Religious Belief and the Fear of Death.

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   Holmes221bposted 11 years ago

   As an atheist, I do not have the comfort provided by the belief in an afterlife, so I can see why such a belief is attractive.  I do wonder though, if having a belief really does help the believer overcome their fears.  So, to the religious, I would ask, if you are unafraid of death because of your religion?  And to the atheists, I would ask, what source of comfort do you turn to, when confronted by death?

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   thooghunposted 11 years ago

   The idea of a religious paradise, denoted (usually) by eternal supervision and endless praise, is not what I'd consider a particularly attractive prospect.
   
   Sure, I am scared of dying, but not so much of death. The fact that death, to me, is a release, is somewhat uplifting and occasionally empowering. It makes life so much more precious, and every breath that I take is given new meaning.

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      Holmes221bposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      My fear of death, has always been the fact that I won't exist.  However, I am beginning to realise that there was an eternity before my birth, in which I didn't exist, and I am quite contented with this fact, so should therefore be so when considering my future return to that state,

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         thooghunposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I've tried to wrap my head around that also, it's a confusing thought to be at peace with (I find). Yes, now that I think of it, a total loss of consciousness does scare me a bit. But I fear partial, or madness more. Seeing my grandmother on her knees at the mercy of Alzheimer's disease was terrifying.   
         
         My only wish would be that of living and dying in a dignified way. The idea of unconditional surrender, love and fear is something that I feel I am genetically and ethically opposed to as a matter of principle.

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            meditazioneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I think that our fear of death comes from whats going on in our mind when we think at what will happen after we die. We don`t have a certain answer, something to be 100% sure of, and that is very frustrating for a human being. But what if we take into consideration the principle of rebirth and reincarnation? What if our soul only lives this body to get into another until it grows enough to return to his original source? There are many answers out there...

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   livelongerposted 11 years ago

   In Judaism, the only certainty that's stressed is life. It's considered a gift and should never be squandered. Most Jewish law derives from a respect for life (just an example: the death penalty was effectively outlawed almost 2,000 years ago).
   
   The afterlife is a bit of a speculation, much more vague and uncertain than the way Christians and Muslims see it. The prophets do briefly describe "the world to come" (Olam haBa); everyone ends up there, not just Jews. However, our commandments always go back to preserving life, since, again, that's an absolute certainty (how can you ignore it?).
   
   I'm unafraid of death since, in the null hypothesis scenario, I won't have any sense that I'm dead because I'll just be dead. I don't believe in heaven or hell, so if the Jewish prophets' scenario is right, there's not much to fear. I would worry about how my loved ones who were alive would be affected, and if the moments before death would be unbearably painful, but that's about it. More than anything I would worry about not getting to experience and do as much as I'd like...the same feeling I have at the close of every vacation!

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   paradigmsearchposted 11 years ago

   Trigger?

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   Cagsilposted 11 years ago

   I have no fear of death, simply because it doesn't matter whether or not death comes. I'm living my life to the best ability I can and impacting as many lives as I can before death arrives.
   
   I'm enjoying living my life and having the opportunity to push forward with my purpose in life. I'll let the people I impact, tell others whether or not, my actions were honest, honorable(of high character) and of meaning.
   
   No afterlife needed or wanted.

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