Is the fear of death different for a Christian than it is for an atheist?

Question

I'm a Christian, and I fear it, but only as fear of the unknown, not that I don't know what will happen, but what it will feel like for my spirit to disconnect with my body and ascend.

Does the way atheists believe there is nothing after death give them the same comfort, as they believe will feel nothing?

Answer 1

it isnt death that frightens me so much as the act of dying.

Answer 2

I think the fear or acceptance of death differs from person to person regardless of their beliefs.

Some people don't fear death at all...believing that they will be in a better place, that they will just be "no more" and have no pain or worries, or that they will come back as another life form. For most of those it seems the only "fear" of dying is them not wanting to cause their loved ones grief and not being involved in their lives anymore.

I think christians would mostly fear death if they had doubts of their faith and weren't sure if they would get to heaven.

Answer 3

I am an atheist, and I don't fear death as much as I am sad about it. I have lost so many people that I loved, they live in my heart still. My only real fear is that I won't accomplish everything I want to accomplish in this short time that I have do do it. I want to make the world a better place, but in the end, nothing is certain, I could be hit by a bus tomorrow, leaving so much unfinished. I try to live my life the best I can with this knowledge, and I always make sure to tell my loved ones how much I love them. I talk to my parents on the phone just about every day and I make sure they know how much I love them and appreciate them. I tell my husband that I love him at least once a day too.

One thing that I have been pondering a great deal, happened earlier this year. My 92 year old grandfather, who came to live with us 8 years ago, had to go to the hospital because of stomach pains and it turned out he was having congestive heart failure. They gave him pain medication and the doctor was going to come back the next day. They told our family to go home for the night and we did. The next morning at 6am, the nurses woke him to give him more medication and take his vitals. He said he didn't need the pain medication, and said that he felt great, that he had no pain, and then he went back to sleep. Half an hour later his heart monitor went off, and he died very quickly, before we could get to the hospital.

On the one hand, it broke my heart that he died alone, and that we weren't there to hold his hand and kiss him. That still keeps me up at night. On the other hand, I am so happy and thankful that he wasn't feeling any pain.

When I die, I hope that I am with people who love me, and that I am as lucky as my dear grandfather, who "felt great" half an hour before he died. If it matters, he was an atheist too, but he was also anxious to see my grandma (a christian) again, and he was sure that he would be together with her when he died. Although I don't believe in any afterlife, I do believe that they are reunited somehow, somewhere, and I am glad for them.

The best we can do is live our lives with love and compassion and hope, and try not to dwell too much on death, because we cannot control it or avoid it.

Answer 4

Generally, athiests believe that once they die, they are in the same state as before they were concieved, ie non-existant, other than a rotting corpse of course. So for that reason I do not fear death because I believe that once I am dead, that is it, I have nothing to fear, I cannot think, so why fear death if you know that once it happens you will not be around to think about it...

Answer 5

For some reason, many Christians fear death. I don't really understand why, when they tell me of the great afterlife they are going to have. I would think they would be eager to go to their Lord.

Me, I don't fear death. I see death as an inevitable end to a hopefully good life. The only one I'm going to get a chance to live.

Answer 6

I know there is life after death. Just not heaven or hell. Reincarnation allays the fear of death. I know I have been here many times before. I really hope this is my last incarnation in this dimension. I'm really sick of it. I didn't want to come back here this time. But, here I am. Volunteering isn't what it's cracked up to be. My soul is very, very old. I've lived and died so many times that I hate it. Prison earth is not my favorite place.

Answer 7

as an agnostic, death scares me, but not because of fear of the unknown but because of the fear of being forgotten, known only by a headstone. the thought that i will go somewhere afterwards does not comfort me as i might not be with those i love. i also fear not being able to see my friends and family after i die, since i believe that people just sort of stop. if i were to die i would not be able to speak to the people i care for ever again and that scares me.

being christian would not bring comfort because then there would always be that fear of going to hell. i think that is the major flaw with most religions. the point of them is to explain the unknown, but turned into some sort of corrupt power struggle between people on earth. follow this church and go to hell. follow that one and go to heaven. if everything that people say causes people to go to hell, then we would all go to hell, even the pope.

Answer 8

of direction I worry dying interior the actual sense besides the undeniable fact that it isn't any longer dying that I worry fairly, it is the unknown. no you may assist you already know what happens after actual dying. besides the undeniable fact that I do have self assurance interior the all-powerful God and that each thing written interior the bible has the reason of letting us comprehend that God is waiting on the different component to seize those that have made the confession that Jesus is the Son. So i do no longer worry non secular dying that's being separated from the author of existence, the Bible says that no longer something can do away with me from Gods hand as quickly as i opt for to be there.

Answer 9

Just because one is atheist doesn't mean they don't have spirituality. Just because one doesn't believe in a God doesn't make them any less spiritual. Everyone fears death in some way or another because it's somewhere we have to go, we don't know when, and we don't know how. And we think it may be painful or whatever. I'm content with myself and my own spirit. I don't need to believe in a god to have a happy and content life.

Answer 10

i was a christian but now im atheist
the fear of death is just that
no matter if there is a heaven or not
i still fear death more than anything
because its unknown
so if there is no heaven nothing happens when you die
but if there is, whats there?
its like how do we as humans know what heaven is like
none of us are there
or remember being there
so we dont know therefore its scary
i really was afraid of death both ways as christian and now as atheist

Answer 11

You live now, now is the time to do and to be who ever you want to be or whatever you want , after death there are only speculations nothing is set or proved, all religion or none religion about ''after death'' are story's , to be true you need at least one person to claim the right of knowledge that he or she is been there and witnessed it all , believe what you see and what you feel and experience good and bad is here on earth hell and heaven also is here now on earth, you shouldn't be scared for after your death , its a mystery till the opposite is pro oven ,..bless you live now ...