I wonder if people who don't believe in God are more likely to

[Raven]

be afraid of dying than people who do. Thoughts?

[Irish_Dem]

1. The very religious and atheists have the least fear of death.

Compared to those in between.


Here is study from Oxford University, UK.

https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2017-03-24-study-who-least-afraid-death

[liberal_mama]

2. I know a hospice nurse who told me that religious people seem more afraid to die

She thinks it's because they are worried about going to hell.

[Omnipresent]

11. God is soooo vengeful.

But, what is a couple more years here. Eventually, they get to spend eternity in Hell!!

[zuul]

16. The people I know who claim to be very religious seem very afraid of death.

And they're the ones who wail the most when a loved one dies. I thought they would be happy that their friend/family member is "going to meet their king" yet they freak out much more than atheists.

Most of the atheists I know are not afraid of death.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

20. That's definitely true for my super-religious sister.

She's absolutely the most afraid of death among all of my siblings and me. The rest of us are more accepting of the inevitable, and welcome it compared to a life of suffering.

[Earth-shine]

23. I think it's because, deep down inside, they're afraid they are wrong about it all.

I have heard it said by the religious that "Doubt and uncertainty are part of having faith."

Mmmm.

Others say, "There are no atheists in foxholes."

I don't believe that statement has any absolute truth.

By that, I mean, perhaps the atheists got out?

[a kennedy]

32. Did God say there was a hell??? Or did the people that wrote the Bible say there was a hell???

I always think of the 10 commandments…..were those God’s rules?? If ther IS a hell I really do not want to go.

[LakeArenal]

3. Nope. Why would you think so?

I’m not afraid some deity is sending me to hell.

I lead a life that doesn’t need redemption.
I don’t steal or hurt people or animals intentionally.

I pay my taxes, I’m not a cheater, and
I don’t hate.

The only part of dying that worries me is
how painful it might be and who will take care of my dog when I’m gone.

[Piasladic]

37. Same

I'm more afraid of my partner croaking before me. He has lovely saltwater tanks and always looks after the other fish, dog, and cat. He also tends the yard. I've tried to do these things, but my heart isn't into it. It'll be a zoo if he dies...

[LakeArenal]

38. Losing your partner is a whole different problem altogether.

That’s verrrry scary indeed.

[samnsara]

4. was it tosh or marley who said 'Everyone wants to go to Heaven but nobody wants to die'...

...i do envy believers as it may be easier for them to deal with the death of a loved one...

[Haggard Celine]

5. I don't believe in Heaven or Hell, but I do believe in reincarnation.

I'll be curious when I die. It will be Interesting to see what happens, if anything. It seems to me that death would only be scary if a person has done something really awful or has been a bad person. Of course, people like that probably don't feel any guilt about what they do, so they wouldn't be afraid.

[LakeArenal]

39. I sorta believe in reincarnation because energy cannot be be destroyed so it has to go somewhere.

[Piasladic]

41. yeah -but the odds

That any organic mess will realign? unlikely

[LakeArenal]

44. Not as unlikely as a deity.

[Luciferous]

46. That's how I think of it as well.

[LakeArenal]

47. Mainly no one knows. I might die here, go through a worm hole and come out in another dimension .

🤷🏼?♀️

[Luciferous]

49. Ha, that would be pretty cool!

[MiHale]

6. Not me...

I’ll fight to stay alive, of course, dying is natural, nothing is permanent. I guess living on the edge of death kinda toughens you. Actually my biggest fear about dying is this pandemic. Don’t want to be all alone that’d bother my family to no end. I’ve faced death a number of times, military and lately health.
I’ve totally accepted my fate.

[Faux pas]

7. Not

in my case. Probably because I don't believe in hell either...unless you want to count the hell we're living in now.

[lanlady]

8. Atheist here. I'm not afraid of death

I don’t want to die, no one does, but in dying you make way for the young and the yet-to-be-born. Steve Jobs said shortly before he passed away that death is life’s way of renewing itself. It’s hard to argue with that.

I’m more afraid of being old and feeble and unable to take care of myself. I’ve always been an independent type and the thought of dependency scares me a lot more than the thought of my future death.

[Omnipresent]

12. Steve Jobs is definitely in Hell!

[viva la]

9. I have a relative who is Pentecostal, and she believes more in Hell than she does in God

She does believe in God, but as an arbitary tyrant who must be obeyed and loved totally. She says she's 90% convinced she's going to hell.
Now this is someone who is a difficult person, but no big sinner. She doesn't do anything really wrong (complaining about my cooking when I brought her a casserole when she was sick is the worst of it).
But she's sure she doesn't love God enough to escape eternal damnatione.

She's Protestant, so "doing" isn't very important in her theology. All that really counts is how entirely you worship God. And in her mind, almost no one gives God the amount of worship he demands. MOST people are going to hell!

I told her that sounded like a counter-productive God, punishing the ones who love him most, but she just knew she was falling short.

That sort of person lives all the time in terror. But she's also scared to do anything (like vote against Trump) that she thinks God might interpret as being less faithful to him.

This is the sort of person who would get Covid and assume it was God's doing, and if he wanted her to die, well, that's all right with her. But...
most of these dead-enders go on and on about how "heaven has got another angel" and "God called him home." She would be more, "God wants me to be the torture target of demons. I guess i have to give into God's will."

[Sibelius Fan]

10. Nope.

[Croney]

13. No, just the opposite I would think.

[sinkingfeeling]

14. I think it's just the opposite. As a non believer, I accept that death is simply the end of life.

No biggie.

[sarge43]

15. What's to be afraid of?

The brain is dead, so no consciousness. The same condition before I existed.

Now, how I'm going to die, that does bother me. There are very few good ways.

[nancy1942]

17. I don't think so.

My personal experience with dying people tells me that the more religious a person is the more likely they are to fear death. I've always been puzzled by this apparent contradicition. I would think they would be really eager to go meet their maker....?

[ret5hd]

18. Afraid? No, not me...

I’m more of a “Well, I won’t hafta put up with y’alls shit anymore!” kinda guy.

[Lunabell]

19. Not me.

There's no heaven or hell so why worry?

[rownesheck]

21. Uuhhhh,

no. Not afraid to die. In fact, I'll welcome it. At least I won't have to work anymore! Hooray!

[alphafemale]

22. There is nothing that I feared about the time before I was born

Why should I be afraid of my later nonexistence?

[alphafemale]

31. lol. What I think is funny is the number of people claiming to remember past lives

Who claim to be nobles or otherwise wealthy and important.

[LakeArenal]

40. Yes past lives seem almost better. No one past life says I was a slave in India.

[Piasladic]

42. oh god - I remember it all

I think I was a slave in Center X. We all had to wear robes and massage feet until we fell over from exhaustion.

I died, but in my dream I was told...

Since I was a good woman and I followed all the rules, I would be reborn - white and affluent

which is where I am now. Must be true.

[LakeArenal]

45. Geez. I missed out on the affluent. I hope I do better in the next round.

Maybe I didn’t massage those feet so well.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

24. I don't.

We humans, with all creatures, are not meant to go forever. Time takes a toll on us. I hate the thought of living an overextended life. The pain would have to be horrible.

[Solly Mack]

25. Why would we? It's not as if we're the ones concerned about what comes next.

There's plenty of science out there explaining what happens to a dead body. Mystery solved.

[Skittles]

26. why would they be more likely?

I would think less likely. I am absolutely not afraid of death. Dying, yes, but not death. That's just "the way it is".

[Laffy Kat]

27. I am a hard-core atheist and I'm not especially afraid of dying.

The way I see it, it's simply like turning off a light. There is nothingness.

[HAB911]

28. No, check my tagline

there is much comfort in knowing the universe is NOT out to kill you, it just doesn't care

[NNadir]

29. The only way to avoid dying is to avoid being born.

I don't recall asking to be born, and no memory of being a zygote or a blastula or even a fetus. These decisions of state were made by other people.

I didn't fear being born. It just happened. Though I recall none of it, details were reported to me. I suppose being born is like being under anesthesia, since one recalls none of it.

I don't expect to recall dying.

I expect that dying is something like being a zygote without metabolism, or like being a rock. It's not likely to bother me any more than a rock seems bothered by being a rock.

It seems to me that the fun of dying is that you can't do it unless you've lived. I've lived, and while it all seems mysterious somehow, it is way beyond my ability to claim that I know all about why I lived. I suspect that "why" question is a stupid one anyway. It is enough to have done it.

[a kennedy]

33. and still love Ron Reagan's "this is Ron Reagan, not afraid to burn in hell"

[malthaussen]

34. Not in my experience, and personally, no.

It's more the reverse, in my experience.

-- Mal

[we can do it]

35. Nope

[Mr.Bill]

36. Not at all for this Atheist.

What's to fear?

[Mosby]

43. This isn't lounge material.

[Piasladic]

48. Why so harsh?

The Lounge, as I understand it, is for fun. I found this discussion really fun. I hope we have more.