Views of the Soul
9
Wed, 04-06-2005 - 9:33am

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/163/story_16365_1.html

from the article:

"Multifaith Round-up: Views of the Soul

What do the world's religious and spiritual traditions believe about the soul, and what is its fate at the end of life?

In the final days of Terri Schiavo's life, Beliefnet asked a wide range of religious and spiritual thinkers and scholars to describe their tradition's perspectives on the soul. The responses follow.

...." (continued)

I thought this was interesting and wanted to share these perspectives.

Gypsy



Blessings,

Gypsy

)O(



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Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 04-06-2005 - 11:28am

You know, I was just about to post a link to this! Great minds think alike... ;-)

I have to say that the ones that caught my attention the most were the Unitarian view, the Buddhist view and the Pagan view. All of them were very interesting and it was a very well done article! Very informative!! Thank you for sharing!

~Nicole

~Nicole

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Registered: 04-22-2003
Wed, 04-06-2005 - 1:23pm

Wow.


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 04-06-2005 - 4:26pm
Thank you, it was interesting to read. No one
said anything about astral travel!!!!!!!!!!!! tongue in cheek.
leila
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Registered: 04-22-2003
Wed, 04-06-2005 - 5:49pm

On further thought, I think it was interesting that the site chose Methodist as the only representative of the Protestant Christian faith.


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Registered: 05-26-2004
Fri, 04-08-2005 - 10:22am
I agree! Being that I live 45 minutes from where this all took place and that my sister works across the street from Michael Schiavo's attorney, I witnessed first hand some extremist Christian groups doing very unchristian things. My heart goes out to both sides of this issue and I don't blame the badmouthing on the parents or Michael Schiavo, but the misinformation on this case was completely out of line. I saw on a station here a MRI of Terri Schiavo's brain. Her body was eating it away and replacing it with spinal fluid. It showed after her initial stroke, a few years later, and the present. It showed that at this time, she only had 10% of her brain function and it was on the parts of your brain that are most primitive.
It is definitely very hard to combine faith with science. You think about just 25 years and realize she would have died when it first happened. When does Science get ruled out and religion take over? Very tough question and one that I don't believe will be fully resolved.
Take Care!
R-
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Registered: 03-09-2001
Sat, 04-09-2005 - 10:37am

"When does Science get ruled out and religion take over? Very tough question and one that I don't believe will be fully resolved."

I agree, very tough question. It requires a great deal of trust, also, in one's family, one's spouse and one's health care providers. And then to complicate everything, different groups trying to create laws so that everyone must follow *their* views on the matter. :-\

I'm just glad DH & I have living wills and have had for many years. It's crystal clear what we want done and not done. I just hope some law doesn't get passed that nullifies them to force us, or our caretakers, to follow somebody else's religion or opinion.

Sometimes I hope I am mentally aware enough and physically able to take action myself. An old Native American custom was that an old person who knew they were dying, would just go off into the woods to die, sparing family and tribe. Trouble is when such tragedies as Schiavo occur, the person isn't able to know or communicate their wishes. In our letigious society and one governed by so many complicated laws, it's extremely important to have everthing in writing these days.

Our medical establishment has a problem with death. Belief that extreme measures are always justified keeps us from accepting death as a natural process, also, and is a part of the circle of life. It's not to be fought, IMO, when it is actually the best outcome for the individual who is doing the suffering.

Gypsy




Edited 4/9/2005 10:39 am ET ET by gypsywolfwoman


Blessings,

Gypsy

)O(



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Registered: 05-26-2004
Sat, 04-09-2005 - 11:39am
I agree with everything you wrote. I got a living will when Gov. Bush first passed Terri's Law because it really concerned me that a Governor could have that much power over a personal situation. I also believe that in this day and age, us "westerners" have a serious problem with growing old. Not even 50 years ago, the death process was completely different. People knew and accepted death as a part of life. Today, people try to avoid death like the plague thinking large amounts of drugs and plastic surgery are going to make them live forever. There is not much honor left in growing old. In other countries, people respect and admire their elders and turn to them for wisdom and love. Today, elderly people are disposable and treated like a burden. Truthfully, I am relieved that Terri does not have to get any older in her situation. When I heard she died, I actually cried out of relief. What a horrible situation they had put her in! I think that, whether or not you believe her soul was in or out of her body, that using a human being as a political and/or religious statement is more inhumane than starving her to death OR prolonging her life with a feeding tube.
I am glad I am not afraid of death. I intend to help my parents through their death process with respect and admiration for what they have been to me. I will respect every wish they want and, although I know it will be one of the saddest days of my life when they pass away, I will not sit in denial and force drugs or feeding tubes on them so I can satisfy my own selfishness of being able to see them when I want whether its' what they wanted or not.
That is just my opinion!
Love and Blessings!
Robbyn
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Registered: 04-22-2003
Sat, 04-09-2005 - 8:16pm

It has occurred to me that Terri Schiavo's reason for taking on her life in this reality was for the very purpose that it served:


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Registered: 05-26-2004
Sun, 04-10-2005 - 11:32am
That would definitely be a tough decision. My children are only 6 and 8 and I definitely would not want to fathom that thought!
I remember watching a show on Court TV or something similar that was pretty interesting. It was a woman who married a man who had a disease that caused your nervous system and brain to slowly deteriorate. I forgot the name of the disease. When they first married, he was a wonderful husband. They had 3 boys. A few years down the road, her husband started acting funny. Getting irritated at little things, etc...slowly it progressed and he couldn't control his emotions and started becoming abusive to her. Then his body started to fail and was in constant, extreme pain. In the beginning, they had no idea what it was, but she stood by him. At the end of his life, they found out it was a genetic disorder. He lived that way for 20 years. At the same time her sons were grown and in their 20's and 30's. The husband eventually died, but the doctor said that the illness could be passed on. The sons said that they wouldn't want to live that way and they all made a pact that if they got this illness, they would want to be put down and not go through what the father did.
Not long after, her oldest son came down with the illness and a couple years later, her middle son did. The middle son's symptoms were more rapid than the oldest. Before they got to the point where they couldn't speak for themselves, they asked the mother to let them go, but she couldn't do it. Years past and she was being abused by two grown men on a regular basis. she was in her 60's and couldn't handle it anymore. She made a promise to her sons that she wouldn't put them in a nursing home, but she had to by this point. They were slowly deteriorating and in extreme pain. It kept eating at her...the broken promises, etc...and one day she went to visit them with a gun and shot them both in the head. She was put on trial and was charged with manslaughter although, under the circumstances, she didn't have a long sentence. As they were filming this documentary, the youngest son started developing the earliest symptoms of this disease.
I know this story is sad, but it makes you wonder why people are dealt the hands they are dealt. It also makes you realize that our tough times maybe aren't so bad. I feel terrible for the mother and I feel terrible for the children for doing nothing to deserve this horrible disease. I guess the only thing that keeps people going is the faith we have that we will be rewarded for the tough times we encounter on Earth. I hope and pray that that family gets everything the heavens have to offer!
Just something to think about...
Love and Blessings,
R-