"There are two views of death and only two. One is that it is absolutely horrible and needs to be avoided at all costs. This is the view of the unbeliever who only has hell waiting for him after death. The other is that it is a petty annoyance that would be nice to not have to go though. This is the view of the believer who knows that any death will leave him in a better place."
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"The other is that it is a petty annoyance that would be nice to not have to go though. This is the view of the believer who knows that any death will leave him in a better place.""
Then strap on a bomb belt and go to it.
As a non-believer who takes the latter view, I fear I have muddied up your stats.
Death is not something to fear, but life is something to enjoy. The reason why non-believers aren't too fond of death, is because then they don't get to be alive any more.
@Happy Atheist
On the other hand, extreme believers are obsessed with death as they are those who are really afraid of hell. Hell is their concept, after all.
To add to it they are also subliminaly afraid of the end of existance (as in the end of awareness) in general. Though I'd point out that it's probably a natural fear for sentient beings so finding methods to cope with it or overcome it is not a bad thing. Religion is just another way to quell that fear, obviously (a non-optimal one, I suppose).
P.S. I'm only speaking of a fear of natural (as in 'pass away') death, not pre-mature, accidental and violent one, where the self-preservation instinct kicks in.
Fuck you
Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you
Fuck you
As a non believer I believe death is a natural part of life, in the end it will occur and while I want to push it off as long as I can I know it will claim me in the end and I have no reason to think anything other than non existence will occur after the end
As a parent who has a child in the ICU with almost no chance of recovery, I have to make a decision soon, do I let her go on in pain or let death end her suffering? Neither of your either/or options seem to fit.
And if your afterlife is so much better than this, what are you still doing here? Take a job in a high risk oxcupation, go through that petty annoyance as you call it, and get yourself off this planet as soon as you can and leave it for those who will appreciate it
Nice false dichotomy.
So what is the view of the believer that happens to believe, but believes in the incorrect religion? What if you're a Christian and when you die you meet Allah as an infidel? What if you're a Christian and when you die you meet Zeus?
This one is also absolutely horrible and needs to be avoided at all costs. This is the view of the incorrect believer who also, just as certainly as the nonbeliever, has hell waiting for him after death.
Choose wisely!
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1- I'm an atheist, yet I don't really fear death.
2- I know a few believers that aren't sure where they'll end up (as they aren't sure whether they're truly worthy of heaven).
3- You left out people who belive in limbo or reincarnation.
Christians seem the most fearful of death of any group I've known. My Atheist friends accept that death is part of life and acknowledge its necessity as part of the natural cycle. Rather than fearing death and spending all their time thinking about what will be after, they actually live their lives as well as they can.
If the only reason you turn to Christianity is to get an afterlife insurance policy, your faith is a shallow faith. I suspect Peter would kick you from the gates of heaven if it existed at all.
"There are two views of death and only two.
"Mine and everyone else's. And everyone else is wrong."
the believer who knows that any death will leave him in a better place."
Do you have a DNR on file, Soban?
Funny, I was just reading an article today about an xian that has cancer. She was doing chemo, losing hair, getting sick, etc. Why does she go through all that if she could go to a better place??? The answer is: xians fear the holy fucking shit out of death. They proclaim an afterlife, but do everything they can to hold onto this one.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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