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Are you afraid to die?

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MSBKyle
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11 Sep 2018, 3:06 pm

I am a believer in God and the afterlife. I believe that life continues after death. I have heard a lot of near death experience stories and they all talk about going to this heavenly realm full of unconditional love. They talk about meeting God, Jesus, deceased loved ones, or angels. They also talk about a life review. After hearing all these stories and doing research on the afterlife, I still fear it. There are times where I have felt suicidal, but I deep down I have never wanted to die. If there really is an afterlife and i believe there is one, it is just not something I can imagine. I can't imagine being in this heavenly place for all of eternity being surrounded by white light in the presence of God and all my friends and people who have gone before me. The thing that terrifies me the most is going to be seeing my life review.



Magna
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11 Sep 2018, 3:30 pm

No matter how hard my life gets, no matter how painful, no matter how many of life's cruel boots on my neck and kicks to my head I sustain, I won't give in (suicide). I decided long ago even during periods of intense emotional suffering that I've had, that I'm riding this experience called life out until my end. I'm a masochist in that regard.

I think life is beautiful to awful and everything in between. It's amazing and intense that way.

As such, even though I've thoroughly enjoyed many parts of it past and present, I'm not afraid to die. Dying means an end to the good times but it also means an end to suffering and the bad times as well. Like you I'm also a believer in God and an afterlife. I don't fear any judgement.



mrspock
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11 Sep 2018, 3:34 pm

MSBKyle wrote:
I am a believer in God and the afterlife. I believe that life continues after death. I have heard a lot of near death experience stories and they all talk about going to this heavenly realm full of unconditional love. They talk about meeting God, Jesus, deceased loved ones, or angels. They also talk about a life review. After hearing all these stories and doing research on the afterlife, I still fear it. There are times where I have felt suicidal, but I deep down I have never wanted to die. If there really is an afterlife and i believe there is one, it is just not something I can imagine. I can't imagine being in this heavenly place for all of eternity being surrounded by white light in the presence of God and all my friends and people who have gone before me. The thing that terrifies me the most is going to be seeing my life review.


I have no belief in god or religion whatsoever. But dying scares me not at all. During the time of the dinosaurs, and Joan of Ark, and before the formation of the Earth from the bones of dead stars, I was dead, and it caused me no problems whatsoever.


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Magna
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11 Sep 2018, 3:41 pm

mrspock wrote:
MSBKyle wrote:
I am a believer in God and the afterlife. I believe that life continues after death. I have heard a lot of near death experience stories and they all talk about going to this heavenly realm full of unconditional love. They talk about meeting God, Jesus, deceased loved ones, or angels. They also talk about a life review. After hearing all these stories and doing research on the afterlife, I still fear it. There are times where I have felt suicidal, but I deep down I have never wanted to die. If there really is an afterlife and i believe there is one, it is just not something I can imagine. I can't imagine being in this heavenly place for all of eternity being surrounded by white light in the presence of God and all my friends and people who have gone before me. The thing that terrifies me the most is going to be seeing my life review.


I have no belief in god or religion whatsoever. But dying scares me not at all. During the time of the dinosaurs, and Joan of Ark, and before the formation of the Earth from the bones of dead stars, I was dead, and it caused me no problems whatsoever.



You have the exact viewpoint that I think any atheist/non-believer of an afterlife should have. I'm perplexed by atheists/non-believers of an afterlife I've known or talked to that say they fear death/being dead. That makes no sense to me at all.



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11 Sep 2018, 3:55 pm

Magna wrote:
mrspock wrote:
MSBKyle wrote:
I am a believer in God and the afterlife. I believe that life continues after death. I have heard a lot of near death experience stories and they all talk about going to this heavenly realm full of unconditional love. They talk about meeting God, Jesus, deceased loved ones, or angels. They also talk about a life review. After hearing all these stories and doing research on the afterlife, I still fear it. There are times where I have felt suicidal, but I deep down I have never wanted to die. If there really is an afterlife and i believe there is one, it is just not something I can imagine. I can't imagine being in this heavenly place for all of eternity being surrounded by white light in the presence of God and all my friends and people who have gone before me. The thing that terrifies me the most is going to be seeing my life review.


I have no belief in god or religion whatsoever. But dying scares me not at all. During the time of the dinosaurs, and Joan of Ark, and before the formation of the Earth from the bones of dead stars, I was dead, and it caused me no problems whatsoever.



You have the exact viewpoint that I think any atheist/non-believer of an afterlife should have. I'm perplexed by atheists/non-believers of an afterlife I've known or talked to that say they fear death/being dead. That makes no sense to me at all.


Its the Richard Dawkins view of death, and I agree with it 100%.


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LaetiBlabla
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11 Sep 2018, 3:55 pm

I would open champagne when I finally die, if I could.

I think religions were created for the many people whose ego is higher than their own little life.



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11 Sep 2018, 4:00 pm

LaetiBlabla wrote:
I would open champagne when I finally die, if I could.

I think religions were created for the many people whose ego is higher than their own little life.


The most probable reason religion exists is for group identity and other social reasons. Its why religion has far, far less meaning to many autistics then it does for NTs. Their social identities are far more important to them.

I remember asking a Sunday school teacher directly if he really believed that the first woman was made from a rib and that she really talked to a snake. I told him furthermore that the god of the Hebrew bible sounded like a petty bully and that the stories there were one dimensional and badly written. He was flabberghasted to hear this from a 9 year old.


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LaetiBlabla
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11 Sep 2018, 4:09 pm

^^^You are probably right that social identity may well play a role in adherences to religions and their practice.

However, the common point across religions is - when you die, you are not dead, you are still alife -


So to say, religions makes your life longer than it is in reality.

When you have a high ego, you do not accept to die.
Religion is a stupid but only possible plaster found so far to comfort an overestimated egos.



Last edited by LaetiBlabla on 11 Sep 2018, 4:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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11 Sep 2018, 4:11 pm

It depends on how and why you die. I watched both my parents die 22 years apart, and they simply stopped breathing in their hospital beds.


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11 Sep 2018, 4:12 pm

LaetiBlabla wrote:
^^^You are probably right that social identity may well play a role in adherences to religions and their practice.

However, the common point across religions is - when you die, you are not dead, you are still alife -


So to say, religions makes your life longer than it is in reality.

When you have a high ego, you do not accept to die.
Religion is a stupid but only possible plaster found so far to comfort an overestimated ego.


Not all religions have an afterlife, in particular Eastern religions like Buddhism. Also, in some that do, its not the most important aspect like it is for say Christians or Muslims. I know Pagans who believe in some kind of afterlife, but their religion is far more concerned with the here and now.


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mrspock
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11 Sep 2018, 4:14 pm

AspieUtah wrote:
It depends on how and why you die. I watched both my parents die 22 years apart, and they simply stopped breathing in their hospital beds.


Good point. I don't fear being dead, because there is nothing to fear. But horrible suffering prior to dying? That I fear.


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Magna
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11 Sep 2018, 4:16 pm

You guys should start a new thread about how stupid you think religions are. I fully support such a thread since I'm not one who wishes to stifle or crush anyone who has viewpoints that oppose mine (I'm not saying that either of you are doing that, I'm just saying there's a lot of that going on in the world today).

The OP is asking people if they're afraid to die which may be peripherally related to one's religious beliefs. However ,opinions on religion in the scope of the topic of this thread is off topic.



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11 Sep 2018, 4:19 pm

Magna wrote:
You guys should start a new thread about how stupid you think religions are. I fully support such a thread since I'm not one who wishes to stifle or crush anyone who has viewpoints that oppose mine (I'm not saying that either of you are doing that, I'm just saying there's a lot of that going on in the world today).

The OP is asking people if they're afraid to die which may be peripherally related to one's religious beliefs. However ,opinions on religion in the scope of the topic of this thread is off topic.


The OPs thoughts on why he thinks as he does with regard to dying are DIRECTLY linked to his religious beliefs. Its right there in post one.


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Magna
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11 Sep 2018, 4:23 pm

mrspock wrote:
Magna wrote:
You guys should start a new thread about how stupid you think religions are. I fully support such a thread since I'm not one who wishes to stifle or crush anyone who has viewpoints that oppose mine (I'm not saying that either of you are doing that, I'm just saying there's a lot of that going on in the world today).

The OP is asking people if they're afraid to die which may be peripherally related to one's religious beliefs. However ,opinions on religion in the scope of the topic of this thread is off topic.


The OPs thoughts on why he thinks as he does with regard to dying are DIRECTLY linked to his religious beliefs. Its right there in post one.


Agreed.

He's explaining how he feels about dying and how his religious beliefs factor in with that. He's not asking how anyone feels about religion in general.



mrspock
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11 Sep 2018, 4:24 pm

Magna wrote:
mrspock wrote:
Magna wrote:
You guys should start a new thread about how stupid you think religions are. I fully support such a thread since I'm not one who wishes to stifle or crush anyone who has viewpoints that oppose mine (I'm not saying that either of you are doing that, I'm just saying there's a lot of that going on in the world today).

The OP is asking people if they're afraid to die which may be peripherally related to one's religious beliefs. However ,opinions on religion in the scope of the topic of this thread is off topic.


The OPs thoughts on why he thinks as he does with regard to dying are DIRECTLY linked to his religious beliefs. Its right there in post one.


Agreed.

He's explaining how he feels about dying and how his religious beliefs factor in with that. He's not asking how anyone feels about religion in general.


And how I feel about dying is directly linked to my lack of those beliefs.


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LaetiBlabla
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11 Sep 2018, 4:28 pm

mrspock wrote:
Not all religions have an afterlife, in particular Eastern religions like Buddhism. Also, in some that do, its not the most important aspect like it is for say Christians or Muslims. I know Pagans who believe in some kind of afterlife, but their religion is far more concerned with the here and now.


Indeed, afterlife is less central in Buddhism. That is why Buddhism is often more considered like a philosophy rather than a religion. However I think Buddhism comprises the belief in reincarnation which is a kind of afterlife, isn't it?