test results and the afterlife

I remember during my clinical pastoral education studies watching a short film about a man who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I remember he had a wife and some teenaged children. In the face of his certain death he became fanatical about his belief in the afterlife and insisted that his family not be sad because he wasn’t really dying but transferring to a better place. They weren’t allowed to be sad or cry, even after he died. He insisted. We were shown the film as students because it was obvious the man was coping with his suffering by adopting a posture of denial with belief for its engine. It was sad to watch him and his family unwilling or unable to process their grief. Tragic.

A Christian pastor blogger called Pastor Mike is strongly suggesting that there be “The Christian National Registry of Atheists” in the USA. He says:

I mean, think about it. There are already national Registrys (sic) for convicted sex offenders, ex-convicts, terrorist cells, hate groups like the KKK, skinheads, radical Islamists, etc…

This way, he argues, they can be targeted by Christians for conversion to Christianity. But if they refuse conversion, then Christians can boycott their businesses so that Christians don’t inadvertently “feed Satan”.

I have an idea! Let’s force the atheists wear black armbands also. And Jews can wear yellow ones. Oh… wait…

I want to thank my friend Helen Sotiriadis, an atheist blogger as well as an amazing photographer, for making this known to me. You can read more about it at this atheist blog.

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