I just finished teaching a course in literature and ideas, part of an accelerated program for working adults earning business-related degrees at Baker University School of Professional and Graduate Studies. One comment that came out of class discussions about the short stories they'd read was this: Why do nearly all of the stories deal with death and dying?
The answer lies partly in the selections placed in that particular anthology and partly in the fact that a lot of great literature grapples with that essential aspect of our humanity. In answering the question, "What does it mean to be human?" we must respond in part: "To be mortal." Perhaps this conjures up remembrance of Aristotle's classical logic syllogism:
All men are mortal;
Socrates is a man;
Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
Insert your name there and you have a basic fact of life. Death awaits us all, in spite of de León's elusive "fountain of youth," billions of dollars spent in the cosmetic, organ transplant, and cosmetic surgery industries, and costly scientific research in cryogenics. Hebrews 9:27 tells us that it is appointed to every human to die once, and after that to be judged (though there are exceptions for Enoch, Elijah, and those living believers who will be "caught up" according to 1 Thessalonians 4: 17). But apart from a saving faith in the Redeemer Jesus Christ, with the assurances and hope that we have in Him, we are doomed to return to dust or ashes and live on merely "in the memory of loved ones"—but only so long as they live. Then what?
This takes us to a fundamental issue of worldviews. I've often heard Christianity spoken of as being too exclusive; it is criticized as being "either/or" rather than "both/and." However, other worldviews are more exclusive when it comes to their central focus and their attitude about death.
The modernists (western culture apart from a Judeo-Christian heritage) focus entirely on the material or physical realm. They overemphasize the importance of nature and the tangible, which is the same worldview presented in ancient mythology and nature worship. The postmodernists discount the physical realm as simply the construct of our sensory experience; they hold that humans create whatever truth exists. (Sounds a bit like the serpent's promise in the garden—"You will be like God.") Eastern cultures (apart from Judeo-Christian beliefs) hold that only this non-physical, spirit realm is real and good. So, is there a way to merge both points of reference?
Dr. Gene Edward Veith, Jr. does so in his book Loving God with All Your Mind: Thinking as a Christian in the Postmodern World (Rev. ed., Crossway Books, 2003). Since God created all that exists in the physical realm and holds it together, it has value and reality. Since God created humans in His image (spiritual), there is value to every human life and a definite reality to the spiritual realm. Since God, in the person of Jesus Christ, became a human (truly God and truly man, not just half and half) and died and was raised from the dead in order to redeem mankind from sin and death, both realms of existence—physical and spiritual—are real, valuable, and worthy.
Our Creator/Redeemer bridged the gap, guaranteeing life after death. So, even though one's body may become dust, there will be another body to house the eternal spirit. Mortality is part of the human condition (because sin entered); immortality is also part of the human condition. Both the physical realm and the spiritual realm are proven valid in the Christian worldview.
This was made very precious to me as I read the Hallel Psalms this recent Passover. Psalms 113-114 are traditionally read before the Passover meal, and Psalms 115-118 and 136 are read after the meal. To anyone who picks the Psalm and verse which I am going to go into next in this discussion of life, death, and the human experience, I will give a signed copy of my collection of poetry, Angel Unaware: Poems (AuthorHouse, 2011). Just send your guess via the contact button on the webpage or email to [email protected] If you've guessed correctly, I'll contact you by email for shipping information.
Silenced and Silent
8/4/2020 5:18:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
The Right Way
7/13/2020 2:40:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
"Let Freedom Ring"
7/3/2020 2:38:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Caring and Sharing
6/20/2020 5:50:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
One Race -- Two Creations
6/10/2020 9:02:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
An End to Racism
6/2/2020 9:02:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
With One Voice
5/24/2020 3:38:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Trust in God
5/17/2020 3:21:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
A Firm Foundation
5/9/2020 6:35:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
No Fear!
5/2/2020 3:35:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Author of Peace, Not Confusion
4/28/2020 2:44:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Too Timid to Tell
4/24/2020 8:52:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Resurrection Promise
4/11/2020 3:54:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
God's Mercies
4/2/2020 11:04:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Yet I Will Rejoice
3/18/2020 11:22:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Slow Suicide—Part 2
3/5/2020 6:00:00 AM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Slow Suicide—Part 1
3/2/2020 6:00:00 AM by: Vicki Dorshorn
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y
2/6/2020 6:14:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
A Stable and an Empty Tomb
12/24/2019 6:01:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Do Definitions Matter?
12/17/2019 3:08:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Darkness Creeping In
11/26/2019 10:17:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
The Presence and Purpose of Pain and Sorrow
8/31/2019 9:27:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Salt and Light
8/21/2019 8:15:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Real Rainbows and True Light
8/17/2019 3:17:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
The Light of Life
8/7/2019 9:20:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
A Giant Eraser
4/23/2018 3:09:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
He Is Risen
3/30/2018 2:57:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Rejection
7/22/2015 by: Vicki Dorshorn
Liberty Bell & more
7/4/2015 3:32:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Breaking News
6/22/2015 11:26:00 AM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Cracked Foundations
6/12/2015 1:50:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Power Transformers
6/5/2015 12:27:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Transformers
5/28/2015 by: Vicki Dorshorn
What is my name?
5/20/2015 by: Vicki Dorshorn
What age is Jesus for you?
12/21/2014 8:41:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Part 2 - Stories of Sovereignty from England
11/21/2014 by: Vicki Dorshorn
Stories of Sovereignty from England
11/15/2014 7:28:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Coincidence or Sovereignty?
11/3/2014 by: Vicki Dorshorn
Time to Care
8/24/2014 10:59:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
"Lion on the Loose"
8/16/2014 5:29:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Lessons from My Garden - Part 6
8/10/2014 by: Vicki Dorshorn
Lessons from My Garden - Part 5
8/3/2014 by: Vicki Dorshorn
Lessons from My Garden - Part 4
7/27/2014 by: Vicki Dorshorn
Lessons from My Garden - Part 3
7/20/2014 3:33:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
"Lessons from My Garden -- Part 2"
7/12/2014 8:54:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Lessons From My Garden - Part 1
7/7/2014 7:23:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Dreams, Revisions, and Renewal
6/29/2014 10:30:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
A Dream that is Reality
6/21/2014 9:13:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
The Return of the Swallows
6/14/2014 by: Vicki Dorshorn
Part 2 - Where will I go when I die?
6/7/2014 2:30:40 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Where will I go when I die?
5/31/2014 9:05:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Truth or Deception
5/24/2014 5:34:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Deliverance from Falling
5/16/2014 2:30:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Deliverance from Tears
5/10/2014 8:03:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Deliverance from Death
5/3/2014 by: Vicki Dorshorn
The Significance of Death
4/27/2014 5:45:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Conclusion of Why Bad Things Happen
4/19/2014 8:35:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Good and Bad, Relatively Speaking
4/12/2014 1:18:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
The Potter and the Clay
4/5/2014 9:10:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
"Bad Things" - Part 5
3/29/2014 1:47:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
"Bad Things" - Part 4
3/21/2014 12:52:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
"Bad Things" - Part 3
3/15/2014 12:18:00 AM by: Vicki Dorshorn
"Bad Things" - Part 2
3/8/2014 1:56:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
"Bad Things" - Part I
3/1/2014 7:14:00 PM by: Vicki Dorshorn
Who are "good" people?
2/26/2014 by: Vicki Dorshorn
Why do bad things happen to good people?
2/22/2014 by: Vicki Dorshorn
