Why are the religious so afraid of death?

[naomi24]

Without the concept that by worshiping an invisible man in the sky, people can somehow avoid the inevitable, religion would be surplus to requirements.

We're all going to die eventually, we won't know anything about it, so what's the problem?

[craft1948]

Naomi you have your reasons for being an atheist, and I have my reasons for being a christian............I can assure you that the thought of death is not one of them.

[naomi24]

Well, if you say so, Craft, but I can't think of another reason.

[Ankou]

i don't think religious people fear death any more or less than the non-religious. they just have different ways to view or describe the destination, and walk a different path to get there.

[craft1948]

If you say so steve.............

[Old_Geezer]

Language is often unclear as folk use the same word to mean different things. That is why agreeing a defintion of them at the start of any philosophical debate is so important.

[sandyRoe]

The sulphurous pit, the lakes of fire, and eternal torment all frighten me.

[naomi24]

I'm sure many atheists fear death because they acknowledge it as the end - and that's not a happy thought for anyone. On the other hand, the religious, even those who claim that death is not the reason for their belief, harbour an expectation that they will eventually reach an alternative destination. I defy any one of them to tell me they don't believe that their spirit will survive death, because without that belief, there is no foundation to their religion. Religion survives because people fear death.

[naomi24]

Sandy, just as the evil men who conceived them intended.

[RATTER15]

>>The sulphurous pit, the lakes of fire, and eternal torment all frighten me. <<

That's exactly why many Atheist have no fear of death, these silly things don't actually exist.

That's not to say I want it to happen any day soon, life is too good :)

and I know I have posted this before and I post it again because it is so true.

“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.”

― Mark Twain

[naomi24]

An aunt of mine said something similar, Ratter - although she didn't put it quite as humorously as Mark Twain. Before undergoing serious and lengthy surgery she said 'If I don't wake up from it, I won't know anything about it, so I'm not worried'. Wise lady.

[pdust]

*>>The sulphurous pit, the lakes of fire, and eternal torment all frighten me. <<

That's exactly why many Atheist have no fear of death, these silly things don't actually exist. *

you got a link to prove that ratter? ;)

[RATTER15]

Pdust, I'm relying on common sense here, after all there is nothing to prove it does exist either. just a mention in a book of Grim fairy tales :)

[pdust]

see the wink ratter? sheesh i thought you would know i cant resist a poke by now ;)

[Elderman]

I am not, probably no other issue has been as perplexing and persistent as the question of what happens after death. For thousands of years, brilliant minds in every civilization have pondered this question. But human philosophy and scientific research have merely yielded a jumble of theories and myths.
What about the teachings found in the Bible? Some may argue that on the subjects of death and the afterlife, the Bible is just as confusing. To be fair, however, we must face the fact that the confusion is caused by the many religions that muddy the clear waters of Bible teachings with fallacies and legends. When you ignore the traditions and myths and stick to what the Bible actually says, you discover a teaching that makes sense.

[Ankou]

"The sulphurous pit, the lakes of fire, eternal torment"

actually they do exist. in some way. shakespeare likened them to women's netheregions (king lear). also, geographically on the planet they exist. perhaps in the olden days, naughty people were thrown in to them.....

[RATTER15]

Elderman, >>When you ignore the traditions and myths and stick to what the Bible actually says, you discover a teaching that makes sense.<<

But the Bible is nothing more than myths and legend with a few fairy stories thrown in for good measure, It is certainly no more reliable than the above.

[naomi24]

Elderman, //I am not//

Yes you are. That's why you believe the myths and legends of the bible that say you aren't going to die.

[RATTER15]

pdust, Sorry, I did take it with the wink and ended mine with a smiley. I actually took it the way it was intended but my post didn't come across that way, I apologise. :))

[dzug2]

<I can only go by my father, a confirmed atheist. Once when he genuinely thought he was dying (he wasn't) he called on God to help him............ >>

But it was just a word, wasnt it? Not evidence of brief belief