I've often heard to ask "Why" is the wrong question.....since we're not 'God', but how about:
1) The Circle of Life......death is as much a part of life as birth, even moreso, as many believe they are born to eternal life.

2) Their 'purpose' is done....it's time. Like Forest Gump's mother (Sally Field's character) said, "Oh Forest, It's just my time!!"

3) We are strangers here, and heaven is our home, many believe, sooooo, though it's hard and painful, it's time to GO HOME.....

4) It's what we were created for---To live forever......Paradise Found!

It hurts at first, for a long time, but after that, I don't think of it as the loved one being taken away. Grieving is healing, and if we can do that, we can see that the loved one is still with us, just in a new form. A nonphysical one, and that takes getting used to.

Death is often a difficult thing to grasp for most people. We often feel as though it is not fair when a loved one dies. This feeling is normal, however the reason behind the rhyme is that everything in creation is running its "course". From the moment a human being is conceived their course starts. It has a beginning and an end just like many things in existence do.

I don't think its fair to say that God takes our loved ones. My personal belief is that God does not decide who dies and when they will die. What I know for sure is that when a person dies they become their eternal self.

Some solace can be found in knowing that when a loved one, or yourself dies it isn't the end of your spirit. You live on and on and on...

Death is a fact of life. It's strange that it takes us by surprise every time. It's clear that if there's an almighty God out there, he built death into the fabric of His creation.

I think part of the problem is that we think an almighty loving God would not take away OUR loved ones, even though we know that everybody else loses their life at some point.

Since I don't believe in an almighty God, I don't charge Him with being unfair either. Death is part of life, it's as simple as that. Unfortunately. If there is a reason, I guess it simply is that our bodies weren't built to last forever.

Having lost both my youngest son (when a nurse disobeyed the surgeon's written and verbal instructions not to adjust his respirator) and then his mother (after an 11 year fight with melanoma cancer), I have certainly asked such a question many times; in the log run I decided that it was, as usual, the wrong question.

It is my strong belief that we usually ask the wrong questions and then do not get the answers that we need.

We are all born to die; supposedly we have certain vital jobs to do before we die (well, our bodies die but we do not) and only a few of us really achieve what we were sent here to do (we die with most of our songs unsung). When a beloved one dies, our questions should be: what have I learned, spirit-wise, from their life and what have I got from them that I would not have if they had not been with me?; What have others gained because that loved one was with us, for however how long?; What am I supposed to do and learn to understand now that they are not with me?; and, What can I do to help others who are suffering because of the loss of me beloved one?

An interesting statement from Dr. David R. Hawkins is that we are all given a lifeline contract by God (we have to buy into it) where we get to choose which embryo we will enter (at the end of the first trimester), and will have a stated time of death that we also accept. Within that timeline we are supposed to develop and also to help others develop.

If that is true (it calibrates as true by his method) then God does not take us away; we return to God, with or without having advanced much in our spiritual journey. Others may or may not have learned from our presence and development.

Such a concept is very Christian, if you focus on what Christ said, although it is not what supposedly Christian churches teach (don't get me going on their trend to disprove the need for His life and death to go beyond the literal interpretation of most of the Old Testament, much of which is anti-Christ indeed). In my concept of God, He / She is so forgiving and compassionate that we all get many chances to grow towards the Omega Point; certainly few of us grow very much in any one lifetime.

Since God gave us all free will, we do much of what takes us away from our beloved ones and our beloved ones may do a lot to influence how we die when we do. A tired father who continues to drive the family car when he is nodding off may end up killing one of his children; will you blame that on God and, if so, why so?

One of the books I am working on is all about discussing the cost to the universe of God truly giving us free will. With so many of us and so many interactions happening between us, this universe does appear to allow us free will and steering us all towards the Omega Point seems a task well worth the attention of a powerful God, but a loving and compassionate one as well.

Since I was given a gift of Grace that has me no longer afraid of death, although I do want to live and grow, I do not see death as in any way bad, although we will certainly be accountable for leaving our songs unsung. Too bad we have not been properly taught so that we understand how a return to God, without this body, should not be seen as a bad thing. Maybe in our next life we can do wonders.

I just came across this Site, I have been in alot of pain, over the passing of my Mother .We were very close. Also the same year I lost my only sister who was in her 60's.

The year before this my Nephew,was killed he was my sisters son. Than two years later my Sisters husband passed away too. This was too many at once. I thought about why, this was happening,why,and how could this happen to us!

This to has led to much grief. This has led me to think about why so many family members all at once? And what we take forgranted. Our egos,or what we are doing get in the way. We become blindsighted to time. The road gets narrow.

I took forgranted that they would still be here awhile longer,and it wasn't time for them to go yet.That this wasn't comming for along time off.I was really wrong. Each one was concerned about me,my life,my future. Since i was running with the black sheep at the time,in darkness,even though i believed in Christ. My mother was a force that helped me to stop on the path i was on. Her purpose was me.

I am now alone to think about this,how each one passed away from a different reason,but yet were all conected. I am still in a terrable grief over this,and the disconection from family has made it worse. I look at things differently now. What each day means,why we are here,what is this purpose.

I once had a dream, and in this dream ,i was flung up into the sky,only me and the clouds. While i was up there, something told me,that i could be taken at any time,that i was allowed to be here. This dream ,made me think about we are not guaranteed tomorrow. I have lost 6 people in my family in 2 , years. I never thought that this was going to happen to me.

I think about the world , and how it seperates us from God. It really is important that there is this relationship with God. I am working on this. It is the only thing,plus a pastor that was there for me, that has gotten me through some ruff times. I beleive we have a purpose here. I beleive we learn from these losses.
We the living still have to go on, and we are responsible for out salvation, until our time comes to.God knows all things. This has really hit me in the face, that i needed to wake up. And it has really done that to me. Dont forget to tell the ones you love just what they mean to you,while they are still here with you,it is so important. God teaches us,to learn to forgive,to learn to love. And forgives US! We are in the Universe,and the Universe is in US!
God Bless To All

Last Update on July 13, 2012 by JOAN BRYANT

Personally, I don't believe that 'our love ones are taken away', per se. I do believe that those who 'leave in death' have infact fulfilled their earthly assignment, according to Divine purpose. As members of the Divine Universal Family, each of us have been assigned responsibilities related to Divine Purpose. Some of us will transition from our earthly assignment sooner or later than others. Only our Divine Parent is aware of when we have either fulfilled or rejected our assignment.

I Think God can only answer for God. When I was 14 years of age, I had a bike accident, that put me into a comma for 6 months. Many people prayed for me to recover. They ment well, but in my eyes there no greater love then being with God. No I don't remember being with God, But I know I did not want to be back here in this life, but I am here and will be happy to go home again when I pass away, but to answer your question. Perhaps that family person was only suppose to be with us for as long we need them. You csan miss them and morn there not being here anymore, but think someday we will be altogether again. If you think Death is a scarey thought, think about never dying and still be living in this world we are in now. That scare me more then dying.

Stormie,

In my short time on the planet I have dealt with death on many levels. First, I myself should have died on more than five occasions, from tornadoes,falling 2.5 stories, falling flat on my back 14 fett onto a concrete driveway crushing an aluminum ladders rungs with by body. So why is it then I am still here? Because it is not my time.

Yet my daughter of thirteen months old drowned in the water behind our home. The paramedic who lived next door and the others who came estimated Her time in the water to be about three minutes. Never to be revived. Her death brought about a comlete change in all who were witness to the situation most assuredly Her mother. As devaasting as it was, a miracle happended to me and my family because of it.

First the Lord clearly warmed my soul and explained to me that it was ok to grieve but she was with Him and it was Her time. Second, most drowning victims turn black after they have died. She was as white as the driven snow. Third several days later a huge electrical storm occurred directly over our heads and within a one mile radius of our house for over thirty minutes. I was told to be the glue that kept the family together. My two sons remained with my wife and myself.

Years later at the age of twenty six my oldest Son passed unto the fathers arms. This was too devastating. 6 months later my wife of thirty years at the age of forty seven passed away, Unbeleivable, yet I should have died many times. If you check out the section on life challenges and loss I have written about other incidents such as butterflies and an apple that without any shadow of a doubt tells me distincly that God is not about time, He is about timing. All things happen in life for a reason. In my life coincidence is Gods way of acting anonomously. There is a master plan and it belongs to our creator who entitled and adorned us with spirit and soul, leaving choice up to us. To be with Him or without Him.

To be with Him you must make Him a part of every thing you are and do, not just on Sundays and not when you feel like it. I know my take is different than most but then most have not experienced what I have and it is my obligation and duty to tell them what I know, live and feel. That is why I post in spirit and word as well as my own at http://wcrtech.blogspot.com/ . We all ahve a purpose and are gifted. Wherever you go there you are.

Further, nothing not a single thing perishes in nature. and since the creation of the world not a grain of sand, not an atom that has been, but still is.

As written by Christopher Sturm in 1824, "That which simple persons look upon as total destruction is, in fact, but a transmutation of substance; and the world, considered collectively, is composed of the same materials as it was at the first moment of creation, although many of its parts have undergone considerable alteration". He further writes; The indestructible quality of all created things convinces me that my soul too must be immortal; for is it natural to suppose that it alone, of all Gods creatures should perish? NO: the whole universe may pass away as a scroll is rolled together, and every mountain and island may be moved out of their places; but my immortal soul, redeemed by Jesus Christ, shall live, when time shall be no longer. Is that not a beautiful thing?

The reasons are our creators which He does not discuss with us. It is faith and Hope in Him that brings joy and peace when everthing else fails.

William

I think accidents happen and people's bodies age and die. I don't think God "takes them away". It's more complicated than that. But I do believe that we have a choice when we lose loved ones. We can let ourselves die with them, or we can carry on for them. My father died when I was 15. II was aware that he wasn't harmed by this, that my mother and I were the ones in jeopardy. My mom loved my dad with all her heart and I thought he was the most perfect father imaginable. His death completely disrupted my happy existence (since it meant we had to move off the air base within a month of his passing), and changed the course of my life.

BUT, if I had not moved to California then, I might not have encountered the Baha'i Faith, met my husband, had my three children, become a professional writer and a semi-professional musician. I might not have engaged in the world as I do, or learned to care about social issues as I do.

Baha'u'llah wrote: "I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendor. Why dost thou veil thyself therefrom?"

When we grieve I think our grief may be for the unloved potential of the departed loved one—especially true if the person was young—but mostly, I think we grieve for ourselves and for those who are left behind.