~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I"ll try to explain, but it's difficult to do.
I was raised in the Methodist Church. Was never commanded by family to attend, and my family didn't ever pray aloud, or do anything I would consider "Christian" except they had a strong set or morals and independence. They took my sis and me to church because they obviously felt we would benefit. After we grew up, they quit going to church. Once I grew up I quit going to church.

I became the church organist at age 16 and played for services 3 times a week, funerals, and weddings. There were some incidences I'd rather not go into here, that led me to seriously wonder if my preacher was even a Christian. I was never comfortable saying prayers, and at home was never encouraged to. I was not stupid, but never could get much understanding from the Bible nor from duller than dishwater preachers, and I always doubted the words recorded as FACTS in the Bible, and as an adult I doubted them even more. I had what I thought was an epiphany one day, just out of the blue. I'm not going to talk about it here, but I KNEW, KNEW I knew something that Christians cannot accept. I talked with my pastor about 5 years ago (I had returned to church at the age of 70, a Baptist Church, hoping I could connect), but he was vehement about my "epiphany" being untrue and not possible. I later talked with him about doubting my "faith". He was a bit abrupt and merely said I was a Christian, to stop worrying about it. I didn't stop worrying about it, but I quit the church again. I felt I had taken the last step and that now God was not hearing me. Once again, now, I feel God IS hearing me. I'm not crazy.

This is the best way I know to explain what I meant.

In a situation such as that, a person being aware of their upcoming demise, all they need to hear at that point is the Love for them in Jesus Christ. A non-believers death is exceptionally frightening and why they linger on and on in the death mode.

21 "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Acts 2.

10 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." 2 Corinthians 5.
(the meaning of 'every knee shall bend...' )

Tasmine-
It CAN very easy. Paul said, "By faith you are saved, not works that any man can boost about." You are saved by GRACE. Grace is an incredible thing: it is a gift for anyone who will accept it. If you can say, " I believe Christ is God, he will give you his Grace, and nothing can take it away.

I was raised Lutheran, and was an agnostic until age 28 or so. One day I was in a hotel, and paged through a Gideon Bible. I came across the Sermon on the Mount- and was blown away. I was old enough and wise enough to realize that- this literature was not written by a man- I know how men think - not this way.

Years later I was listening to a cassette, The Road Less Traveled. It was long and winding- but ultimately concluding the idea of Grace.

If you want to talk(write) personally. Just do so. Life is a long road, and God puts people in your path for a reason.

Never having died, it's a bit difficult to provide a definitive answer to this challenge. I've been close a few times: once watched a B-47 bomber cartwheel into a quonset hut that held three live atomic bombs, then explode into flame. Never thought of Jesus, just ran like a sumbich and survived.

I'm an independent old cuss who weaned himself of the cloying webs of religion many years ago and as a scientist, I gotta sniff the evidence before I'll lean on an idea. Religion has NO EVIDENCE!

PLEASE!! Do not take this as a criticism of whatever your personal beliefs might be. I get along very nicely with the religious of any persuasion for I will respect them if they will respect me. Simple formula - and it works!

Neal there is plenty of evidence. People rather deny it than accept it. The world is full of it. An intelligent person, in this world and especially you, should be able to see science and God's creation go together. There are just to many natural laws that agree with science and to many scientific laws that agree with natures laws. There are to many things here that point to a higher being. There is also definitely proof that God exist, but most never find it. The answer is so simple, yet they miss it. Until one believes in Christ and accept Him as their savior, they will never find proof. The world around them is not enough for them. Christ Himself said, seek me and you will find me, but most don't and won't. What a pitiful state they are left in. Lost and no hope of an eternal life with our creator, Christ.

Neal there is plenty of evidence. People rather deny it than accept it. The world is full of it. An intelligent person, in this world and especially you, should be able to see science and God's creation go together. There are just to many natural laws that agree with science and to many scientific laws that agree with natures laws. There are to many things here that point to a higher being. There is also definitely proof that God exist, but most never find it. The answer is so simple, yet they miss it. Until one believes in Christ and accept Him as their savior, they will never find proof. The world around them is not enough for them. Christ Himself said, seek me and you will find me, but most don't and won't. What a pitiful state they are left in. Lost and no hope of an eternal life with our creator, Christ.

Evidently, jets, we seem to be far, far apart on what we accept as evidence. Being that the purpose of science is to study the laws of nature, it's quite predictable that, as you put it, ". . . many scientific laws . . . agree with natures laws."

As for my being in a, "pitiful state," you'll surely understand that I take that comment as inherently disrespectful. It's this attitude so often displayed by the religious that earns the disdain and disapprobation of those who choose not to accept the beliefs of others.

C'mon jets - the battles for and against this or that religious belief are one of the primary causes of the worlds grief! Lets break the habit!!

Tasmine-
It CAN very easy. Paul said, "By faith you are saved, not works that any man can boost about." You are saved by GRACE. Grace is an incredible thing: it is a gift for anyone who will accept it. If you can say, " I believe Christ is God, he will give you his Grace, and nothing can take it away.

I was raised Lutheran, and was an agnostic until age 28 or so. One day I was in a hotel, and paged through a Gideon Bible. I came across the Sermon on the Mount- and was blown away. I was old enough and wise enough to realize that- this literature was not written by a man- I know how men think - not this way.

Years later I was listening to a cassette, The Road Less Traveled. It was long and winding- but ultimately concluding the idea of Grace.

If you want to talk(write) personally. Just do so. Life is a long road, and God puts people in your path for a reason.