to an atheist there is no afterlife, so are you affraid of death?
2007-09-07 02:33:53 · 42 answers · asked by The Shadow 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Not all atheists lack belief in an afterlife. The only common belief we share as atheists is a lack of belief in supreme beings. Some of us consider ourselves spiritual and entertain the idea that there may in fact be an after life of sorts. For example, Buddhism is a non-theistic religion that believes in reincarnation.
To answer your question, death is not something I think about or worry about but it's also not something I look forward to. Due to my inquisitive nature I am slightly curious to finally find out for sure what happens after we die but I am in absolutely no hurry for that to happen as there are many more goals I would like to accomplish in my lifetime and much more I would like to learn.
The thought that there may not be any afterlife what so ever is a little bit unnerving but this is why I feel that we should learn, live, love, and experience everything to the best of our ability during this life because it may be the only one we have. If there is in fact no afterlife, we will not know the difference if we cease to exist. That is something hard to imagine but as I stated previously, it is not something I concern myself with or worry about. I am more concerned with life than death.
Fear is a very useless emotion and I try not to let it get the best of me. What is scary is the process of dying and how one might die as opposed to the thought of actually being dead. It is useless to spend time worrying about how we will someday die. "The only thing to fear is fear itself." - after all.
2007-09-07 02:57:50 · answer #1 · answered by Christy ☪☮e✡is✝ 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No, I do not fear dying. I'd be more scared if moronic tales of afterlifes were true. I had no choice when I was a small child. Mom's father was a Baptist pastor, and some people in my family gave hellfire sermons even to babies. They sadistically enjoyed scaring kids. In elementary school, I read "Tom Sawyer". He told his aunt Polly he did not want to sit on a cloud playing a harp forever. Isaac Asimov said he did not like the Christioan heaven either. The Moslems have a better idea with 72 houris for me, but there is no logical and scientific evidence that any afterlife exists. That is something a logical man accepts. Liking or disliking reality or fearing it or not fearing it do not change it.
2007-09-07 02:52:23 · answer #2 · answered by miyuki & kyojin 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am not afraid of annhialation, but the process of dying could be painful. However I tend not to think about it and get on with living the life I have. I have a lot more fears about life than death. After all, when dead, one can't be harmed or suffer. On the other hand, the world is a dangerous place.
2007-09-07 02:40:58 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not of death itself. It happens to everyone, and I won't feel a thing when I'm dead.
But of dying too early, yes. If I dies now I'd miss out on some great stuff... my family, maybe having grandchildren someday, music, etc. I'd like to stay alive until I've had enough and got tired of heaving this 190-pound carcass around. That moment is still a few decades away.
There's also the manner of dying... while death is painless, dying can be messy sometimes. I wouldn't want it to be a long drawn-out agony.
2007-09-07 02:40:39 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm certainly not afraid of dieing. In fact, I'm not even afraid of dying.
It is the cessation of all cognitive activity so, beyond worrying about how much pain may come with the process of dying, being dead doesn't worry me in the least.
Not believing in an afterlife or God doesn't make things any scarier than they already are. Just like belief in an afterlife doesn't seem to make death any friendlier for most Christians.
2007-09-07 02:38:22 · answer #5 · answered by chris m 5 · 4⤊ 1⤋
You've asked two completely different questions.
No, I'm not afraid of death. Exactly what is supposed to be the appeal of going on forever and ever and ever and ever anyway? There's no escaping it, it just takes maturity to deal with.
I'm sufficiently afraid of dying, and sufficiently in love with life, to put off dying for as long as possible. So I look both ways when I cross the road, eat plenty of fruit and veg, and don't go hunting with Dick Cheney.
2007-09-07 03:26:55 · answer #6 · answered by Bad Liberal 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That can be answered on several levels. Do I fear death, no death is just part of the life cycle. Do I want to die - no, like the majority of all living things I have a healthy sense of self preservation.
As a Christian I had more fear of death than I do now.
2007-09-07 02:43:05 · answer #7 · answered by Pirate AM™ 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you aren't aware that you're dead (probably because you're dead), than why fear that? I think an atheist rather fears the pain that could lead to death. Christians on the other hand seem terrified of death, which is why they chose the comfort in believing in an afterlife.
2007-09-07 02:39:09 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
I am not afraid of death, what would be the point of that? It is part of life and perfectly natural. I am not looking forward to it, but I can't say I think about it at all really. Why would anyone unless it was imminent.
2007-09-07 03:16:08 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
A little, but not in some irrational, think about it all the time kind of way. But it's not the lack of afterlife that scares me. It's not being here for my husband that scare me. An afterlife can't fix that.
2007-09-07 02:43:45 · answer #10 · answered by ms_coktoasten 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋