In Grief: Are You A Christian?

When I do good I feel good, when I do bad I feel bad, and that is my religion.  ~ Abraham Lincoln

A reader writes: The poetry I read on your website's Comfort for Grieving Hearts page seemed to point people to God and Heaven. I was curious, are you a Christian, and do your books and writings dealing with coping, also point to God as our greatest source of comfort? We lost my dad earlier this year, and my brother-in-law last week. My family is definitely hurting, and just wanted to know a little bit more about you and your books -- if you don't mind to share?

My response: I'm so sorry to learn of the death of your dad earlier this year, and the more recent death of your brother-in-law last week. Please know that I am thinking of you and your family at this sad and difficult time.

You ask about my religious beliefs and whether they are reflected in my books and writings. Certainly I have my own set of values and beliefs, but as a grief counselor, I must respect the fact that we each have our own viewpoints about matters of religion and faith. As a professional helper, I do not consider it my place to discuss my own personal beliefs about religion, spirituality, death and the afterlife, nor will I try to persuade grieving individuals either to question or to reaffirm their own faith. Bereaved individuals are hurting and vulnerable, and should not be put in the position of defining and defending to me what they do or do not believe. Not all people respond to loss in the same way, and not all people share the same religious beliefs. It is not for me to pass judgments about how anyone else perceives their faith, or lack thereof.

As you have discovered, my Grief Healing website contains many inspirational articles, quotes and poems, many of them written by clergy as well as by lay persons, about the fascinating and mysterious topics of death, loss, grief and the afterlife. They are pieces I've collected myself from many different sources over the years, and I offer them to my visitors to do with what they will.

My website (and this blog) also feature articles I've written about various aspects of loss. If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to read the ones I've listed at the base of this post. Perhaps these pieces will give you a better idea of my thinking on these matters.

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below. If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here.

Related:

• Religion and Spirituality in Grief
• In Grief: When Faith and God Don't Make Sense
• Why? Why Me? Searching for Answers in Grief
• In Grief: Searching for Meaning

Image by Himsan from Pixabay

© by Marty Tousley, RN, MS, FT, BC-TMH