These are the types of questions I typically use when the clergy visit the class. We typically focus on death & dying, but that doesn't have to be the case this time. Please note which ones you find most interesting and post others.
- What questions do the dying ask? What stories can you tell?
- Comment on
- the claim that “you die as you live”
- dying as a process
- What fears to people have about dying, as opposed to fears about being dead?
- Death anxiety: what are people afraid of (typically)?
- Myths & misconceptions about death
- Biologically
- Socially
- Spiritually
- Religiously (particularly re: your own faith tradition)
- Special cases: babies, children, suicide
- Near death experiences
- What kind of issues as clergy do you face regarding diverse spiritual beliefs
- What are the general spiritual needs of folks?
- What special needs to the dying have?
- dignity therapy; framing the dying experience
- 11th Hour and like programs: why are we concerned that people not die alone (unless they want to).
- Prayer—as a tool or intervention—what does it mean and how might it reflect one’s belief about the self and/or the afterlife?
- Based on your experience and study, how would you suggest we better prepare ourselves for loss?
- Dying & death rituals
- What stories do you have about people (patients, but also families if applicable) who:
- waited until an important event/date happened to die?
- Had a very difficult (spiritually) dying & death
The questions that really interest me are the last few that focus on people's spirituality and their own deaths. I feel it would be interesting to get some different perspectives on people struggling with faith, especially those who are close to death. However morbid that may sound, I feel that there is something to be learned from these types of experiences.
ReplyDeleteOne question that I would like to ask the Catholic Clergy is, "What ever happened to Limbo?" For those who don't know, at one time Catholics believed (or tossed around the idea) that there was a special place that babies went to if they died before they were baptized. Growing up, I only ever heard of this concept in passing or in jokes, so I would love to learn more about it.
I particularly liked the question about what fears people have about dying as opposed to being dead. Are the two really that different? Or is a big difference between the two only when a "bad" dying experience is expected. I also would like to discuss people in comas. Since I have told the class that I lean toward a higher brain definition of death, I would like to know about these "suspended state" patients. Are they really already dead and their body is merely a "breathing corpse?" Does this mean their soul is hovering waiting for the body itself to die before going into the after life? Or are they in full awareness and, as some have rumored, able to hear and process everything around them, just in a paralyzed state?
ReplyDeleteI think it would be interesting to know how a person's view on death has changed throughout life. Do people still fear death or have they come to terms with death, And of so, what events have changed a person's view on death.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I think it would be interesting to know the clergy's personal blief on death. To be someone who had witnessed so many deaths, both good and bad, I fell that maybe he would have shaped his own personal beliefs, and maybe have some great insight on death and dying. Has seeing certain types of death tested his faith, or made him question what he beliefs about death? I think these particular questions would be interesting to know.
I would love to hear if he has witnessed any near death religious experiences. I have heard stories of some people seeing religious figures or having a miraculous experience right before they die. I would also ask if it helps or weakens his faith when he observes that much suffering and transitioning. Also, I would like his opinion on what will happen after death
ReplyDeleteI would be most interested to know more about the views on afterlife and how that relates to death anxiety. For example, are people anxious about death because they are going to cease to be in this life, or is it more because they fear the consequences (hell) that may await them in afterlife, or something else? Also, in their experience, does it seem like many people suddenly "find religion" when they are on their deathbed and realize that their time is limited and really start to realize their mortality? All the other questions posed in the original post and the comments are interesting as well, those are just a few that I am interested in finding out.
ReplyDeleteI like the question of "Based on your experience and study, how would you suggest we better prepare ourselves for loss?" I like this question because it ties into our class, and it also is a question I would like to hear answered. I also would've like to ask them if they view death as an event or process.
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