Discussion Questions
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Commenting on death, Dallas Willard said, “Death is avoided in common discussions by human beings because it is the ultimate failure. At death you face the fact you are not God, you do not run the universe. Death is the ultimate vulnerability.” In what ways have you seen people express their sense of vulnerability when considering their own death or the death of someone they care about? Do you agree with the statement: “At death you face the fact you are not God”? Explain your answer.
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I have seen people express their own sense of vulnerability when considering death when they identify that they fear dying or the death of a loved one.
As for the statement, “At death you face the fact you are not God”, I think that death is one of the many times we face this fact.
Specifically, in death we realize that the illusion of control that we thought we may of had in life was truly just an illusion. God is in control at all times. -
When people lost their lives i mean die there’s much of tragic, frustration, desperation and worries,i do agree death is very scary, to non believers do not have any an idea once they die what will happen to them, but other funeral people are happy especially believers because they know their friend is going to meet God in heaven, so when we die in christ we are going to live with him in heaven (John 14:1-6)
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I have experienced with my own family how at the end we may realize how vulnerable and sinful we have been. I think when we are on our death beds we see that everything has been meaningless without God, for we know we are not God. All the arguments, all the opinions, all the resentments, show us at the end how unlike God we have been. There is the fear of judgment for our deeds. Or we remember them all? Or do we just remember the bad ones? I know that when I realized I may not wake up, I had to make sure I knew God loved me. Without that assurance of his love, I had no fear of the judgement to come. I knew I was not God for I felt the pain of leaving my family behind. But somehow, God gave me peace knowing they will be okay too someday. If my total trust is in Him, then I also know that I am not Him.
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I do have vulnerability after the death of my loved one for 28 years and 9 months. I remember having a discussion with my spouse about life after death and he felt like there will be one time when all mankind meets God. I figured it happens as we pass on to the other side, but then we talked about what we will be like after death and my husband replied “I don’t know it’s a mystery” well he now knows the mystery. I like that God knows it all, it’s a source of comfort for me to know that, yes I’m very vulnerable without my spouse, we love the gifts God gives us.
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I have seen a friend express their vulnerability when a close friend of theirs died. They knew this friend was most likely not in heaven. It has personally affected me in that I have close relative who claims to be an atheist. I worry about something happening to her because she isn’t ready to meet Jesus. I don’t think as a Christian you face the fact that you are not God because we already know this and are ready to our maker, at least I am. I feel like non-believers probably do come to the realization that there is God once they face death.
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Doug Groothuis stated, “Our culture is very interested in life after death. You think of the interest in near-death experiences, in attempting to communicate with spirit guides or higher beings, or I think some of the interest in extraterrestrial life is really rooted in a desire to transcend the limitations of this life.” Do you agree with Doug Groothuis’ statement? Why or why not? Can you think of other theories that speak to the human need to survive death? What are they? Why are those views held?
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