Dying Religions

What happens to consciousness during the act of dying? The most compelling answers come from people who almost die and later recall events that occurred while lifesaving resuscitation, emergency care, or surgery was performed. These events are now called near-death experiences (NDEs). As medical and surgical skills improve, innovative procedures can bring back patients who have traveled farther on the path to death than at any other time in history. Physicians and healthcare professionals must learn how to appropriately treat patients who report an NDE.

In Meditations on Living, Dying and Loss, Graham Coleman, the editor of Viking's acclaimed unabridged translation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, collects the most beautifully written passages, ones that draw out the central perspectives most relevant to modern experience: What is death? How can we help those who are dying? And how can we come to terms with bereavement? New to this edition are Coleman's introduction and his brilliant and incisive essays, which preface each chapter and provide the seeker entrée to these ancient insights.

Bringing Death to Life shines light onto a subject that is too often feared or avoided in our everyday conversations: death. But the authors of this book suggest that it might be wiser to recognize, understand, and accept death, rather than be frightened of it. When Patricia lost her parents, she experienced a journey of loss and grief, which later became the catalyst for this book.

This book follows the story of highly motivated and entrepreneurial twin brothers David and Jason Benham, from their formative years and ventures into professional baseball to their rise as owners of a multimillion-dollar business empire and securing an HGTV reality series.

Alone and brain-addled, the Rev. Ezra Pounders walks along a country road in the dead of night. He's wearing dark clothing, but he's confident the Lord will protect him. Two seconds later, a fast-moving pickup truck tops the hill and knocks him ten feet into the air. On his death bed, Preacher Pounders wrestles with one gnawing regret. He never preached one last sermon. The one he really wanted to preach - but the one that would have cost his job. The one that would shake religion's foundation to its core - but the one the world deserves to hear. Now his all-important message may die with ...

When we’re standing at the gravesite, death gives little closure and leaves many questions unanswered. Despite the common claim that “dying is just a natural part of life,“ people seem to avoid this unsettling subject more than ever. Yet the Bible doesn’t shy away from the reality of death. God’s Word has the answers we need to face the grave with confidence in our risen Redeemer. In this book, Dr. Guy Waters provides the Bible’s answers to essential questions about death, dying, and what comes after this life.

When she was pregnant with her second child, Stephanie Arnold had a sudden and overwhelming premonition that she would die during the delivery. Although she tried to tell the medical team and her family what was going to happen, neither the doctors nor her loved ones gave her warnings credence. One member of the medical team who did take her concerns seriously enough made the fateful decision to order extra units of blood “just in case”. Then, during the delivery, Stephanie suffered a rare amniotic fluid embolism.

In today's Church, we see the world beginning to filter in as people bend to the pressures of this life. But in the Scriptures, Jesus calls us to do something radical—to come and die. As we die to our flesh, we will live with the eternal reward found only in Him. But what does that kind of death look like? In Come and Die, Pastor Joshua West explores the Scriptures and extrapolates verses to show just what Christ means when He tells His followers to "take up your cross and follow Me". Are you brave enough to accept His call, or will you continue to live this shallow life?

Through his own death in 1995, author Micah McElveen was challenged to think differently about purpose, and now challenges us to do the same. McElveen discovered that purpose was never designed to be a destination, but rather a bridge connecting you to the place where you are designed to make a difference. McElveen’s unique approach to narrative engulfs listeners in thought-provoking views on poverty, success, life, and death. Dying for Purpose will encourage you to truly live.

Un relato esclarecedor de lo que nos aguarda tras la muerte y el despertar final. Uno de los testimonios espirituales más lúcidos y poderosos de nuestro tiempo.

Contrary to popular belief, death is not a moment in time, such as when the heart stops beating, respiration ceases, or the brain stops functioning. Death, rather, is a process - a process that can be interrupted well after it has begun. Innovative techniques, such as drastically reducing the patient's body temperature, have proven to be effective in revitalizing both the body and mind, but studies show they are only employed in approximately half of the hospitals throughout the United States and Europe.

Thomas G. Long, one of America's most trusted and thoughtful pulpit voices, provides a much needed theological and cultural critique of today's Christian funeral. Long begins by describing how the Christian funeral developed historically, theologically, and liturgically and then discusses recent cultural trends in funeral practices, including the rise in number of cremations and memorial services.

If you’ve lost your identity to belong to a Christian group, this book is for you. Joining, staying, and leaving a Christian cult is a complex and confusing process. Most people do not understand that they have joined or been born into a cult or high-control Christian church because these churches offer a dependable, tight-knit community and a place to belong. Because the need to belong is primal, we are susceptible to joining groups exploiting this need.

If you've lost a spouse, child, family member, or friend, you've discovered that few people understand the deep hurt you feel. Through a Season of Grief is the first 365-day devotional designed to support and uplift you in the first, most difficult year of bereavement. These devotions offer biblical comfort and practical teaching that will enable you to take steps forward each day toward healing. You will better understand the grieving process and will receive needed encouragement along the way.

What is there about a dying church that brings glory to God? Mark Clifton's convicting answer is "nothing". Because a local church is intended to represent the work of God in a community, when that church "loses it saltiness", not only is God's work pictured as irrelevant in that community, but also dishonor and disrepute may well become associated with God's name as a result.

This book is a guide to death and the mysterious world beyond. The rituals, meditations, and exercises are designed to bring you on a journey of discovery through the most profound of all human transitions. Filled with insight and practical guidance, it shows you how to honor family and friends in spirit and discover the life-affirming aspects of every state of existence.

John Wyatt focuses on the ars moriendi—quite simply the art of dying well and dying faithfully. He offers clear direction, warm reassurance and rock-solid confidence in the One who has conquered death. We cannot choreograph our own death, but we can die well. This is a book for those who are facing death. It is also for their relatives, friends, and caretakers.

When Amy Nappa was unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage IV-B uterine cancer, her life and that of her husband's, Mike, changed forever. But they weren't the only ones whose lives were touched by Amy's courageous journey into the waiting arms of her loving Savior. What started out as a private Facebook group intended to keep family and close friends apprised of Amy's medical condition grew to include hundreds, with thousands more reading publicly about Amy daily on social media.

Church congregations all across the United States are searching for the magic bullet, the secret to attracting people, growing their membership and their cultural relevance. They are looking for the right program, or the right environment, or the right features to help bring people back into the pews. With all of this searching for the right answer, they're missing what's right in front of them: Word and Sacrament.

On December 10, 2009, Crystal McVea was being treated in a hospital for pancreatitis. Her heart stopped pumping for nine minutes before doctors managed to revive her. In those nine minutes, she went to heaven, stood with God, and was forever changed.