A recent article by Karen Kaplan in the L.A. Times stated, “Faith in a higher power can often lead to more aggressive treatment than is medically warranted, research is beginning to show.”  Their example was of a woman diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer that had spread to her lung. She believed that the “Lord” told her that the doctors were not being aggressive enough in their treatment, and sought out doctors who would do more. She found them, and they performed a treatment that subsequently put her in a coma.

Faith….the word seems benign, soft, soothing, implying trust and comfort. What this article seems to point out is that some faith is about clinging to life at all costs, as if this is all there is.  I guess If I believed  that  after I died I would be in heaven sitting, playing a harp for eternity, or perhaps burning in hell while my loved ones are in heaven, I would cling to life at all costs too. Scary!

The Guides teach that we as beings never die. We are souls temporarily living a human life. We have lived many human lives, and are always a soul. We simply change form. But there is no loss, there is no fear, there is only experience gained in love. We are all connected to one another by the force of goodness that some call God, cosmic consciousness, All-that-is, and so forth.

So is your faith fear based or love based? That is the question to ponder.

Read more about the Guides’ perspective here: A Thumbnail Sketch of Life and Death