Fear of Death (athiests/agnostics only please)?

Question

For those who do not believe in Christian doctrine, do you fear that you may be wrong, and that there is a hell for nonbelievers? Why or why not? And, what do you think happens after death, and what accounts for your belief? Do you fear it? (serious answers only please.)

Right, I realize there are many beliefs besides Christianity, Agnosticism, and Atheism...I guess I just wanted to know what people think, living in a "Christian" society (Christian in quotes) where the belief is heaven or hell. Heck, any belief can answer...the forum is open!

Answer 1

There is not reason to fear the inevitable. It's not like I can change anything either way. And I'm not going to believe "just-in-case"

Answer 2

Hell was a construct to keep the peasants in line.
Making it a forever thingy had extra power - making it a forever thingy kept it in the front of the peasant's minds - constant paranoia is a powerful weapon.
Many revolutions included a sorta atheism cos religion had been an obvious tool of the masters.

My own atheism has been a lifelong process of reaffirming that which I figured out when I was seven.
There are no invisible men in the sky and nothing I've seen or experienced has shown otherwise.

Death? Of course I don't wanna die - it'd be like being made to leave the theatre before the end of the third act.
I wanna know what’s gonna happen to my family, friends and the world in general.
BUT, death comes to us all - some of us have time to prepare and others *snap* just like that. Last week a 42 year old fitness and business guru had a hearty on his jog.

I am not afraid of death - dumber people than me got through the process so it can't be that hard a job.
AND I have never thought that I may be wrong about the non-existence of such a childish and obviously illogical place.

IF the soul exists it is ethereal and therefore impervious to pain ... let alone from fire.
How are you gonna have fire in a non-material world?
It makes absolutely no sense except if you're very dense and unable to grasp the basic tenets of logic and science.

Answer 3

"For those who do not believe in Christian doctrine, do you fear that you may be wrong, and that there is a hell for nonbelievers? Why or why not?"
No, I don't fear I might be wrong. Why? Because I have made an honest intellectual decision to not believe in things without evidence, including god. The chances of my being wrong are the same as any Christian's.
I do not want to go to the heaven described in Christian doctrine. A place where I would be aware that there are countless people in eternal torment whilst living a life of ever-lasting reverence and worship to the god that put them there would make me want to kill myself...and I'd already be dead, so...


"And, what do you think happens after death, and what accounts for your belief?"
Nothing. When I die I will return to the state I was in for the 13.7 billion years before I was born; I don't remember it being a big deal..

"Do you fear it?"
No. Why should I? I've was dead for 13.7 billion years; I am only just now starting to live!

Answer 4

Please get over the nonsense they feed you. Not one of those christians know what is really going to happen when they die, its assumption, nothing more! They hope they don't die - they want to live forever, why? What would be the point? Do they want to live in old useless bodies that need to have diaper changes when they get to old to walk?

We don't even know where we come from except from our mothers womb. We track the human spices from inception till death, its physical, its 3rd dimensional. All the christians think in the third dimension and claim the fourth as their own, like they know a thing about it. But talk about death and they're making a claim that they are all set to get out of a grave someday start to dance and give homage for an eternity to something that lives in the sky that even our finest satellite dish has yet to find. What nonsense is this?

Answer 5

I'm not afraid of consequences if there isn't any evidence that those consequences are real. I consider hell to be an empty threat. Show me any evidence at all that hell is real, and then we'll talk more about it.

I think that death is the permanent end to life. There is no afterlife, reincarnation, spiritual limbo or anything of that sort. And I think that because I have no reason to think otherwise. Again, show me any evidence at all, and then we can talk some more about it.

I am afraid of how I might die, but I am not afraid of the consequences of death. I really don't want to know how it feels to have a massive heart attack, be shot death, have my body ravaged by cancer or die in any other way. None of them sound very pleasant. But I am not afraid of death being the permanent end of me. I can accept that without complaint.

Answer 6

I do not believe in any nonsense such as hell for non believers. Any god that would do that to his people is a devil.
I really have no idea what happens after we die tho I believe in Karma and reincarnation. I do believe that what happens to us in the afterlife is subjective, it depends on what you believe. In my belief only Christians go to hell, because they have created that for themselves.
I really have no idea tho. It will be interesting to find out XP
I do not want to die young but I don't really fear it...I doubt I will even notice. My only fear with death is for the people that I love, I am afraid of losing the people I love.
Death is a part of life. We are all going to die and hopefully we will rejoin the Universe and continue to be a part of the cycle.

Answer 7

The only fears concerning death I have is that 1) I will die before given the chance to actually live and 2) That I will die in a very painful, suffering way.

As for the afterlife, it doesn't bother me much. If I'm punished for not blindly believing in some deity who created me in his/her/it's image then I'd rather endure that punishment for all eternity than have to sit in the presence of that same god who foolishly decided to act ambiguous/vague and think everyone would believe in him/her/it no matter what.

Besides, if it turns out that the Christians aren't made of fail, then there's going to be quite a few rather upset non-Christian believers going to hell with me. So at least I won't be lonely and bored.

I don't really believe we go anywhere except back to Mother Earth. She's the one who's selflessly allowed us to rape her and abuse her, so it's only fair that she, in turn, gets to use me however she feels like it.

Answer 8

No, I'm not afraid of death. I don't fear I'm wrong and that there is a hell for non believers.Because there is no solid proof. I believe our energy returns to the atmosphere, unless we have unfinished business or our energy can't accept our death. I'm not sure what you mean by what accounts for my belief, but if you mean why do I believe that way, I have seen ghosts, I grew up in a haunted house.

Answer 9

Well, you have the Mark Twain answer about being dead for billions of years before being born. My Christian girlfriend believes it works that way as well. Death happens to everyone. So stop the fear, it does nothing for you. You only begin to truly live when you no longer fear death. Assume this is the only life you have. (Nobody can prove otherwise anyhow.) Live it to the max and live in love and respect for your fellow mankind. Do this and any afterlife that may exist will take care of itself. Blessings on your Journey!

Answer 10

To answer your question I must first confront your Christian doctrine, I have read your bible, and read it and read it, to me it is akin to a fable or a fairy tale, though I do not deny the life of Jesus Christ, though I see him as another man that lived on this planet. Nobody who as ever lived knows more about God than I do, and that is nothing. so all that being said I will live my life until I die, and then whatever will be, will be, I do not fear death, and so I have no desire to invent a religion to comfort me in my life.

Answer 11

I do not fear death because it is the natural end to the life cycle. There isn't an afterlife and my ashes will be become one with the earth again.

I don't fear that I'm wrong, if and that's a mighty huge if because there is no proof what-so-ever, there is a deity, if they are so cruel to punish me for using my brain then so be it, I wouldn't want to be around them anyways.