Understanding Death

A comprehensive survey of how religions understand death, dying, and the afterlife, drawing on examples from Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Shamanic perspectives. Considers shared and differing views of death across the world’s major religions, including on the nature of death itself, the reasons for it, the identity of those who die, religious rituals, and on how the living should respond to death Places emphasis on the varying concepts of the ‘self’ or soul Uses a thematic structure to facilitate a broader comparative understanding Written in an accessible style to appeal to an undergraduate audience, it fills major gap in current textbook literature

Understanding Death and Dying teaches students about death, dying, bereavement, and afterlife beliefs by asking them to apply this content to their lives and to the world around them. Students see differing cultural experiences discussed in context with key theories and research. The text’s pedagogy delivers relevant multi- and cross-cultural applications and connections across topics. This helps students evaluate their personal assumptions and appreciate how the content applies to their own current and future roles as individuals, family members, work colleagues, and as part of a community. The text simultaneously challenges learners to consider their own perspectives and to think critically about the parallels between their own lives and different cultures. Included with this title: The password-protected Instructor Resource Site (formally known as SAGE Edge) offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides.

Finally, family members and professionals have true guidance for these difficult, but necessary, conversations. Author Catherine Faherty offers detailed, concrete explanations of illness, dying, life after death, losing a pet, and numerous other issues. Her descriptions are written with such care, even caregivers will be comforted by her words. The "Communication Forms" following each short topic will engage learners and include them in the conversation, allowing them to share personal experiences, thoughts, and concerns. Wonderful chapters such as "What People May Learn When Facing Death" and "Role Models and Mentors" put death into perspective in terms of life and encourage us all to live fully. Catherine covers important topics such as: Illness and Injury Recuperating and Healing When Someone is Dying What Happens to the Person Who Dies Putting Pets to Sleep Rituals and Traditions What People Say and Do Plus many more!

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 licence. This book is a multidisciplinary work that investigates the notion of posthumous harm over time. The question what is and when is death, affects how we understand the possibility of posthumous harm and redemption. Whilst it is impossible to hurt the dead, it is possible to harm the wishes, beliefs and memories of persons that once lived. In this way, this book highlights the vulnerability of the dead, and makes connections to a historical oeuvre, to add critical value to similar concepts in history that are overlooked by most philosophers. There is a long historical view of case studies that illustrate the conceptual character of posthumous punishment; that is, dissection and gibbetting of the criminal corpse after the Murder Act (1752), and those shot at dawn during the First World War. A long historical view is also taken of posthumous harm; that is, body-snatching in the late Georgian period, and organ-snatching at Alder Hey in the 1990s.

A touching and personal exploration of mortality and death that explores the inevitable journey of human life, and the acceptance of faith. Understanding Death: The Most Important Event of Your Life illustrates the need to prepare for this important moment, even though many ignore its inevitability. There is no escape from death and the grief that can consume one when faced by the loss of family and friends. The authors personal insight offers encouragement that death is not the end but the beginning of a new spiritual existence. Author John Hatcher surveys his own life, the decisions he has made over the years, and how those experiences have impacted him. Accepting that death is not the end, that there is another journey, and that there is time to accept the inevitable and prepare for the life hereafter can bring peace and comfort to all.

When the death of a relative, a friend, or a pet happens or is about to happen . . . how can we help a child to understand? Lifetimes is a moving book for children of all ages, even parents too. It lets us explain life and death in a sensitive, caring, beautiful way. Lifetimes tells us about beginnings. And about endings. And about living in between. With large, wonderful illustrations, it tells about plants. About animals. About people. It tells that dying is as much a part of living as being born. It helps us to remember. It helps us to understand. Lifetimes . . . a very special, very important book for you and your child. The book that explains—beautifully—that all living things have their own special Lifetimes.

This book focuses on death as life’s paradox in order to test, to put on trial, what it means for us human beings to exist. No one of us chooses to be born. Yet, having been born, we must choose to have been born, to live, to exist. To exist is to choose to exist. To choose to exist is to live with our choices. This text argues that death is the limit of life, that we can live freely and lovingly, at once justly and compassionately, solely within the limit of death. It shows that we can develop a comprehensive conception of life, and also of death, solely insofar as we learn to overcome the dualistic opposition between philosophy and theology that continues today to falsify our understanding of not only the secular, but also the sacred.