Is atheism actually fear of the unknown?

Question

I have faced death and know there is God from this experience. (Flat lined with no pulse, hit with epinephrine and a punch to the chest to bring me out of anaphylaxsis. Up to this point I was an agnostic) plus I have seen combat where people were spared through nothing but the Act of God. Does your fear of the unknown and dispute with mortality masquerade as atheism?

Forgottenlove328 I said atheist not agnostic. Please pay attention to detail. Thank you

Answer 1

I've been a hospital bed, Magnesium Sulfate being pumped into me through an IV in the hopes of bringing my blood pressure down enough so that I wouldn't be at risk of fatal seizures. My kidneys were failing. My pituitary had swollen so badly that it was pressing against my optic nerve to the point that my eyesight was being destroyed AND they thought it was a brain tumor (one of the doctors even wanted to "operate" on the same day he made the "diagnosis"). My 6½ month fetus was in danger of miscarrying, so they did an emergency c-section and pulled him out at 3½ pounds. 3½ pounds and he had no idea how to eat OR how to breathe properly.

I stayed at 4 hospitals, rode in 2 ambulances and a helicopter, had more IV's cut into my arms than you can imagine, had one arterial IV that spurted blood all over my bed, saw over a dozen specialists, and most of them told my husband that when it came to surviving, it would either be me or the baby, and maybe neither.

I'm alive and my baby is now nearly 2 years old. I didn't believe in God then and I don't believe in him now. No matter what happens to me, to my baby, to you, to anyone, GOD DOESN'T EXIST. No matter how afraid or happy I am, there is no God. The god concept is logically impossible regardless of what happens to me and you.

I don't have a single problem with morality. The difference is that I condone HUMAN compassion and altruism and Christians, many many Christians, cannot conceive of ANY reason to be moral beyond "God said so". And I do fear... I fear death. It's not the unknown... I know exactly what's going to happen. I'm going to cease to be. That scares me more than I can explain. AGAIN, this has no bearing on reality. The concept of god does not correspond to reality. This has NOTHING TO DO WITH ME.

AGAIN... it doesn't matter how happy or sad or afraid or content I am. "God" is logically impossible. God doesn't exist. Neither do any of the other god concepts.

Answer 2

Yay, Zero Cool!!

"Does your fear of the unknown and dispute with mortality masquerade as atheism." Sorry, Jim, but I think you've got that completely backwards, and the last part should say "religion". I too have survived a near-death experience and I certainly didn't see God. Is it because I wasn't looking hard enough? I don't think so. Is it because God faIfvors people? That would automatically make him less than "all-loving", eh?

Why would panic about the unknown make people atheists? Wouldn't they just become religious if they were so afraid of the unknown and death? Atheism is not a religion. It's simply a word for those who believe that there is no God. I am an Agnostic-Atheist. I believe in an energy beyond scientific realm that connects us all to one another. I do not believe in deities, however. I am afraid of death, like most people. However, I haven't chosen to "accept" God and thus my fears aren't ruling my life - wouldn't it just be easier to say, "Aw, I'll believe in some religion so I'm guaranteed a spot in a heaven, if there is one. That is Pascal's Wager. The God that is usually tossed about on here subjects those who don't worship him to hell and is given human traits. When I was younger I would tell people I believed in God, just not as they did to explain agnosticism. Now the definition has ceased to mean anything beyond religious affiliation. If 'God' were to mean 'energy' then I might sing a different tune. It doesn't. Honestly, Jim, I am giving you the best answer I can. The moment you use that word you fall into the category of "Christianity" (the others are rarely mentioned when someone mentions a belief in God), and to me, that is dangerous.

Answer 3

I don't think that atheism is the fear of the unknown. I believe atheism means "without belief." It comes from the Greek word atheos, meaning godless. It's different than agnosticism, meaning that the existence of a Supreme Being is unknown. It comes from the Greek word agnostos, meaning unknown.

Each person has a theory about what happens upon our death. I know that each person that has that experience comes back a changed person, regardless of belief.

Personally, I think it takes more faith to be an atheist than to be a believer in God. I'd rather live like there is a God and find out there isn't, than to live like there isn't a God and find out there is.

Answer 4

As an atheist, I can tell you know, it definitely is not. Additionally, any 'miracles' you may have experienced were almost certainly not divine in nature. People surviving nasty combat situations is either coincidence or just plain a lot of resilience on the part of the survivor. Seeing 'God' during a near death experience is also probably due to your brain not functioning properly and causing hallucinations. People have also had so-called 'religious' experiences when using hallucinogenic drugs, when this can easily be explained by a combination of their brain acting up and them having already been aware of religion. While it would be very difficult to do a psychological test on it, it seems likely that someone who had never heard of religion would not suddenly become religious after having an NDE or using drugs.

Answer 5

I think its a fear, or an inability to have faith. Also, a lot of Atheists question things more, particularly the existence of GOD. But its good to question. It keeps people smart.

Personally, I believe that there has got to be something better than this life; I have Faith that there is something on the other side.

If there was no god there wouldn't be any atheists.

I guess we'll each find out when we die.

To each his/her own.

Answer 6

No. Has nothing to do with fear of the unknown. I don't have a disproportionate fear of the unknown. I just don't believe in a deity. Even when I did, my fear of the unknown was about the same as it is now.

Answer 7

Its interesting you should say that, because I've always thought the opposite. I'm sure youre familiar with the medieval guide to map making: "Where unknown, there place monsters".

A similar thing with religion, "Where unknown, there place gods".

I dont fear the unknown. I dont understand it, but I see no need to invent a diety to explain my world to me.

See my point? Its just a question of different perspectives. Your experiences bring you one perspective, and mine bring me another.

No-ones right or wrong, or at least, if one is, neither of us can prove it. Its all different points of view.

Answer 8

That's probably the origins of religion. I think a lot of people today however still are religions because it is a means of expressing oneself spiritually. Some religions aren't even trying to prove anything, so I would disagree with your statement right there.

Answer 9

On the contrary it is much more unnerving to think that there isn't some sentient superbeing watching over us - protecting us from the dangers of the cosmos.

My atheism is a result of logic and ethics, not fear.

Answer 10

> I have faced death and know there is God from this experience.

Atheists are revived in the same manner you described, and continue to remain atheists. It proves nothing.

I have faced death more than once, and I am still an atheist. I fear nothing about death, but I would prefer I didn't have to die, because I revere life.