atheism and fear of death

[bobhikes]

What fear?

Isn't this a litter to simple, when your car spins out on ice you don't feel the fear of death, when your mugged on the street at knife point you don't feel a fear of death, when you sick and you don't know the cause, you don't fear your death.

It's normal for humans and all species to strive for life and to fear the end of it, the extent of that is what is variable. If humans never fear death this world would be much different. I can believe you don't dwell on death in your normal life and at that point don't fear it but I would think that in the extreme circumstance you always fight to live otherwise you'd be dead by now.

 

[Tinkerpeach]

I don’t think many people fear death I think they fear the dying part.

As a Christian I look forward to actually being dead but the process of getting there does scare me.

I work a very dangerous job and every day I am at work there is a serious possibility that could be my last day due to some accident.

 

[viole]

Because i believe in God and in the afterlife i have less fear of death

That is exactly why most people believe in the afterlife. A sort of extension of our natural instinct of conservation.

Those of you who don't believe in God or an afterlife, how do you deal with the fear of death?

I have been non existent for billions of years in the past, and I didn’t feel any inconvenience (M. Twain).

ciao

- viole

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

I don’t think many people fear death I think they fear the dying part.

I find this to be an interesting observation.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

Because i believe in God and in the afterlife i have less fear of death

Those of you who don't believe in God or an afterlife, how do you deal with the fear of death?

I hear theists claim that frequently.

I'm not buying it. Actually observing human behavior, theists in general don't seem particularly more or less afraid to die then atheists.

All of us seem to have the same biological and psychological urge to stay alive as long, and as comfortable, as we can.

The same goes for people who are left behind when loved ones die.
I don't notice theists to be particularly less sad, eventhough they claim to be convinced that they will see their loved one again.

 

[Revoltingest]

Because i believe in God and in the afterlife i have less fear of death

Do you?
Have you a way to measure your fear relative to mine?

I don't feel fear of death, since life is pretty non-threatening to me.
But I like being alive, & I've things to accomplish before the dirt nap.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

The same goes for people who are left behind when loved ones die.
I don't notice theists to be particularly less sad, eventhough they claim to be convinced that they will see their loved one again.

I've seen a mix.

Most theists I've encountered seem to be just as sad about the death of loved ones as atheists are.

However, I remember one extended family member's funeral: the people from her church were all happy about her going to Heaven. It was creepy as ****.

Something else I've seen from theists that I find quite sad: first, they experience normal grief, but then they interpret their grief as lack of faith in God, so they end up feeling not only the grief but also guilt over the grief. It's a messed up situation.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Do you?
Have you a way to measure your fear relative to mine?

It would appear so.

Evaluation of Fear Using Nonintrusive Measurement of Multimodal Sensors

Most previous research into emotion recognition used either a single modality or multiple modalities of physiological signal. However, the former method allows for limited enhancement of accuracy, and the latter has the disadvantages that its performance ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Those of you who don't believe in God or an afterlife, how do you deal with the fear of death?

Though I have yet to acquire a belief in either, last year's cancer diagnosis prompted me to give death serious consideration. So far, I find myself to be mildly curious and far more concerned about the pain and difficulties my death will effectuate. And, of course, this may change if and when I perceive my death as imminent.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

I've seen a mix.

Most theists I've encountered seem to be just as sad about the death of loved ones as atheists are.

However, I remember one extended family member's funeral: the people from her church were all happy about her going to Heaven. It was creepy as ****.

Something else I've seen from theists that I find quite sad: first, they experience normal grief, but then they interpret their grief as lack of faith in God, so they end up feeling not only the grief but also guilt over the grief. It's a messed up situation.

That sounds messed up indeed.


There was one instance where a loved one of mine passed away and about which I actually wasn't "sad" sad.
Off course I was saddened, but also happy.

It was my grandfather's funeral. The stereotype grand-dad. Funny, strong, witty, loving, charitable,...
He had an amazing life and died of natural causes at 92. Lived by himself, without help (from nurses etc), till the day he died.
Like he himself would have said it, "he went out like a candle". It was all over in less then 48 hours. His body just shut down. No pain, no accidents, no long break down caused by desease, no suffering. He felt weak and we went to the hospital. He felt and knew it was his time. He was at peace with it and had enough strength to say goodbye to everyone in a very dignified manner.

I couldn't bring myself to be sad about such a dignified passing. If I could, I'ld sign for such a death at such an age after such a life in a heartbeat.
At his funeral, I said "we aren't hear to mourn his loss. we are here to celebrate his life." It was beautiful.

Thanx gramps

 

[Spice]

Isn't this a litter to simple, when your car spins out on ice you don't feel the fear of death, when your mugged on the street at knife point you don't feel a fear of death, when you sick and you don't know the cause, you don't fear your death.

It's normal for humans and all species to strive for life and to fear the end of it, the extent of that is what is variable. If humans never fear death this world would be much different. I can believe you don't dwell on death in your normal life and at that point don't fear it but I would think that in the extreme circumstance you always fight to live otherwise you'd be dead by now.

I don't fear an after, but yes, I do fear death - or rather the pain and panic of death. I'll admit it -- I'm a wuss.

 

[Spice]

I hear theists claim that frequently.

I'm not buying it. Actually observing human behavior, theists in general don't seem particularly more or less afraid to die then atheists.

All of us seem to have the same biological and psychological urge to stay alive as long, and as comfortable, as we can.

The same goes for people who are left behind when loved ones die.
I don't notice theists to be particularly less sad, eventhough they claim to be convinced that they will see their loved one again.

Yes. I always wondered why Jesus wept when Lazarus died. That bothered me a great deal as a child when all the adults were telling me to be happy this one or that one was in heaven now.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

From dust we came to dust we shall return.
I can see no reason to fear death.
I have no expectations.
If there is an afterlife I will either be unaware of my past life, or be somewhat surprised by it.
If there is no afterlife I will not be aware of anything..
If there is reincarnation. I will not be aware I have ever lived before.

We all live on in our families. Branches of families die out, but all families have ancestors and links to branches that do survive.
We continue to exist through our families and such "works"and memories we might leave behind.

My oldest brother recently died very recently aged 94, he was the head of the senior branch of the family with very many surviving branches and now living all over the world. He was an atheist all his life. He died at peace. His branch continues through his children..his eldest son is now head of all known branches of the family. That is how we survive.

 

[ChristineM]

I died 4 times during an operation (luckily they brought me back) I didn't notice.
Death is nothing to the dead, it is however a big deal to those left behind

 

[LuisDantas]

Isn't this a litter to simple, when your car spins out on ice you don't feel the fear of death, when your mugged on the street at knife point you don't feel a fear of death, when you sick and you don't know the cause, you don't fear your death.

It's normal for humans and all species to strive for life and to fear the end of it, the extent of that is what is variable. If humans never fear death this world would be much different. I can believe you don't dwell on death in your normal life and at that point don't fear it but I would think that in the extreme circumstance you always fight to live otherwise you'd be dead by now.

There are survival instincts, but they are not rational and they are not very significant at all.

Most of all, they are not something that afterlife beliefs would affect. I don't think that most believers are significantly different from me on that regard either.

 

[bobhikes]

There are survival instincts, but they are not rational and they are not very significant at all.

Thanks for the reply, I would just point out that this quote I would disagree with, I am not looking to derail the main topic of the thread.

 

[blü 2]

Because i believe in God and in the afterlife i have less fear of death

Those of you who don't believe in God or an afterlife, how do you deal with the fear of death?

I'm naturally apprehensive about the process of my dying ─ there are better and worse ends to life ─ but I have no fear of being dead.

As Ecclesiastes 9:4-6 puts it:

He who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.​

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward; but the memory of them is lost.​

Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and they have no more for ever any share in all that is done under the sun.​

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.​

​

If you read 'the grave' for 'Sheol' you'll have the gist of it.

Nor have I ever understood the point of eternal life. In order to do what, achieve what, be what, exactly? Existence with no purpose sounds like infinite tedium to me.

 

[Madsaac]

Many people have fear of death because they are afraid that death is the end

Death is the end.

Have you ever been under a General Anaseistic? It feels like you haven't experienced anything even though time has past.

I'm sure death is like that, just for eternity, so when you're dead, how do you know you are, you don't, so it doesn't matter.

You won't even know your dead.

However, because of my evolutionary cycle, I don not want to die because I am human.

 

[HonestJoe]

Because i believe in God and in the afterlife i have less fear of death

Less than what exactly? Was there a time you didn't believe in God you're recalling or are you just making assumptions about the thoughts of other people?

Those of you who don't believe in God or an afterlife, how do you deal with the fear of death?

Well there are two distinct parts to that question. I suspect that pretty much all of us have a similar fear of the event and process of dying, because we know it can often be painful and unpleasant, plus it would have negative impacts on the people we love and care about. That's why we make routine efforts to avoid it happening.

The question of what happens after that is separate. Different people will have different beliefs, with different levels of confidence, about what happens after we die and therefore different levels of fear associated with it. With religious people who believe in an afterlife with some element of good or bad possibilities, influenced by our beliefs and behaviours in life, some clearly have great fear of falling to the bad version, and spend a lot of time and effort in life seeking to avoid that (for themselves and others).

If someone doesn't believe in any afterlife, or at least that we have no way of knowing for such or consciously influencing the outcome in any way, there could be little or no fear about the prospect. If someone is 100% certain there is no afterlife would have no fear at all (not that I consider that rational).

 

[Yerda]

I don't really know that there is no afterlife of any sort. There could be, though I doubt it very much. So, I accept both that I will die and also that I am afraid to die. This is all there is for it.