An elderly Chinese immigrant, hospitalized with terminal disease, requests to burn incense. A 30-year-old Roman Catholic gay male, dying of AIDS, is consumed by deepening moral guilt, troubled by beliefs he thought he abandoned years ago. A mother whose teenage son died of an aneurism is angry at God over his death yet fearful of expressing that anger lest He 'punish her again.' A young widower seemingly has difficulty expressing grief believing it to be a sign of weak faith. All of these examples illustrate the kinds of issues that clinicians and counselors constantly encounter. For although North American society has long been characterized as secular, this does not deny the potency of spiritual concerns and religious values on the individual level. Polls affirm that vast majorities of North Americans both believe in God and consider religion important in their lives. This is clearly evident when one faces the crisis of dying or bereavement. For, one of the strengths of belief is that it provides support and succor at a time when secular explanations are largely silent. For these reasons, educators and clinicians have long recognized the significance that religious and spiritual themes have in counseling with the dying and bereaved. Yet, in cultures as religiously diverse as the U.S. and Canada, caregivers and educators may feel inadequate to the task. Death and Spirituality addresses this need. Specifically it seeks to reach two, perhaps overlapping, audiences. First, it considers the needs death-related counselors and educators, seeking to provide them with both a sense of the norm of religious tradition and the religious and spiritual issues that might arise in illness and bereavement, as well as suitable interventions, approaches, and resources that might be useful in assisting clients in examining and resolving such issues. The book also speaks to the complementary needs of clergy who also may wish to assist parishioners and others as they face the spiritual and psychological crisis of dying and grief.

Robert C. Solomon, who died in 2007, was Professor of Philosophy and Quincy Lee Centennial Professor of Business at the University of Texas, USA. As the first book comprehensively to examine the breadth of Solomon’s contribution to philosophy, this volume ranks as a vital addition to the literature. It includes a newly published transcript of Solomon’s last talk, which responded to Arindam Chakrabarti on the concept of revenge, as well as the considered views of prominent figures in the numerous subfields in which Solomon worked. The content analyses his perspectives on the philosophy of emotion, virtue, business ethics, and religion, in addition to philosophical history, existentialism, and the many other topics that held this prolific thinker’s attention. Solomon memorably defined philosophy itself as ‘the thoughtful love of life’, and despite the diversity of his output, he was most drawn by central questions about the meaning of life, the essential role that emotions play in finding that meaning, and the human imperative to seek ‘emotional integrity’, in which one’s thoughts, emotions, and actions all contribute to a coherent narrative. The essays included here draw attention to the interconnections between the issues Solomon addressed, and evince the manner in which he embodied that integrity, living a life at one with his philosophy. They emphasize the central themes of passion, ethics, and spirituality, which threaded through his work, and the way these ideas informed his views on how we should approach grief and death. The multiplicity of topics alone make this keystone work an enlightening read for a full spectrum of students of philosophy, providing much to ponder and recounting a subtle and shining example of the emotional integrity Solomon worked so hard to define.

In this new volume, death is treated both as a threat to meaning and as an opportunity to create meaning.

This comprehensive study of the intersection of death and religion offers a unique look at how religious people approach death in the twenty-first century. Previous scholarship has largely focused on traditional beliefs and paid little attention to how religious traditions evolve in relation to their changing social context. Employing a sociological approach, "Death and Religion in a Changing World" describes how people from a wide variety of faiths draw on and adapt traditional beliefs and practices as they deal with death in modern societies. The book includes coverage of newly emerging social and religious phenomena that are only just beginning to be analyzed by religion scholars, such as public shrines, the role of the media, spiritual bereavement groups, and the use of the Internet in death practices.

Winner of the Award of Excellence of the Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship 2010. The teaching of Kenyon, Hagin and Copeland that Jesus ‘died spiritually’ (JDS) is important because of the influence of these men, not least on Pentecostalism. JDS originated with Kenyon, and has been taught in the Word-faith movement by Hagin and Copeland, despite much criticism. It incorporates three elements: in this death, Jesus was separated from God; partook of a satanic nature; and was Satan’s prey. This theological appraisal takes research far further than previous works, both in method and in scope. It concludes that adoption of JDS by Pentecostalism would be damaging in several respects, and thus draw the latter away from its moorings in traditional Christianity. Pentecostals and others are advised to reject the bulk of this teaching.

Review: "More than 100 scholars contributed to this carefully researched, well-organized, informative, and multi-disciplinary source on death studies. Volume 1, "The Presence of Death," examines the cultural, historical, and societal frameworks of death, such as the universal fear of death, spirituality and varioius religions, the legal definition of death, suicide, and capital punishment. Volume 2, "The Response to Death," covers such topics as rites and ceremonies, grief and bereavement, and legal matters after death."--"The Top 20 Reference Titles of the Year," American Libraries, May 2004.

Webster's dictionary defines myth as aEURoea thing having only an unverifiable or imaginary existence.aEUR How fitting, then, to refer to this widely accepted concept of spiritual death as a myth. Over thirty years ago, I came to a place of understanding where the concept seemed to fit the events of the Garden of Eden. Admittedly, I never really challenged the teaching. Today, most Christian believers have accepted spiritual death as the fulfillment of God's warning to Adam and Eve: aEURoeFor in the day that thou eat thereof thou shalt surely dieaEUR (Genesis 2:17). And if spiritual death is a reality, then the requirements that Jesus told Nicodemus to be aEURoeborn again to see the kingdom of GodaEUR (John 3:3) seem to fit as well. Man has spiritually died and now needs to be born again of the spirit. With our limited intellect, we simply love to have everything figured out, boxed up, and placed on the shelf. For the believer, as you spend time in the Word of God, you soon realize that much is unclear and most is left to faith. Thankfully, there are times when the person of the Holy Spirit speaks a nugget of truth into our spirits and a clearer revelation bursts forth. Perhaps you will find nothing new in this discourse; perhaps it will shake up your theology just a bit. It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will illuminate your spirit to the truth of what was really lost in the garden transgressions and what Jesus Christ requires of each of His disciples. Secondly, that you will discover God's intentions for the marriage relationship. And finally, stir your spirit to more diligently and prayerfully study your Bible, like the Bereans found in the book of Acts, and aEURoesearch the Scriptures daily whether those things be soaEUR (Acts 17:11 KJV).

Most of the information in this book came from Angels and Spiritual Masters, who are living in the greater World of Spirit. Therefore, I would like to thank all the Angels and Masters who came down to do their work for God in Love and with Love, and all their helpers, who helped me to fulfill an oath I made. During an out of the body experience, while standing at Mountain Zion in the Presence of God, I promised Him that I would tell all the people the truth about Him and His Spiritual Messengers, the Angels and other life in the Spirit World. All the Angels and Masters spoken to have nothing but Love for God, their fellows spirits, all of Mankind and the Animal Kingdom. Life as we know it, continuo after death in a slightly different format, and regardless of what we say or believe every one of us knows deep in our inner being that we came from the world of spirit, and we knows deep inside ourselves that that world is real, and that we must one day return to it. Regardless of what we say or believe, we know within ourselves about the Presence of God! I have used most of these short stories as talks during church services, because Angels advised me what to write down, and to use what they have shown me in the world of spirit, as the talk. Therefore, most of the information in this book is from spiritual beings, they are the real authors of this book. I am just an instrument used by them as a voice box in the wilderness of Babel', to explain some of the wonderful stories we read of in the bible. In this way am I also complying with the vow I made to God.

This collection of previously unpublished essays addresses a wide range of topics relevant to the on-going debates regarding dying and death and the subtleties, nuances, and complexities accompanying these phenomena. The authors have attempted to contribute their experiences, insights, and research results to clarify rather than obfuscate. Topic coverage is broad; however, content depth is not sacrificed. The diversity of authors' backgrounds, both geographical and disciplinary, also serves to make this volume unique. The chapters in this volume offer a substantial contribution in assisting care-givers in arriving at acceptable ethical positions in their pastoral, counseling, medical, and mortician roles.