According to Christianity, they've gone off and joined God (supposing they meet all the requirements depending on what type of christianity you subscribe to). Shouldn't we be filled with an overwhelming happiness knowing that they've become part of something larger than anything here on Earth and that they no longer have to deal with the hardships here in this world?

I am looking for an answer that is founded in a religious argument, not a psychological one, by the way. I have tons of sources and references for that argument, and I'd rather see it tackled from a religious side.

Also, do keep in mind by "joined God" is can be any type of way heaven is described by the different sects (either through reveling in God's glory for the rest of eternity, or lounging around in the heavenly space or whatever). That was just a loose term I was using to apply to all of the eternal rewards described, and I'd rather not have people doge my question and nitpick about that.

4509139 Some of us are sad because we'll miss them.

And I heard that one of my old classmate three days ago, I got over it in the matter of seconds, so get that sad away from me :P

4509156 Well, it seems to me that you're sad because someone got intensely rewarded and gets to go somewhere awesome, so it's a bit selfish to wish they were still here.

4509139

Why do babies cry when they're born, yet we smile? Why do we cry when one has die, yet they smile?

We cry because we didn't want them to leave us. We cry as babies because we want to be with God instead of this stupid world.

4509165 ... seriously, I wasn't sad/am not sad... my old classmate's dead, nothing can change it, so I just move on.

4509172 So it is selfish, as I predicted in the earlier post.

4509139

I think both mourning and rejoicing have a place in theology when discussing death.

Death is a terrible thing, there's no getting around it. Death had no place in the world at creation, sin brought death with it. Death is usually accompanied by pain, suffering, and deep sadness. It only makes sense to grieve the death of someone. The scriptures, in fact, condone it. We become sad because there's now an emptiness in our lives that the deceased once filled. But we shouldn't grieve without hope. Death itself isn't to be celebrated, but we can find peace in knowing where they're headed.

We grieve for what is lost, and we rejoice for what is gained.

4509139
(At least to me) it seems that the main reason is that we won't see them again for a while, think about it like this: when a sibling goes to college, we feel sad. They are perfectly fine, but we can't see them. We will, late, but the now is gnawing at us. And worse, when someone goes to heaven, you can't exactly Skype them, or hit them up with a text. It's not that we mourn what has become of them, but more so the lack of communication we have with them.

4509139 I think your assumptions are wrong.

When God last judged us, He found only one family on the whole planet worthy of salvation. The rest were doomed. With that in mind, we can postulate on His criteria for letting people into Heaven. None of the people you know is likely to meet the requirements. So, when your loved one dies, it's quite safe to assume he/she is going to burn in Hell for all eternity.

Not all is as grim as it sounds, though. When someone close to you dies, you can imagine them screaming in agony at that very moment. Their torture will never stop. That is a sad part, yes, but at the same time, there is a sense of joy. You know that you, yourself, are not yet burning alive. You still have many years before you, too, are plunged in the lake of fire. It's good to be alive.

4514532 While I appreciate your facetious humor, your joke completely falls apart when you hold it up against any form of christianity except the WBC or something similar. Nice try, though!

4509139
Because that person is still gone, you don't know what really happened to said person, if that person really did go to meet God or not, and you're going to miss and fret for that person for a long time. There's nothing wrong with feeling this way for these reasons either. It's natural to miss somebody who won't come back to you in this lifetime, and it's natural to be worried about what you don't fully know about.