As an atheist, are you afraid to die?

Question

*I'm a Christian and I'm just curious.

Ex. Your hanging off of a cliff and no one else is around. Do you drop or keep hanging on even though your arm will soon get tired and you'll drop anyway?

As some of you would say "There is nothing after death"

Some of you are asking me the same thing. I'd pray but if God let me get another chance at life I'd gladly take it. If I fall then I'd know it is my time.

Answer 1

I believe in God and I feel life is the hardest thing we have to go through, dying is the simplest thing we do. Then I'll forever be at peace. :) I've been looking forward to it most of my life but for some reason God has keep me here, I guess to learn as much as possible. Maybe he has something important for me to do. I've though it would be cool to help Jesus get Satan out of Hell to call to his people and then help get them back in.

Answer 2

I am agnostic and I am not afraid of death whether there is or is not a God. If there is no afterlife then I will hardly be aware of anything anymore so how can I be afraid? When I try to conceptalize this I think about how did I feel before I was born? Well, I am aware of nothing before the age of two so I guess that answers how I will feel if there is nothing. If there is a God I am quite sure that none of the religions out there have the nature of God truly figured out. I am a good person and I try to make the world a better place through my actions. I make mistakes though just like everyone else. I don't believe God would burn me in hell for not accepting the tenets of religion. If God would then God is not a kind and loving God worth worshipping. My grandfather was Catholic and my grandmother protestant. They were two of the kindest, loving people I have ever known. I can't believe God would not accept my grandmother or grandfather based on their religion although both felt their way was the only way and worried for the other. I now go to a Unitarian church which has Buddhist and Pagans in the congregation. Again, many are wonderful people who add so much positive and loving energy to the world. If there is a God I can't accept that they would be condemned. I tend think that religions are made up to fill our need for understanding our place. I have no fear of death although I may regret leaving life since I love being alive.

Answer 3

I'm not afraid of death, that doesn't mean i want to die. I am somewhat afraid of the pain that may be associated with death however. Just like any other animal i am programed to survive. If i were in the in the cliff situation i would surely hang on as long as possible and try to figure a way out of the predicament until i was forced to fall. Being an atheist has nothing to do with that in any way.

Answer 4

You should always keep hanging on to the cliff, because giving up is despair. There's nothing to lose by continuing to hang on to the cliff, and there may be some unforeseen beneficial event that saves you - a "eucatastrophe" to use Tolkien's terminology.

Do you mean to imply that a Christian / Believer-in-afterlife would just let go, 'cuz what the heck?

I don't *fear* death, except in the healthy sense of taking steps for self-preservation. I'm more interested in having a good life than worrying about death.

(I may or may not be an "atheist" in your book, but I don't have any particular belief in any heaven or hell or afterlife.)

Answer 5

Not afraid, but I don't seek it out. After I die, all the memories and thoughts are just gone, so it really doesn't matter when i die or how well I live, it's all gone. If there were absolutley no way to get off the edge, like if I were on a branch in the middle of the cliff, then I suppose I would drop off and try to slow down as much as possible.

Answer 6

I'm not exactly sure what I would have called myself--but I didn't believe in God as a Christian and I was terrified of death. I'm a "born again" Christian now and am excited knowing that someday I will meet Christ--but I still don't want to die and am scared not of death, but of the pain that usually accompanies death.

Answer 7

Yarrrrr, I'll be answerin yer question as my canon shoots, straight forward, sir. I be an atheist an a pirate to boot. I say I'd be clingin on as long as possible out me natural instinct to survive. Besides, the longer i have to think about it, the better the chances I have at thinkin me way out of the situation. Not impossible, merely improbable for me to overcome my brush with death. We atheists love life, and want to enjoy as much of it as we can before we die. If anything awaits our diffused energy after it leaves our bodies, we will be eager to explore it and learn about it the same way we aproach the world while we yet live. Savvy?

Answer 8

I think everyone, atheist or Christian, would hang on. It is in our nature to preserve life as long as possible, and hold onto hope for a rescue as long as we could.

To be honest, I am a Christian and I am a little afraid to die. There is still that piece of me that says I could be wrong on something and burn in hell for eternity. Or that heaven isn't all it's cracked up to be. I think I would find a little bit of comfort in atheism, because I would rather there be nothing after death than to be miserable afterwards. Maybe I don't have enough faith, but faith is my biggest area of struggle. I like to have proof for everything, and there is no proof of heaven or hell, so I get worrried.

There, now I confessed something I never told anyone before.

Answer 9

"To be or not to be..." Is that the question?

I don't fear non-existance. Not existing didn't bother me in the slightest during the billions of years before my birth. Not existing will not bother me during the billions of years after my death.

I do somewhat fear the process of dying - and I think everyone does to some extent. It's part of being alive - critters that don't fear dying tend to not have offspring.

As a human, with a human's imagination, we can imagine the pain of the death process and be scared of it.

So yes, I'd hold on as long as I could. But instead of hollering for God's help, I'd holler for someone to bring a rope!

Answer 10

this is very important and you must read carefully!!!!!!! as an athiest im not afraid to die but i am afraid of people who still beleive in all the religions (you cant all be right) like islamic and christian fanatics who seem hell bent on wiping each other out!!.. you see most people in the world are caring less and less about fictional fairytale religions from thousands of years ago because im sorry to break this to you but they are all myths and folklore made up by crazy people a long time ago.. what im trying to say is its 2006 and normal people like me want to live there lives in peace and raise there families and be close to there loved ones without been worried about been blown by some brain washed kid from palestine iraq or iran but you gotta see the big picture!!! i hope you read this and i hope you understand me cos were not far away from christianity vs islam trust me AND THATS WHAT IM AFRAID OF !!!!!!!!!