An scientific alternative for helping you cope with death...?

Question

The happiest person I know is an atheist who believes that an afterlife is entirely possible. He talks about Einstein proving that time is relative, Freud showing how the unconscious uses defence mechanisms to protect itself, and how we can live an entire lifetime in the blink of an eye when comatose. He says that at the moment of our death we could protect ourselves by creating a dream-world where we can continue to live out our lives while everyone else continues on without us. Could this be true? If it could then it's one of the best things I've heard in a long time and explains a lot.

youthpastor1955, you'd prefer to be a follower than a creator?

Lionheart, you're HOW OLD!?! Good for you, keep on kickin'!

Answer 1

As an atheist for 113 of my 134 years, I have come to realize that coping with death will be very hard.

First of all you won't want to die. There is too much to see, too much to do, too many loved ones to be left behind.

Next, how will you die? Most of us would like to die in our sleep without knowing about it. In reality most of the deaths occur with some kind of pain, and not suddenly.

Many who are in extreme pain, without hope of recovery, would want to die at once. Others, who have had a stroke, or have Alzheimer's, don't have the choice to express their wishes. I don't want to imagine what it would be like, living in a dead body, or with only a partial mind.

I can understand that people would want to believe in an imaginary world to ease the pain of death, even if it isn't logical. I don't know what I will feel when my time comes to an end. I can only hope that I had a positive influence on my loved ones, and that they will remember the good times we had.

Answer 2

Hm, well, I guess it could be logical, for him at the least. I would just guess that when I die, maybe we do protect ourselves from death and make a dream-world for all eternity, or maybe not...and we go into a "sleep" or something...who knows? Hope I helped some...

Answer 3

Hi Locust, I can understand why your atheist is happy because he/she is ignorant of the truth and they say, Ignorance is bliss."
However, your friend might be a little less happy if they realised that their unbelief in God resulted in eternal death from which there is no resurrection.
The Bible clearly speaks of two resurrections - one for believers and one for unbelievers, but the results are entirely different.
The believers are raised to eternal life that is only obtainable through repentance of sin and acceptance of Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour.
"Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." John 5:28,29.
"Jesus said to her (Martha), “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25,26.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."1 Peter 1:3-5.
"But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." Revelation 20:5,6.
The after-life is only possible one way. Cryogenics and other so called methods of preservation will have no effect. The ancient Egyptians embalmed and mummified their dead in the hope that they would be preserved in the after-life but we're still digging them up so for some reason they never achieved their goal.
The Bible is also clear on the state of the dead. Solomon writes "Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing and they have no more reward reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; Nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun." Ecclesiates 9:3-6.
So it is clear that only through the resurrection offered through Jesus is there a certainty of etrnal life.
I hope that this has been of some help to you,
God Bless,
H'chat.

Answer 4

I don't know what would help someone who does not believe in Jesus Christ, but I do know that many find comfort in many ways to cope. For me, I can't imagine an eternity without my sweet Jesus. I can't change that for me because I believe it so much that it envelops me and is part of me every waking moment of the day.

I would not want anyone, believer in Jesus Christ or not, to go to the hour of death with fear and terror. I hope you find a peace - but for me - Jesus is peace - in life and in death.

Answer 5

Not true...Fiction of men.


Read Ecclesiasted 9:5 in your bible...simple as those words.

Like when you are asleep...you dont understand anything, to some points of your sleep.

Answer 6

Death is just something you have to accept.

Answer 7

*** g75 1/22 Should Your Dreams Guide Your Life? ***

Something Better than Dreams

The Scriptures urge people to seek vital guidance in their lives and knowledge of the future, not through divination, but from God through his appointed “prophet,” Jesus Christ. (Deut. 18:15-19; John 6:14) That calls for a careful study of the Word of God. We read, at 2 Timothy 3:16, 17: “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.”

The Bible, as a “complete” guide for human conduct, is something better than dreams. It is not vague, uncertain as to meaning. The Scriptures contain specific counsel on marriage, family life and other human relations, as well as sound principles that provide a basis for making wise decisions.

What about gaining insight into one’s own personality? No human can provide that through interpretation of dreams, no matter how skillful the analyst. The Bible, at 1 Samuel 16:7, states: “Mere man sees what appears to the eyes; but as for Jehovah, he sees what the heart is.” If a person really wants accurate analysis of his personality, he must go to God. How?

In the Bible, at Hebrews 4:12, we are told: “The word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of joints and their marrow, and is able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart.” What is the point of that verse? It means that diligent study of the inspired Word of God will help a person to examine himself, to detect the difference between what he appears to be as a living creature (the soul) and what he really is at heart, in attitude (the spirit).

The Bible also provides dependable information about the future. Fulfillments of hundreds of Bible prophecies are now a matter of record. The Scriptures indicate that within the present generation Almighty God will sweep the earth clean of wickedness and usher in a new order in which suffering, oppression, sickness and death will be things of the past. (Dan. 2:44; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1-5) Would you like to live on earth during that glorious time?

Then you must ‘exert yourself vigorously.’ (Luke 13:24) That calls for careful study of the inspired Word of God, firm belief in it, and application of Bible principles in your life.—Jas. 1:22.

But preoccupation with dreams can hinder you from doing this by causing you to look to something other than the true source of guidance that God has provided, and possibly even involving you with harmful spiritistic influences. It is only God, through his inspired Word, who can guide you to a meaningful life now and lasting blessings in the future.—John 17:3.
You have night mares when you dream too, so who is to say you want dream up a nightmare before you die and live that out. Purely speculation.


A leading dream researcher says: “The ratio of research to speculation is still so small that it is difficult to draw any firm conclusions” about the meaning of dreams. Analysts seldom agree on the meaning of anything in dreams. According to the Bible, certain dreams may even predict future events, yet not come from God.

Answer 8

indeed, this happens but at best for 45 minutes

Answer 9

Death = Permenant sleep. Its not that bad.

Answer 10

A central doctrine of the Qur'an is the Last Day, on which the world will be destroyed and Allah will raise all people and jinn from the dead to be judged.

The Last Day is also called the Day of Standing Up, Day of Separation, Day of Reckoning, Day of Awakening, Day of Judgment, The Encompassing Day or The Hour.

Until the Day of Judgment, deceased souls remain in their graves awaiting the resurrection. However, they begin to feel immediately a taste of their destiny to come. Those bound for hell will suffer in their graves, while those bound for heaven will be in peace until that time.

The resurrection that will take place on the Last Day is physical, and is explained by suggesting that God will re-create the decayed body (17:100: "Could they not see that God who created the heavens and the earth is able to create the like of them"?).

One's eternal destination depends on balance of good to bad deeds in life. On the Last Day, resurrected humans and jinn will be judged by Allah according to their deeds. They are either granted admission to Paradise, where they will enjoy spiritual and physical pleasures forever, or condemned to Hell to suffer spiritual and physical torment for eternity. The day of judgment is described as passing over Hell on a narrow bridge in order to enter Paradise. Those who fall, weighted by their bad deeds, will remain in Hell forever.

The Qur'an specifies two exceptions to this general rule:

1. Warriors who die fighting in the cause of God are ushered immediately to God's presence (2:159 and 3:169); and
2. "Enemies of Islam" are sentenced immediately to Hell upon death.

Paradise

"O soul who is at rest, return to thy Lord, well-pleased with Him, well-pleasing Him. So enter among My servants, and enter My garden." (89:27-30)

Paradise (firdaws), also called "The Garden" (Janna), is a place of physical and spiritual pleasure, with lofty mansions (39:20, 29:58-59), delicious food and drink (52:22, 52:19, 38:51), and virgin companions called houris (56:17-19, 52:24-25, 76:19, 56:35-38, 37:48-49, 38:52-54, 44:51-56, 52:20-21). There are seven heavens (17:46, 23:88, 41:11, 65:12).
Hell

Hell, or Jahannam (Greek gehenna), is mentioned frequently in the Qur'an and the Sunnah using a variety of imagery. It has seven doors (Qur'an 39:71; 15:43) leading to a fiery crater of various levels, the lowest of which contains the tree Zaqqum and a cauldron of boiling pitch. The level of hell depends on the degree of offenses. Suffering is both physical and spiritual.

Being a Muslim does not keep one out of Hell, but it is not clear whether Muslims remain in Hell forever. Non-Muslims (kafir), however, will be punished eternally. A Muslim author on IslamOnline.net explains it this way:

"Ultimately, God will remove from Hell those believers whose sins were not forgiven nor atoned for by good deeds in their lifetimes, and they will then enter Paradise. The remaining inhabitants of Hell will stay there eternally." (Islam Online)

Other Muslim commentators, noting that Allah can rescue people from hell as he chooses, and that he is merciful and compassionate, have hypothesized that eventually hell will be empty. Alternatively, Hell can be seen as a place of progress where souls are instructed until they are fit to go to heaven:

"Life after death is actually the starting-point of further progress for man. Those in paradise are advancing to higher and higher stages in knowledge and perfection of faith. Hell is meant to purify those in it of the effects of their bad deeds, and so make them fit for further advancement. Its punishment is, therefore, not everlasting.