Planting a Seed
To The Editors:
The Life Line item about Nancy Reagan by WEO (the Rev. Walter
Orthwein) in the May/June 2016 issue of New Church Life was of special
interest to me. It told how Nancy, widow of the late President Ronald Reagan,
changed from not believing in the afterlife to becoming a believer after having
what appear to be dreams of some sort.
Mr. Orthwein ends his item by saying that people who are convinced by
such experiences “probably already had the unconscious beginnings of belief
in life after death in their hearts; the experience of seeing a loved one who had
died just brought that belief into full flower.”
No one can know if Nancy had an unconscious beginning of belief in life
after death before the dreams that convinced her. However, within a few days
of President Reagan’s death, and having heard of the loving marriage that he
and Nancy had, I decided to send Nancy a copy of Heaven and Hell in the hope
that it would comfort her. I did not know at that time that she did not believe
in the afterlife or I would not have contemplated this.
I was living in Colchester, England, at the time and phoned the American
Embassy in London, got through to the right official, explained that I wanted
to send the President’s wife a book that might help comfort her in her loss as
it had been a great help to me in bereavement, and asked for Nancy’s mailing
address.
I was given the address, assured that the book would be delivered,
and mailed my package. Only a few days later I received a phone call from
another official at the Embassy in London to thank me for caring about the
American President and his wife. However, I doubt if the book could have
been delivered by then and I never heard if it was received or appreciated.
Now WEO suggests that those who change from unbelief to belief after dreams
“probably already had the unconscious beginnings of belief in life after death
in their hearts.” I will never know but do wonder if the Lord’s power in Heaven
and Hell planted that beginning.
Heulwen Ridgway (Miss)
Canberra, Australia
Truly a Life Line
To The Editors:
I need you to know how much I have enjoyed New Church Life since you
both (Bruce Henderson and the Rev. Walter Orthwein) took it on. I read it
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