ditto

I agree. As a Christian, I'm supposed to warn others about Hell and the consequences of sin but after death it's pointless. There is no other reason to say such a thing than to hurt someone. For him to say this is bad enough, but to say it in front of the dead man's children is unbelieveable. His lack of love here only points to the fact that he, himself, needs to check his own reservation in eternity.

While we can't sometimes know where a person is headed I do believe we can know other times. For instance, there is a big diff in death for those that are in Christ and those that are not and it's well documented. I just had a friend's father die and just as he took his last breath, he had a huge smile on his face. The whole family at his bedside saw this as well as the nurse. The nurse said she had never seen so much love in one room like that before. The man's unruly teenage grandson, started crying asking what that meant (his grandfather's radiant face). Many people that weekend came to Christ as a result of that one death.

Billy Graham wrote about his mother who died and what happened at her bedside. I've actually got a collection of deathbed experiences from both ends of the spectrum. So, I do believe sometimes we can know especially those with a strong faith. But we can't always know on this side of eternity.

I'm not going to argue with KFC (or get into a debate), but I disagree that " there's a big diff in death for those who are in Christ and those who are not." There are many good people on this earth who have not "found Christ" but who devote their lives to others whether it be by a smile, a friendly welcome, friendship, donations to charity and caring for others. Are they excluded because they are "not in Christ"?

The idea that, upon death, those in Christ have an advantage (for what, to what?), is a fallacy. We are all judged equal and the man who scorns others fades quickly from the mind. The man who does good is revered and lives on in memories. That is the Heaven and the Hell. There is no mythical Heaven or Hell---it is just not logical---there are memories. To put it simply a good man enjoys heaven on earth and a bad man enjoys hell on earth, a tormented, twisted, negative existence.

However, I am not one to scorn people like KFC or other Christians, because the Bible teaches about paradise and the inferno. Therefore if you believe that is the right way (and your believing has done more good than can be imagined), then I go along with your beliefs. As a realist and sceptic I see it another way. I see objectively, you see mythically. No harm in that.

Adnauseam,

I also label myself as a realist and a skeptic. I tend to always try my best at being objective as well. I can be all those things and still believe that the descriptions of heaven and hell as laid out in scripture are for real.

I think we owe it to ourselves to totally research this subject just in case it does matter (and of course I do think it does) because afterwards it will be too late. Just the fact that many come to Christ after seeing a Christian's life and death here speaks volumes. It's said the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the faith.

Quite often death reminds us and opens the door for us to glimpse even for a minute or two the possibility that maybe there is something we need to be doing here to prepare for the other side. We need not push that idea out of our heads.

KFC : " ----maybe there is something we need to be doing here to prepare for the other side."

That 'something' is doing good for our fellow man, whether in Christ or not. I do respect your views KFC---we just don't think the same way.

Oh, I don't agree. I've seen plenty a 'bad man' living it up here on earth just as happily as any 'good man' and usually at the 'good man's' expense.   

ya, I agree.

There's a saying that goes,

This earth is the only heaven an unbeliever will ever know.

This earth is the only hell a believer will ever know.

For a Christian, this earth is not our home. We are strangers here, waiting to go home.