How do atheists come to term with death?

Hi there to all, how is all, I think every one is getting more from this website, and your views are fastidious in support of new viewers.

Revoltingest said:

Fixed.
The 2nd law says that the closed system will
run down, ie, no work can be done.

Gawd, we pedants can be so annoying.

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Yes, the first law, thank you for correcting my error.

Seen to

ChristineM said:

Yes, the first law, thank you for correcting my error.

Seen to

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I figured you knew.
But furious typing scramble can thoughts our, eh.

loverofhumanity said:

I feel the same too but Baha’u’llah has provided a very good reason why what happens to us when we die is kept from us. If we knew would we really like this place as much as we fo now? With atheists I think once they die they will be filled with joy and happiness at the life there but also regret that they did not trust in God in this life and listened to ignorant people who were sprouting there us no God or afterlife.

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So we should listen to arrogant people who claim to be certain a God and afterlife exists?

You should be informed that atheists don't reject religious claims and concepts because others tell them to, atheists reject religious concepts because they have their own intellectual authority to reason and inform themselves with facts. As it is those, like yourself, who try to shame atheists and assume some sort of specuial knowledge look foolish and shallow because when questioned about your beliefs you can't offer any explanation as to how rational people can agree with you.

Give credit to atheists who don't need a belief system we hear from others to cope and provide meaning. Atheists have the unique courage to engage with life and death without any set illusion, and we rely on our own minds to create meaning and purpose.

F1fan said:

So we should listen to arrogant people who claim to be certain a God and afterlife exists?

You should be informed that atheists don't reject religious claims and concepts because others tell them to, atheists reject religious concepts because they have their own intellectual authority to reason and inform themselves with facts. As it is those, like yourself, who try to shame atheists and assume some sort of specuial knowledge look foolish and shallow because when questioned about your beliefs you can't offer any explanation as to how rational people can agree with you.

Give credit to atheists who don't need a belief system we hear from others to cope and provide meaning. Atheists have the unique courage to engage with life and death without any set illusion, and we rely on our own minds to create meaning and purpose.

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Atheists to me are fellow equal human beings and I respect them as I once was a strong atheist. I investigated with my own mind and for myself and that’s all we can do. We all arrive at the conclusions according to our own research.

Xavier Graham SA said:

As someone who was raised from the get go to believe in the afterlife, I still retain that belief. When mourning the death of a loved one, my belief in the afterlife helps. However, I still sometimes become suddenly frightened by the idea of death; it will feel like I’m realizing for the first time again that I am going to die and so is everyone I care about.
The prophet Baha’u’llah stated this about the afterlife (paraphrasing). If God allowed man to see what lies after death, they would see the joys that awaits them and do nothing but rush to their death. So God has given us this fear of death. This line of reasoning comforts me when the prospect of death becomes an internal existential crisis.
So, as someone who believes in the afterlife, I am often quite terrified of death. I’m curious how atheists emotionally deal with the prospect of death.

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Atheist here. Hi.

I think about death often and I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a bit scared of it too. But when I really ponder it, that fear isn't based on what's "beyond death" or anything like that. It's really just the knowledge and realization that I'll be missing out on things, like the future of my kid's lives or other joys or experiences that I'm quite happy with here, while I'm alive.

The fact of death keeps me motivated, actually. Not in a #YOLO kind of way - but in a "Memento Mori" kind of way. Because there is death, we must live.

Literally millions and billions of years passed before I was born, or aware of them - I see death being no different. This time around, I know that I'll be missing out on some stuff - but time goes by awfully fast when you aren't there to witness it...

Neuropteron said:

Hi,
Most Atheist and evolutionist are in denial when it come to death, although the facts are clear to them, the reality of it has no effect on them.
It is only when directly faced with death that some see the need to turn their attention to the possibility of a God and experience a complete turn around.
Whether God accepts this sudden conversion is another matter.

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Imagine being so self-assured that you make claims about what other people absolutely think, feel, and believe just to satisfy your own worldview...

jonathan180iq said:

Atheist here. Hi.

I think about death often and I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a bit scared of it too.

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No doubt. I have things to do next week. Death? Who's got time for that?

Neuropteron said:

Most Atheist and evolutionist are in denial when it come to death, although the facts are clear to them, the reality of it has no effect on them.
It is only when directly faced with death that some see the need to turn their attention to the possibility of a God and experience a complete turn around.
Whether God accepts this sudden conversion is another matter.

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And i see it as just the opposite, an atheist takes death for what it is, the end of a life while a theist (some theists anyway (mentioning no names)) need to convince themselves of a fairy tale because it makes them feel better about the end.

Franklal said:

Hi there to all, how is all, I think every one is getting more from this website, and your views are fastidious in support of new viewers.

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And a welcome to you. Someone no doubt will benefit from your support.

RestlessSoul said:

I wonder if the awareness of death is peculiar only to humans? Perhaps that is the root of all our sorrow.

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Might be quite difficult to find this out, even if many animal species seem to know about death and the loss entailed.

Xavier Graham SA said:

As someone who was raised from the get go to believe in the afterlife, I still retain that belief. When mourning the death of a loved one, my belief in the afterlife helps. However, I still sometimes become suddenly frightened by the idea of death; it will feel like I’m realizing for the first time again that I am going to die and so is everyone I care about.
The prophet Baha’u’llah stated this about the afterlife (paraphrasing). If God allowed man to see what lies after death, they would see the joys that awaits them and do nothing but rush to their death. So God has given us this fear of death. This line of reasoning comforts me when the prospect of death becomes an internal existential crisis.
So, as someone who believes in the afterlife, I am often quite terrified of death. I’m curious how atheists emotionally deal with the prospect of death.

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Well, the fact that you are terrified, is what probably caused your faith. Or all faiths, as a matter of fact. Faith is nothing but making up something to avoid to accept that destiny.

hope springs eternal, so to speak.

in my case I think like M. Twain: I have been dead for billions and billions of years, but I felt no inconvenience because of that.

ciao

- viole

Xavier Graham SA said:

So, as someone who believes in the afterlife, I am often quite terrified of death. I’m curious how atheists emotionally deal with the prospect of death.

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Atheists generally are not afraid of death and there is no emotion involved. Some people will die in their old age, some unfortunately die, so to say, before their time, in young age. But it is a matter of probability and uncertainty. It is the way of the world, and we have to come to terms with it. Death will erase our personhood / individuality and what is left will eventually merge with nature. Quickly if the person is cremated or exposed and in centuries if buried. That is all to it.

SigurdReginson said:

This is an interesting interpretation for the day of judgement that I've never heard before... How did you come to this conclusion? Is this something you've always believed from the get go, did you learn of this from someone/some place else, or did you come to this conclusion yourself through analyzing scripture?

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Hello.
I was shown a few Scriptures, one being Romans 6:7, which says, “He that has died has been acquitted from his sin.” (Some transactions say, “freed from sin”, but it means the same.)

If a prisoner is acquitted from their conviction, they are released; they don’t have to keep paying for it, do they?
Another Scripture is “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) Is that not what God told Adam, that Adam would simply die? He said nothing about torment.

I appreciated this so much when I learned it! It makes sense.

I learned this from Jehovah’s Witnesses; along with all their other understanding of Scripture.... they are reasonable, and harmonize the entirety....so I became one.

If you have any questions, please ask.

RestlessSoul said:

I wonder if the awareness of death is peculiar only to humans? Perhaps that is the root of all our sorrow.

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Yes, IMO our awareness is unique. Some animals, like elephants, show sorrow after the death of others, but they don’t contemplate it beforehand.

And yes, death certainly is a root of much sorrow, but not all....men’s domination of other men (Ecclesiastes 8:9), through either force or greed, has been a big part.

Xavier Graham SA said:

As someone who was raised from the get go to believe in the afterlife, I still retain that belief. When mourning the death of a loved one, my belief in the afterlife helps. However, I still sometimes become suddenly frightened by the idea of death; it will feel like I’m realizing for the first time again that I am going to die and so is everyone I care about.
The prophet Baha’u’llah stated this about the afterlife (paraphrasing). If God allowed man to see what lies after death, they would see the joys that awaits them and do nothing but rush to their death. So God has given us this fear of death. This line of reasoning comforts me when the prospect of death becomes an internal existential crisis.
So, as someone who believes in the afterlife, I am often quite terrified of death. I’m curious how atheists emotionally deal with the prospect of death.

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The problem is, the answers you get from someones own self's perspective will probably be veiled. Intentionally or not is a whole other question.

Nevertheless, if the prophet Bahaullah said that "If God allowed man to see what lies after death, they would see the joys that awaits them and do nothing but rush to their death", then you can't hide it anymore. He has said it. So people know the joys awaiting them. So they should rush to death. Done.

But the fact remains, no matter who says that type of thing people won't rush to death. Maybe a few as in suicide studies indicate. But that is also very debatable.

I have almost died several times. I had severe asthma as a child and it was nearly fatal three times before I reached my teenage years. I had one very severe asthma attack in my late 20's.

In the last one, it wasn't clear I would get to the ER. My wife and I were in a town that I knew, but she didn't. So when I said we needed to go to the ER *now*, we got to the car and drove. On the way, I had tunnel vision from anoxia and I thought about how it would be if I didn't make it. I recall thinking I had a good life (even by my late 20's) and the main sorrow is that I wouldn't have more time with my wife. When I got to the hospital, my skin was grey and I told the staff it was an asthma attack (I felt like I shouted, it was really not much more than a whisper).

Clearly, I made it.

But I *know* I am not afraid of dying. And I am even less afraid of death. I have 'not existed' before and I have no fear of 'not existing' again. The process might be uncomfortable or painful. But the worst part of death is the effects on those who still live. When I am dead, I won't know about it.

So, I have been very aware since I was a child that I could die from eating the wrong cookie. I nearly died once from climbing a tree that had just been sprayed. I have always been well aware of the fragility of life.

But, it is far better to actually live life, experiencing the wonders it offers than it is to live in fear. If I die tomorrow, I know I have had a good run of it and can die without regrets.

This is a really good question. I remember when I lost all faith in Christianity, death was probably the hardest reality to swallow. I'll admit it, the realization that I was not going to live forever, walking around on streets of gold in paradise with all my loved ones for all time, was really sad. No doubt about it. It was then I realized how true the saying is, ignorance really is bliss!

Something else happened almost right away (besides having a lot of extra time on Sundays)... life instantly got sweeter. Almost like a born again experience. As soon as I realized it is all coming to an end incredibly soon, I started looking at my life differently. Spending all day at the soccer field on a Saturday watching little kids run around in circles chasing butterflies, for example, used to actually annoy me sometimes. Internally, I think that because I was convinced that I had all of eternity to spend with my kids, I didn't realize how sweet it was to be able to spend time with my kids at all. I remember how quickly my attitude changed. I suddenly knew I had better make the best of every single moment, since this is the only life I know for certain I have. I truly am healthier & happier in every way. That was over 20 years ago.

That being said, I also experienced personal tragedy for the first time in my life last year when my brother died unexpectedly at only 46 yrs old. This was the first time I had to cope with death, without being able to feel better from what I now know to be false consolations like "he is in a better place" or "you will be seeing him again". To be honest, it was horrible. I've never felt such sorrow and grief. However, as the grief subsided, once again I found myself focusing on my own life and the loved ones I have in it. My relationships are stronger, my experiences are more profound. I don't have to remind myself that the time I have now, is all the time I have. I've never enjoyed life more than I do now.

Twilight Hue said:

Ha ha ha. Boy are you ever wrong!

I had a heart attack and not once did I feel any need to appeal to any God or divine being whatsoever.

When death comes around again and claims my form for real, nothing will change in that regard because the universe has been proven to handle things quite well as it is, without any imagination required.

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Everything does not necessarily apply to you. I clearly was referring to the reaction of "some" atheist" I wasn't thinking of you personally when I made that comment.

fantome profane said:

I believe most humans are in denial about death, (and most will deny this).

(perhaps many non-humans are in denial about death as well, hard to say)

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Hi,

Acording to the bible animals do not have the concept of time indefinite as humans do. But feelings are observable in animals as is sadness when someone they care for dies.