How does someone get through the death of a loved one without Christ in their life?

I am going through something like that now. My daughter has a very rare cancer, and is in her last stage. and I could not even get up in the morning with out the Lord. I have the faith to know that because my daughter is saved, she will be in a better place when her times comes and I will see her again. People who are not saved do not have that to hold on to. I don't see how they make it. I try and stay as close to the Lord as I can. He has Blessed us in this situation so much.

Well, I am an atheist, so perhaps I can thouroughly enough answer your question. Coping with loss is difficult, no matter who you are or what you believe in. Death, however, is a natural part of life. We are all going to die, and no one just dies out of no where. All you need to do is come to terms with whatever the situation is. There's nothing anyone can do to stop death, we can only prolong life. I know it's difficult, it is for everyone, but everyone has their own way of coming to terms with death. Instead of hoping we'll see our loved ones again in an afterlife, we just accept that what happened happened, and there's nothing that could change that, and that we'll never forget them for who they were and what they did on their relatively brief time on this earth.

As for where our hope is, we dont really have any. It's just a matter of letting go. We know that we can never be with them again, we dont wonder. We value our memories and hold them close to our hearts.

Coping, as I stated before, is always difficult. I dont believe it's any more difficult than turning to a God though. We turn to our loved ones; others going through the same pain, or others who can relate and comfort. In a time of grief, it is always best to be surrounded my loved ones.

I've never really thought about funerals, since everyone I know who has died has been of a certain religion. I guess I'll be coming to that question later in life.

For the last two questions, I believe in no afterlife. I believe we die and that's it. It's depressing, I know, but for me it's logical. Life is biology, not faith. We die, our life processes stop and we cease to exist. We are buried return our nutrients and energy to the earth to promote other life. We just complete one life cycle, providing what is needed for a new one. If they do believe in Christ, that's great for them, but I stand by my beliefs. Just because they believe they're going to heaven doesn't mean I have to agree with them. Whether they believe in an afterlife or not, my opinion of where they're going will remain the same.

I can only answer for myself. I'm agnostic, which means I believe that you can't know anything for sure. In a lot of ways, it makes coping with death a lot harder, because there is so much uncertainty, but in another way I have to cope with it more fully, because, well, there is uncertainty (I guess you don't believe that though). And, I get to be satisfied with the life the person did live, and make my peace with it without having to look forward to the next life to resolve anything or ... say goodbye ... or even hello again. Plus, being agnostic, I can hope that there is an afterlife of some kind. As for funerals, I have never been to a non-Christian one, but mine I expect will be led by those who love me, my family and friends.

Sorry for your loss, but personally when I lost a loved one I comforted myself in the knowledge that everything that made that person I still carry within myself and the rest of my family, not just memories but experiences and ideas or habits learned from them. Also I am pleased to think that they are joining the whole cycle of life and will continue to contribute to the lives of others within the natural world. Our deaths and departure from life doesn't mean that the idea of the person leaves Earth as well. At least a person is a complex multi-cellular organism, at its greatest a conciousness that leaves behind echoes of itself in memories, physical artifacts or ideals/traditions passed along. The loss of a loved one is very difficult, we find comfort where we can, it doesn't necessarily have to be Christ. A life, especially the life of someone passed on, is better celebrated with the living rather than worrying what lies behind that veil of death.

Perhaps the question can be turned around to ask what you have to fear of oblivion? The question then leads to, how did I live my time on earth? Which is more important? Life or death?

I am sorry for your loss. As a US Marine I have loss many friends and family. I find it easier to deal with these types of things as a non-theist. To better understand my position you should read about Epicurus. To answer your questions....

I do not create false hope. What if you or your dad go to hell?

I cope with the loss by remembering all the good times we had.

I never wonder if I will see them again because they are dead.

I turn to family and friends for comfort.

We have funerals, but they are led within or family/friend group.

There is no eternity for them to have to spend, reguardless of they belief in christ.

Christ, heaven, eternity everything is unreal and just a few concepts made by human being over the centuries. Life and death are integral to all life forms on this earth and one has to be ready for this circle of life in every moment of thier life.

We feel pain of a departed loved one and its very normal and natural. No God can reduce the pain of parting with a loved one. SO make yourself stronger and face the reality.

there is no way to tell if we will ever see our loved ones in the hear after OK

you just have to realize that they are gone and that you must go on that's all any of us can do

besides what kind of god would give eternal death to his children

maby some punishment but i don't believe that god would do that hell for eternity i think that if we do it wrong we come back that why some have past life experiences they didn't do it right to their set of specs that god had set for them and he sent them back. the Hebrews believe in reincarnation and i think that a lot of them got dis placed during the war i for one have a strong feeling for Judaism and don't know why could it be that i was born again and not to the right type of people. any way we don't really die we just change form energy never dies and that is what we are

if i got struck by lightning and said worship me cause god said so would you believe me. never once did Christ say anything about believing in him just to believe in god and that he was gods sheep for the slaughter so he could cleans the world and he also said that all the things he did we could do too.

sorry about your dad i have lost the closest people to me and it was all by the time i was 27 now im 37 so i know how it feels but i realized that i had to go on and that there was no other way. the world isn't going to stop so why should we (right)

My condolances on your dad's death - I've lost both my parents.

People grieve every day without having religion playing a part in their suffering (or lack thereof). Many times people simply find comfort in the fact that their loved ones are no longer suffering in this life, and that wherever they are, they are in a better place than where than here.

Remember, many faiths don't believe in the concept of "hell", so to think that your loved one is burning anywhere would be a foreign concept.

Every day we have to learn to let go of things and people that we love. It's part of life - nothing will last - absolutely nothing. Buddhists call this "impermanence". While we may not meet our loved ones again, we rejoice in the fact that we knew them and loved them, and cherish the time we did get to spend with them on this level of existance.

When I coped, my hope came from my family. They kept me calm. Everyone grieves in a different way, and your way was to turn to the comfort of religion. That's not bad, don't get me wrong, but it is your way. Other people turn to family, like me, and then some do veyr different things altogether. You see coping with death without Christ as impossible because that is how it was for you. But everyone is different, so it is quite possible for others to grief in some other way.

It is not for you to worry after his death. Have a funeral with the Pastor that you choose and make closure in your life. God will take care of everything in the end, and you will see who you are supposed to see afterwards. We all have to pray and leave our family with the Lord. If they are Christians then we know we will see them again, and if we don't know, then it is not our problem. It is always difficult and no one can make it easier. The Lord will comfort you..