Faith, science, dying and death
“Thou knowest ‘tis common; all that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternity.”
– Shakespeare, “Hamlet,” Act 1, scene 2
We have a choice: We can embrace dying and death as a process both natural and spiritual. In it, we face our final – and in some ways, our most difficult – phase of human development.
Today, panelists consider spiritual perspectives of end-of-life during our free seminar, hosted by PEACE’s Contemporary Issues Study Group. Panelists include:
- Marie Barth: Sharing the perspective of the Baha’i community. The Bahá’í faith is founded on love for God, service to humanity and the unity of all religions. (Bahá’ís believe God sent Abraham, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha and other major religious figures, including their faith’s founder Bahá’u’lláh,as divine educators for the advancement of civilization.)
- Patt Lind-Kyle: A Nevada County resident and hospice volunteer who has written extensively about the connection between science and spirituality and how that relates to the way we approach end-of-life. “An awakened mind allows a peaceful, loving death,” Lind-Kyle writes.
- Eileen Smith-Le Van: Peace’s pastor will offer insights from the Judeo-Christian perspective.
Small-group discussions will be organized at the audience’s request.
Our morning starts at 9 a.m. with coffee and light snacks in the Old Fellowship Hall. This is the concluding session of a five-part series is hosted by PEACE’s Contemporary Issues Study Group.
PEACE is at 828 W. Main St., across from Lyman Gilmore School near downtown Grass Valley. For more information, call (530) 273-9631.
Bring your questions!
Our series so far
PEACE’s series on “End of Life Issues” has covered many key concerns surrounding the final years and death itself for us and for the dear elders in our lives, including:
- Maintaining the quality of one’s last years by preventing falls, ensuring good nutrition and social contact, improving balance and staying as active as possible
- Navigating Medicare and other insurance options to make sure one gets good medical care
- Hospice care when the end is near – a compassionate alternative that lets death take its course, while providing comfort and easing pain
- California’s new “right to die” law – the End of Life Option Act, giving terminally ill people the option to obtain a life-ending drug and administer it to themselves
- Planning for funerals and memorial services – so much easier when done ahead of the emotional upset that surrounds death.