atheists!! Do You Fear DEATH?

Question

i am a non denominational Christian but not one that claims to be 100% sure what happens when you buy it.

there could be an afterlife, just not one like the Christians say, do you ever wonder about that, does it frighten you at all, even though you don't believe in an afterlife, you could be wrong, just like i could be about my beliefs.

Answer 1

i do, even if i beleive in an afterlife, even if i was convinced, i still woudl fear our death, as death, isnt pretty, its vile, its more often than not painful, has suffering and prolonging of suffering, and this includes your family as well as you



i beleive there is an 'afterlife' in all liklihood

just in all realstic probability not any religious claims



it firghtens me that there may not be, as i can contemplate that right now

Answer 2

I am not afraid of death! Why should I be? I have lived a good life, and have been the best person I could be! The fact that I don't believe in any afterlife doesn't affect the way i feel about dying! I have Emphysema, and the end of my life is right around the corner, and the closer it gets, I get more relaxed and calm about it! Trust me, the idea of oblivion is a lot more comforting, than being short of breath every time I move my body! I am tired of not being able to do all of the things I used to do! Walking,and even doing housework! I would love to be able to do these things again, so death is becoming more, and more welcome! It is the final rest, and one I look forward to without fear, or regret!!

Answer 3

death doesn't worry me but how i die does. I am not religious but believe every one to their own. If you believe in God then its not up for question. I don't know about an afterlife though i do think they are things happen that we can't explain that point to life after death. Read a book by Mitch Album called " 5 people you meet in heaven " you should give it a go it has a different slant on the heaven we all imagine , and a really good read.

Answer 4

I'm an atheist humanist and I used to be a theist and believe you me nothing frightened me more about death than christianity! It kept me up so many nights worrying about myself and friends and family ending up in "hell", I actually cannot believe I fell for that stuff! Thank god I am out of that phase!



No I'm not scared of what happens after since there is no after life and we just lose all consciousness but I don't like the idea of ceasing to exist but that's reality. We the human race must learn to accept reality, it is the only way to truly move forward.



I fear also any pain that I might feel before I die and I'm scared of dying young before I have done all the things I wanted to do. I also hate the idea of not seeing my family anymore.



But no I don't fear what comes after actual death because there is just nothingness and I won't be aware of anything obviously.



Death is afterall the only thing dear old mother nature really garuntees us in life!

Answer 5

I do not fear death.



I do fear dying in an unpleasant fashion.



I am also in no hurry to die yet.





The Christian afterlife:



1) makes no sense.



2) would be hell either way eventually.





Why would an omnipotent God be forced to send me to hell?

Why would an all loving God create a hell, or allow people to go there?

Why would an omnipotent, omnicognizant God need people to constantly praise and worship him? Come on, he is all powerful and he knows it.





Once in heaven you are there for eternity. Once you have counted every electron in the universe ten times over and used up 0% of your time these, what are you going to do next? After 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 years (again 0% of eternity) everyone will be begging for non-existence. Unless God makes us into praising automatons that have no free will.





Trying to second guess the unknown is pointless. What if God respects those that based their decisions on evidence? All the atheists end up in heaven, all the theists who blindly followed what their priests said end up in hell. It is just as likely as any other scenario.

Answer 6

I do not fear death, I want to get everything I can out of life, but I do not fear death.

Of course I could be wrong about my beliefs, the difference is that there is no evidence that any afterlife exists. There is no evidence that any human is anything other that a whole organic biological construct, when you brain dies, you end. You are meat, just meat, thinking meat.

Answer 7

We could both be wrong, yes. But I am not afraid of some punishing afterlife, no.



Sure, I'd like to believe there is something after death, that my ego will live on. Egos are like that, you know. But I see no evidence of such. If it is oblivion, like it was before we were conceived, I won't exist to suffer the oblivion any more than I suffered it before I was conceived. It there is something, I'll deal with it when I get there, just as every human who has gone before me has had to do. Either way, it will be fine.



~Ex-Christian, former new ager. Atheist.

Answer 8

I'd rather be alive than dead. Death means way more to an atheist because we realize this is the only life we get. You're born, you live, you die, you rot; no exceptions.

It would be comforting to believe that I will live forever in some form or another, just like it would be comforting to believe I am a millionaire and queen of a small country. Unfortunately taking comfort in something and wanting desperately for it to be real does not make it real or true.

Answer 9

I don't fear death, What's the point? When you die your no longer part of this world your dead in the sense that you are no longer conscious whether it be JUst fading back into the universe as matter and energy or a spiritual ascent into the afterlife I doubt I would know what happened either way in a sense of who I am now.

Answer 10

No reason to fear death. It is going to happen. And we all know it. There is no reason to think I am wrong since the idea of a afterlife was merely asserted into existence with no proof.

Answer 11

Nope. If there is one thing I've learned, no matter what I choose, it will be the wrong thing. Why go through life kneeling on a hard stool and repeating stuff you don't even understand just to find out that the other guys had it right.

Nah, I'm going to burn no matter what, I might as well go down having fun.

Answer 12

I'm not afraid of death. It would actually simplify matters greatly. Additionally, my kids' education woud be taken care of. Still, I'm interested to see what might happen within the next couple of years. Just because death might simplify things, that doesn't mean I invite it.



I'm rather fond of living.



But regarding your 'spiritual' question...I'm not afraid of going to hell, if that's what you're implying. The idea of eternal punishment is morally and logically repugnant. Preposterous to think that such a god could exist.

Answer 13

IJR is not wrong about the afterlife. There ain't one. Once you are dead, you are dead and nothing but dead. It's not a happy thought, but that is the way it is. IJR wishes there was something else after this life, but logic tells us there is not. And that is a scary thought.

Answer 14

Sometimes. But I don't think about it 24/7 like Christians do.

Answer 15

Yes, that it what the fear mechanism is for, to prevent death, people who say that they have never feared are lying. Every time you feel fear (not just anxiety, or nervousness) you are being afraid of death

Answer 16

No. I don't believe in the afterlife. Besides, it seems pointless to worry about something you can't know.

Answer 17

Nope.



Pain and decrepitude scare me. The thought of my family coping without me is sad. But, how can death frighten me? I have already not existed. I accept my body, memory and personality are impermanent.

Answer 18

Yes, of course I do, but I make sure to maintain a rational position regarding death, which is that I highly doubt it's going to bother me to be dead anymore after I die than it did before I was born.

Answer 19

death is as natural as birth. everybody has to face it. I suppose it's a little scary to think that I may not be able to continue in this existance thing...which is exactly why I don't plan on squandering it.

Answer 20

I mean, I fear death in the sense that non-existence is scary. I dont fear it in the sense that I think ill be burning in hell for eternity, because that is just silly/insane.

Answer 21

There's no reason to fear death cause you cant change it. You WILL die eventually. So you can spend your life worrying about it or you can spend your life living.

Answer 22

Its a 50/50 chance that either something cool will happen that NONE of know about, or nothing will happen. Either way I'm comfortable about

Answer 23

I like what Mark Twain said: "I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it."

Answer 24

I'd prefer not to be there when it happens, but I don't have any illusions that it's anything other than the end.

Answer 25

Im not scared of death.



I am petrified of the horrible way in which I might die. Most notably, cancer.

Answer 26

Nope. But I am scared of heights and butterflies.

Answer 27

im a Christian and i completely agree with what you just said, but just a warning, you're gonna be getting a lot of responses about pascal's wager is old and etc...

Answer 28

I don't care for it.

Answer 29

No.