If a family member, or friend, dies and that person were at least a declared believer, why do we moutn to the degree rhar we do? I’m certain to catch a little anger here from some, but the question is honest:As a Christian, I was told all my life that after death, I’d meet relatives, friends, other believers, in Heaven. Meaning, at least to me, that yes, I would see them again. But I’ve never been to a (Christian) funeral where that was stressed in the service. Certainly there was a celebration of that life, but that would be this life, not the next,

Nowadays it seems mich more difficult to br skeptical about anything than it used to be. I’m not referring to those in our various communities that have become our local conspiracy theorists, or even some of the serious , “scholarly types” that believe the moon landings in 1969 were faked, or that Oswald was not the lone gunman that killed JFK in 1963. No, i’m referring to everyday people, you and me that read or hear something thar purports to come from some authority, and for some reason, doesn’t immediately ring believeable.

It seems a lifetime ago when atheists were present and active, not just online, but at local. even national, gatherings. There was little to no concern about retribution from any of the established religions, at least not in the United States, and atheists, in the media, became more of a curiosity than a threat for the average American. Those were different times. We had elected the first black President of the United States, our economy was not in overdrive, but hummed along despite President Obama’s policies. We, as a people, could celebrate, to an extent, our becoming a more tolerant society, a beacon for the world. The pendulum was finally swinging back left.