Is Death Evil?

[exchemist]

Everybody dies. Death is as much a part of biological existence as is birth.

Is death evil? If you believe it is, why?

Does anybody seriously think this, in your opinion?

 

[SalixIncendium]

Does anybody seriously think this, in your opinion?

Yes. See post #9 of this thread.

 

[Skwim]

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Evil is a mindset, not a result. Therefore, death is not evil.​

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[rrobs]

Everybody dies. Death is as much a part of biological existence as is birth.

Is death evil? If you believe it is, why?

I'd be interested in finding out the age of those participating in this thread. I think few fear death while young in age. Fifty or sixty years, after all, is practically an eternity to the young. Death is not even on the horizon. However, as one ages their attitude on death changes. It becomes a bit more sinister, to say the least.

If anybody is interested in a scriptural view of death;

1Cor 15:26,

The last enemy [that] shall be destroyed [is] death.
​

God calls death an enemy, not at all friendly. This verse is actually talking about the future when Jesus returns and sets up the new earth in which there will be no more death. That should be pretty nice.

 

[Spirit of Light]

I'd be interested in finding out the age of those participating in this thread. I think few fear death while young in age. Fifty or sixty years, after all, is practically an eternity to the young. Death is not even on the horizon. However, as one ages their attitude on death changes. It becomes a bit more sinister, to say the least.

If anybody is interested in a scriptural view of death;

1Cor 15:26,

The last enemy [that] shall be destroyed [is] death.
​

God calls death an enemy, not at all friendly. This verse is actually talking about the future when Jesus returns and sets up the new earth in which there will be no more death. That should be pretty nice.

Since you want to know age and reason for why not being afraid of death My age is 42 and death does not scare me Because it is not the end, only a transformation to something non-physical or maybe physical if we are born again on earth?

 

[SalixIncendium]

I'd be interested in finding out the age of those participating in this thread. I think few fear death while young in age. Fifty or sixty years, after all, is practically an eternity to the young. Death is not even on the horizon. However, as one ages their attitude on death changes. It becomes a bit more sinister, to say the least.

I disagree with this idea entirely. It may be in part the shift in my worldview and a product of my experiences, but in my youth, I feared death.

Now, well into the autumn of my temporal existence in relative reality, I have no fear of death whatsoever.

 

[rrobs]

Since you want to know age and reason for why not being afraid of death My age is 42 and death does not scare me Because it is not the end, only a transformation to something non-physical or maybe physical if we are born again on earth?

You are still young. I didn't mean to say everybody at some point looks at death with a fair amount of trepidation as they age, but most do. You may very well be an exception to the rule. You'll just have to wait about 30 or so more years to see. A lot can happen in 30 years. Attitudes change.

The hope for a Christian (I'm not about to say you or anybody else is or is not a Christian - another topic altogether) is that Jesus is going to return again. Only this time he will not be a sheep led to the slaughter, but he will come as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He'll be coming to set up a new earth which will be like the Garden of Eden with one exception; there will be no tree of knowledge of good and evil to eat from. There will only be a tree of life. In words, since man can not follow one simple law from God (don't eat the tree of knowledge), Jesus will make the next one without conditions. We won't be able to loose everlasting life like Adam did. Anyway, that's what the scriptures say about it.

 

[George-ananda]

Is death evil?

I'll go with the 'No' answer. The great architecture of reality baked death into the drama to allow for continual renewal. An infinity of finite life would not be good if we really think it out.

I can see for those that see life in only a materialist/physicalist way would see death as the big enemy (the proverbial devil).

 

[LuisDantas]

Everybody dies. Death is as much a part of biological existence as is birth.

Is death evil? If you believe it is, why?

Hardly. Death is both as normal and unavoidable part of biological reality as anything could be, and a very much indispensable part of the mechanisms for social and political stability in our communities.

 

[Spirit of Light]

You are still young. I didn't mean to say everybody at some point looks at death with a fair amount of trepidation as they age, but most do. You may very well be an exception to the rule. You'll just have to wait about 30 or so more years to see. A lot can happen in 30 years. Attitudes change.

The hope for a Christian (I'm not about to say you or anybody else is or is not a Christian - another topic altogether) is that Jesus is going to return again. Only this time he will not be a sheep led to the slaughter, but he will come as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He'll be coming to set up a new earth which will be like the Garden of Eden with one exception; there will be no tree of knowledge of good and evil to eat from. There will only be a tree of life. In words, since man can not follow one simple law from God (don't eat the tree of knowledge), Jesus will make the next one without conditions. We won't be able to loose everlasting life like Adam did. Anyway, that's what the scriptures say about it.

One of the reasons i have no fear of death is because I seen both my parents pass away(from cancer) and in the moment of death my father looked at us and said, It is time for me to leave now, they are here to pick me up then he closed his eyes and was gone to the other side. My father was a Christian, but personally I chose the path of Buddha dharma. But I am not against Christianity and their view, Just chose another path for this life

 

[rrobs]

I disagree with this idea entirely. It may be in part the shift in my worldview and a product of my experiences, but in my youth, I feared death.

Now, well into the autumn of my temporal existence in relative reality, I have no fear of death whatsoever.

I suppose I overly generalized. I should have allowed for exceptions. Happy for you that you are one such exception. Hopefully your worldview won't shift back to fear in the winter.

But if it does, there is always the promise of eternal life in Christ. The scriptures say that those who confess Jesus as Lord and believe God raised him from the dead will "fall asleep" (1 Thes 4:14, et. al.) instead of die. When Jesus returns he'll wake up the sleeping Christians and give them a brand new body. That body will be just like his resurrected body. He did some pretty interesting things after his resurrection. It's all in the gospels. The key characteristic of that new body is that it will never see death like the first one.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I suppose I overly generalized. I should have allowed for exceptions. Happy for you that you are one such exception. Hopefully your worldview won't shift back to fear in the winter.

But if it does, there is always the promise of eternal life in Christ. The scriptures say that those who confess Jesus as Lord and believe God raised him from the dead will "fall asleep" (1 Thes 4:14, et. al.) instead of die. When Jesus returns he'll wake up the sleeping Christians and give them a brand new body. That body will be just like his resurrected body. He did some pretty interesting things after his resurrection. It's all in the gospels. The key characteristic of that new body is that it will never see death like the first one.

Hopefully new body has a better wear-out warranty that this one. If it's less than 100 years/1,000,000 miles, I'm shopping elsewhere.

Of course, I probably voided the warranty on this one early on anyway by not doing the preventative maintenance outlined in the owner's manual.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Everybody dies. Death is as much a part of biological existence as is birth.

Is death evil? If you believe it is, why?

I don't think death has a personality.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I don't think death has a personality.

I don't know. In my experience, he appears pretty polite.

He has a pretty good sense of humor, from what I understand, as well.

 

[questfortruth]

I created this thread as to not derail your thread linked above and take it from a Biblical debate there. Thanks for coming to my playground...



So if I understand your premise correctly, death is a result of demonic possession brought forth by sin.

If this is the case, I would have to conclude that there has been no human that has been free from sin since the Adam and Eve.

I would further have to conclude that your worldview includes sin in animals, as every animal that has been born unto the earth has died.

Let's not forget about plants. They must sin as well. While many live longer than their animal counterparts, they, too, experience the evils of death and are possessed by demons.

I would also conclude that animals and plants, since they sin, are also possessed by demons.

Of course, let's not forget the earth, which will ultimately be incinerated as our sun as it progresses from a yellow dwarf to a red giant. So by your logic, the earth sins and is possessed by demons.

And the stars...and...

Am I following your logic correctly?

You only aim is to confuse me. Do you know difference between animal and human? The animal can be seen as Biological Artificial Intellegence: bio-robot.

 

[Stevicus]

I suppose somewhat related to the topic of death being evil, I often hear people use phrases like "he died a meaningless death." But then, is death ever really "meaningful," and does it really matter anyway? Death is death.

So, I suppose one can view the manner of a person's death as being evil or good, as well as the funeral rites related to the disposition of the corpse. I recall various superstitions about speaking ill of the dead, and it's commonly believed that desecration of someone's grave or corpse is an act of "evil."

There are some people who fear cemeteries, as if they believe there's some kind of evil presence there. The culture is filled with stories of undead, zombies, ghosts, vampires, or other kinds of unnatural, evil things.

Maybe these stories are rooted in a natural fear of death within ourselves, but it gets to the point where some people fear anything and everything that's dead (and whatever form it might take) - except for steaks and hamburgers and bacon - but that's different.

 

[SalixIncendium]

You only aim is to confuse me. Do you know differents between animal and human?

Yes. Human (homo-sapiens) is a subset of animal.

The animal can be seen as Biological Artificial Intellegence: bio-robot.

And depending on makeup, application or appearance, the human can be seen as a clown.

 

[rrobs]

One of the reasons i have no fear of death is because I seen both my parents pass away(from cancer) and in the moment of death my father looked at us and said, It is time for me to leave now, they are here to pick me up then he closed his eyes and was gone to the other side. My father was a Christian, but personally I chose the path of Buddha dharma. But I am not against Christianity and their view, Just chose another path for this life

Well, I think you brought up a good point. I think that at the very end, many people to in fact revert to the attitude they held in youth (< 40 or 50). I guess the fear starts out very little in youth, grows as one ages, and right at the end the fear pretty much fizzles out altogether. Still, many fear death for too many
years when there is really no need to do so.

Perhaps your father was peaceful because he had the hope that Jesus will raise him again and give him a new body that will never taste death again. Seems to me that ought to offer a fair amount of consolation on one's deathbed. I'm not exactly sure what Buddhism offers the adherent at death, but I couldn't imagine how it could be any better than the hope of a Christian.

Rev 21:4,

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
​

What could be any better than that?

Please don't misunderstand me as trying to convert you. I'm happy for you that you have something to comfort you in life's trials. I'm just saying some of the things I've seen in the scriptures.

Take care.

 

[questfortruth]

Yes. Human (homo-sapiens) is a subset of animal.

And depending on makeup application or appearance, the human can be seen as a clown.

I rest on Bible. I do not rest on different platform. So, you can not disprove me by blaming, that I do not use your platform. The knowledge of a person is defined as knowledge, which is based on his platform. The Biblical God and His Church is my platform. So, please, speak in my terms.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Well, I think you brought up a good point. I think that at the very end, many people to in fact revert to the attitude they held in youth (< 40 or 50). I guess the fear starts out very little in youth, grows as one ages, and right at the end the fear pretty much fizzles out altogether. Still, many fear death for too many
years when there is really no need to do so.

Perhaps your father was peaceful because he had the hope that Jesus will raise him again and give him a new body that will never taste death again. Seems to me that ought to offer a fair amount of consolation on one's deathbed. I'm not exactly sure what Buddhism offers the adherent at death, but I couldn't imagine how it could be any better that the hope of a Christian.

Rev 21:4,

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
​

What could be any better than that?

Please don't misunderstand me as trying to convert you. I'm happy for you that you have something to comfort you in life's trials. I'm just saying some of the things I've seen in the scriptures.

Take care.

I do not worry you trying to convert me I believe if you found truth in Jesus and his teaching that is very good and I am happy for you
Buddhism is a lot about seeing things as they truly are. example death is unavoidable as long we are in human body (physical life) And the fear of death lay often in attachments to life, we are afraid of losing everything we accumulated during a long life. Not death in itself i would think