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The One
27th October 2013, 21:32
The phrase "rest in peace" typically occurs on headstones, often abbreviated "RIP." "Rest in peace" is a prayer that the deceased may rest peacefully, not in torment, while awaiting Judgment Day. The expression comes originally from "requiescat in pace", Latin for "may he/she rest in peace." In Italian, it is said as "Riposi In Pace."

In Protestant Christianity, the belief that the dead wait in Hades until Judgment Day has largely been replaced with the belief that the dead go to their respective fates immediately after death (see particular judgment). Roman Catholicism holds that the soul is similarly judged, but that the body rests in peace until the Final Judgement, when the saints will be reunited with resurrected bodies. All these ideas are contrary to the minority belief known as soul sleep, that the dead receive neither reward nor punishment until Judgment Day.

Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rest_in_peace

However: This is what the Bible Says:(Ecclesiastes 9:5) . . .For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten.

“Most people fear death and try to avoid thinking about it,” notes The World Book Encyclopedia. Nevertheless, a serious accident or a life-threatening illness may suddenly force us to look death in the face. Or perhaps the funeral of a friend or a relative provides us with a harsh reminder of the outcome that awaits all mankind.

Still, at funerals mourners often say something like, “Life must go on.” And indeed it does. In fact, life may seem to pass by so quickly that all too soon the problems of old age must be faced. At that point, death is no longer such a remote prospect. There are too many funerals to attend, the loss of too many lifelong friends to endure. For many of the elderly, the disturbing question, “When will it be me?” often dominates.

The Great Question Mark

Although nobody denies the certainty of death, what occurs after death can be like a great question mark. The many contradictory explanations may lead the skeptic to see the whole matter as a futile debate about the unknown. The pragmatist may conclude that since “you live only once,” you should enjoy the good things of life as best you can.

In contrast, others refuse to believe that death is the end of everything. Nevertheless, they have no clear idea about what comes afterward. Some assume that life will continue in a place of eternal bliss, while others think that they will live again at some future time, perhaps as a different person.

Bereaved relatives invariably ask themselves, “Where are the dead?” Several years ago, members of a football club were en route to a sporting event when a truck suddenly plowed into their minibus, sending the bus cartwheeling off the road. Five members of the team died. Since the day her son was killed in that accident, the life of one mother has almost come to a halt. She grapples with the issue of where her son is. She regularly visits his grave and talks to him out loud for hours. “I just can’t believe that there is nothing after death,” she laments, “but I am not sure.”

Clearly, our attitude toward death can affect our lives now. In view of people’s reactions to the tragedy of death, several questions arise. Consider how you would respond to them. Should we just forget about death and concentrate on living? Should we allow the menacing presence of death to spoil our life? Must a grieving relative be forever left to ponder the whereabouts of a dead loved one? Must death remain an enigma?

Not for me R.I.P but return if possible sounds ok lol