Master of Timing
From AP/Yahoo!:

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OVIEDO, Fla. - A Presbyterian minister collapsed and died in mid-sentence of a sermon after saying "And when I go to heaven ...," his colleague said Monday.

The Rev. Jack Arnold, 69, was nearing the end of his sermon Sunday at Covenant Presbyterian Church in this Orlando suburb when he grabbed the podium before falling to the floor, said the Rev. Michael S. Beates, associate pastor at Covenant Presbyterian.

Before collapsing, Arnold quoted the 18th century Bible scholar, John Wesley, who said, "Until my work on this earth is done, I am immortal. But when my work for Christ is done ... I go to be with Jesus," Beates said in a telephone interview....

Beates also recounted Arnold's death in an e-mail he sent to members of the Central Florida Presbytery.

"We were stunned," Beates said. "It was traumatic, but how wonderful it was he died in his own church among the people he loved the most."

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The Covenant Presbyterian Church website has more detail:

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On Sunday morning, January 9, Dr. Jack L. Arnold was transported to the presence of Christ. Jack was preaching during morning worship and as he approached the conclusion of his sermon on the cost of discipleship, as he passionately exhorted us to live for Christ and anticipate going to be with Him when your earthly work is completed, Jack paused, looked up briefly, and fell to the ground. Despite the courageous efforts of numerous members in the congregation and the Oviedo Rescue Department, Jack died from a massive cardiac arrest.

While we grieve our loss of this wonderful servant, we do not grieve without hope. Rather we grieve the loss of companionship and leadership that Jack gave, but we celebrate the example he left, the people he taught and mentored over the years, and we celebrate his final words: “To me to live is Christ, to die is gain.”

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The church website also has published the conclusion of the sermon that Dr. Arnold never got to deliver:

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Christians often have a horrible fear that if they really commit to Christ, becoming a radical in His kingdom, they will suffer so terribly and their lives will be miserable. But what does Jesus say?

The Apostle Peter also questioned whether following Christ was really worth it, and Christ gave him a direct answer.

Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first” (Matthew 19:28-30).

Was Christ jerking us around? Was He lying to us? His words are either true or false. If they are false promises, Christ is a liar, and He is not worth following. Let us go out and eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. If they are true promises, then not to follow Christ would be the biggest mistake any person could ever make. Not to follow Christ, will cost one his or her soul!

CONCLUSION

What the church needs today are true disciples, outspoken followers of Christ, and bold believers. We need radical Christians that spread the good news of Christ through love and persuasion, not through force and killing. We need men and women who are willing to suffer for the gospel and die for it if called upon to do so.

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, said, “Give me one hundred men who love God and hate sin, and we will turn the world up side down for Christ!” Wesley almost did it in his generation.

I say to you, “Give me one hundred men or women that love God and hate sin, and we will turn the world up side down for Christ!” I think I could find one hundred men and women who loved Christ in America, but I am not sure I could find one hundred men and women in America that hate sin.

We Christians just have one life to give, so let us give it for Christ and His kingdom, for eternal values and for the glory of God.

“This life will soon be past. Only what is done for Christ will last.”

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The website also has a section "For Those Who Are Curious":

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Certainly an event such as this can seem strange to those simply looking on out of curiosity. Indeed an event such as this gives us all pause to reflect on just how short life truly is. Jack knew that he would be able to look forward to the day when he would go to be with Jesus. Jack’s faith in Christ was what gave him hope; it is what gives his family and friends hope that they will one day see him again because he has gone to be with God. We should all pause and take a moment to examine our lives. Life is short and unpredictable. We do not know how many days we have on this earth. When people think about faith, a typical response is “Oh, I will deal with it some time. I am just not ready to be tied down yet.” But as we have all just witnessed, our life is but a breath that can be gone in the blink of an eye. We would ask you to consider soberly and honestly what your status before God is. Have you admitted that you are a sinner who deserves God’s wrath and punishment? Have you committed your life to Christ, asked forgiveness of your sins, and are now walking in faith daily relying on God’s grace and forgiveness? Are you what the Apostle Paul calls a “New Creation”, whose life and security is now found in Christ? If you are not, or might be confused and want to talk more, we would be happy to continue this discussion. E-mail our pastors, Jim Fitzgerald (jim@cpconline.net) or Mike Beates (mikeb@cpconline.net) and we would be happy to tell you more about the assurance that comes only through knowing Christ.

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This reminds one of a common assertion in the Christian community that atheists must necessarily face death with despair. In the interests of fairness, let's see what the atheists think:

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Materialism would suggest that the conscious, aware "Self" is established by the structures and processes of the brain. When these structures are destroyed and the processes cease, the conscious, aware "Self" ceases to exist....

Everything we know about biology and neurology and how the brain works points toward the likelihood that this marvelous organ contains everything needed to establish a conscious, aware "Self." In fact, the case can be made that the consciousness is necessary in an organism that survives by its mobility, that organisms which evolved to be mobile necessarily evolved the ability to be consciously aware....We can expect an organism that depends upon its mobility to have a consciousness as part of its ability to detect patterns of information and thereby develop an accurate understanding and awareness of its surroundings. In the mammals, the consciousness is much more sophisticated than in other species; in the human, one part of our brain has developed the amazing capacity to become aware of itself and its destiny (death)....

The prospect of personal annihilation is staggeringly frightening to most. Many of us would prefer almost any route other than to be given a convincing argument that death is final....

But if materialism is right, if the conscious, aware "Self" is established by the structures and processes within in the brain, then what "after death" will be like is what "before birth" was like: not. It will be, for us, as if we had never lived at all....

[Dr. Jack] Kevorkian concludes, "After all, how excruciating can nothingness be?" The nothingness itself? Not! But ayyyy! the prospect of not being when I happen to be right now! Thus far in my personal journey, I have accepted that there's nothing I can do to hold on to my life. Nothing will let me keep my life and I will have to die. I have accepted that much. I don't have to like it; after all, there are many things in life that I don't like. There are many things in my life that others are not required to endure but I am, and I don't like that. But still I live and function and, at times, even thrive. I have likewise, with Dr. Kevorkian, candidly asked myself how excruciating nothingness can be....

Meanwhile, what I see is people and animals having evolved and needing a consciousness to survive. I then see these animals and people die. I have absolutely no reason for believing otherwise than that their conscious, aware "Self" dies with them, the animal or human being fully equipped, complete, and ready to begin functioning once life begins....

I cannot speak for all atheists, because some tell me they have no fear of annihilation. One woman, whose husband was an atheistic activist, quietly deconverted and later told her husband how much of a relief she felt not having to think there was an afterlife. That was not my experience....

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The Positive Atheism website also posts a number of other atheist views of death:

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I see death as the ultimate end. Like the sleep before REM, when you're unaware of any time passing or any surroundings or anything. only more so. When you die, your mind shuts off like a switch and you never experience anything. It's almost impossible to imagine, which is why religions seek to explain something better. People are scared of oblivion, so they created Heaven.

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...[T]here isn't any one thing that we, as atheists, do in common to 'process death' or to grieve. We are all individuals and handle death in our own ways.

On a personal note, I will be cremated and I request that, if law still allows, my ashes be put back into the earth where they belong....

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I would relate this question to what I do when I get ready for a major race or tennis, football, whatever game. While many people pray, I pace around thinking, setting goals in my head, planning my strategy, preparing as hard as I can, and at the end, I clear my head and let things come as they will. I think I would do something similar in the face of death. In dealing with it, I just think materialistically. Life doesn't matter, mind is nothing more than electromagnetic impulses, and death is a release from a life of suffering. I don't fear my death for these reasons. (I guess its kind of ironic considering that most Christians I talk to fear death more than anything.) I guess my in my final moments I would basically drift myself into a sea of stoicism.

If I knew about my death a few weeks beforehand I would spend my last days meditating, trying to psychosomatically get my body to fight harder. The ultimate goal of any atheist is to live long enough to enjoy what little life you have, so I'm sure most of us would do the same thing....

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I can only speak for myself (although my wife also share these views) as I am sure you know that the only thing atheists have in common is that they do not believe in god(s). I accept the fact that death is inescapable and that it is also final. I have no illusions as to an afterlife. I understand that when I die that will be that, end of story. This does not bother me in the least. What I am concerned about is lying on my death bed thinking that my life was wasted. I would rather have it said of me that I was good for something. For instance, I am a martial artist and so I would wish that on my death bed I could say "well, I did the best that I could, I learned a lot and passed what I have learned to my students. Now that I am gone, what I taught will still continue to have merit." (However if that is not to be than I am okay with knowing that I did try my best at least in this one area of my life. It is what describes me the best.)

I try therefore to squeeze as much as I can from the time I think I have left (as life is full of randomness and comes with no guarantees, none of us can be sure how long we have). Of course I like to have fun as well. I suppose what I am trying to say is that I would like to think I have lived a full life. There have been mistakes to be sure but I think that they even out once the successes are counted in. I would not want to think that I wallowed in misery or self pity especially considering I live in North America which to many many people in the world must seem like a paradise.

As to preparing for death, I have filled out a card donating all my organs and I have also donated what is left of my body after that to science. So there will be no need for a burial but perhaps some use can be made of my carcass. I would hope a wake would be held with a favourite photo of me practising martial arts prominently displayed. I would wish all of my friends and students to have a few drinks or so and remember all the things I have done even the boneheaded stunts and mistakes. I know that we cherish the memory of my instructor who died in a freak accident and one of our black belts who died at an early age from cancer. These thoughts are all I need to feel comfortable with my death.

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To begin, death is as natural as any other aspect of life and is essential for the process of rebirth and renewal to maintain it. Everything living dies. Metaphorically, even large geographic entities "die"....mountains erode away, rivers dry up, vast stretches of fertile land become barren deserts, huge lakes disappear. This globe is in a constant state of flux, and the only thing that never changes is change itself. Even the Bible says, resignedly, "For dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return."

People deal with death and dying differently, and atheists are no exception. Atheists are not a monolithic, homogeneous group with a prescribed set of rules to follow; this is one of the very qualities that distinguishes them from the herd. Among atheists, there are as many ways of dealing with death as there are ashiests.

There's an old saying "Man is the only animal that knows he's going to die." But many animals seem to recognize death when they see it. Death may not be grasped in quite the same way by them as our intellectual ability of abstract thought allows us, but the predator/prey syndrome has been around since the beginning and death is deeply imbedded in the process.

Surely, no sane, normal human WANTS to die. And surely, death is a fearsome prospect, especially to the young adult....

And if you remember nothing else, remember this: Death is not the worst thing that happens to you, it's merely the last.

Meanwhile, celebrate life!

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You just do. You just deal with it, like anything else in your life. I'm not saying it doesn't hurt, because that would be an obvious lie; but you've got to work your way through your feelings, and continue on. Is that what the person who died would want anyway, for you to continue on with your life?

Now, I am not saying FORGET that person; far from it. But just keep on truckin'.

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I deal with the thought of death (which is kind of a freaky thought -- suddenly no longer existing...) by knowing that, when I die, I will be aware of nothing. Even if I die by falling thousands of miles in an airplane...I may have a pretty bad experience, plummeting to the earth and screaming and panicking like that...but when I hit, I will never have to look back on that horrifying memory again -- my mind and memories will be gone.

As far as my funeral and my family are concerned, I want them to do whatever will comfort them when I die. If they want a big funeral in a Baptist Church, although it wouldn't be fitting for me, let them do what would comfort them. However, I always did think it would be cool to have a gravestone that said, "Here lies an atheist -- all dressed up and nowhere to go." But then, I wouldn't be around to enjoy it! Anyway, it doesn't matter to ME what happens to my body after I die -- the happiness and comfort of my family is what's important.

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How atheists deal with death? With sadness, of course, like anyone. We atheists, you see, are not a bloc, and hold no prescribed rituals of the sort held on to by superstitious (religious) people. But more to your point, which probably is how we cope with death, or the prospect of death, without the illusion of a new life following this one. I guess we don't believe in magic. Or fairies. Or angels, or saviors, or big fathers in the sky, or the other fanciful figments of pretending too much, right on into adulthood. Gods are no more "real" (when you think about it) than tooth fairies and easter bunnies. And so perhaps we atheists confront death, the end of life, a little more directly than others do. We think something like ...Well, it's over. Life does end. It's as natural as can be, after all, when we observe around us. Death can be terribly sad, but each of us takes his or her turn on stage and then gets off. One's life is completed. And since atheists expect no fanciful return engagements (the stock in trade of the religions, after all), we're probably less prone, as life fades, to deal-making, pathetic wishing, and clawing for just one more ride around, just one more chance. I'm not sure that atheists die more happily, but I think we die a lot less desperately.

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Procrastinate.

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Having just lost my one and only younger brother on the 13th of September, I feel I am qualified to answer this question. Atheists react to death as they react to everything, with logic (reason) and validity (reality). I know that he is gone forever, but that he lives on in my memories and in the memories of those who loved him. The good deeds that he preformed throughout his life will live on in that chain of events of other's lives that he touched.

No one escapes death, ten out of ten of us will die, so I know that my sorrow is for myself. I grieve that his physical presence that lit up my life with his wit and laughter is denied me forever. I will never forget him and certain things will remind me of him as long as I live. I grieve now as I understand I must. But I also realize that some day, if I live long enough, my grieving will be over and I will remember him with comfort and satisfaction, and ,yes, even pleasure.

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...I have held the dying and have seen the brutal ugliness of death. It rips the sane person to the depths of their being and in being an atheist there is no "god" to run to for comfort because there is none unless it is in knowing that death shortened intractable suffering.

But there is this, grief passes if one doesn't fight it's process and one is able to take life on it's terms and enjoy the good which life so often brings.

Is there more -- a hereafter? I don't know. I have met people who have had near death experiences and they are very believable. What is it? I don't know -- there are many theories. But really, should that influence my life today? I don't think so. Why worry about what may or may not be. There's enough to do right here and now to keep one busy til the end.

Questions to atheists lead me to believe that somehow we're supposed to be heartless creatures devoid of human decency, incapable of love, charity, compassion, and joy, that maybe we don't even bleed. How strange.

For myself, I love celebrations, and celebrating a friend's or loved one's life upon their death is a very important event, not as important as being an involved participant in their lives while they are alive, but important just the same.

I know the fragility of life and do my best to never harm another being, human or non-human, for if this is it, and it may well be, harm to another is the worst sort of crime one can commit.

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How do atheists deal with death?

From my experience as a registered nurse over the course of twenty five years, I have found that atheists deal with death very well, especially when Christians don't try to convert them while they lie patiently on their death beds surrounded by their families trying to live out their lasts moments with as much dignity as possible.

Yes, I would say that atheists deal with death very well.

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While my views parallel those of the late Dr. Jack Arnold, there is one valid thing that we can learn from the atheists - while you're living, be sure to live. No theist could argue with that.