I think it depends on what sort of God they believe in. The fire-and-brimstone God of Christianity/Judaism/Islam isn't the only one around. Life and death probably are more bearable if you really do believe, like a good Buddhist, that none of it really means anything, anyway. And even in the angrier religions, the whole mess of ideas can be used to construct a symbolic life for oneself that is important, so that they think their death (as, say, a martyr) is a significant act in itself.
Some atheists (myself not included) do despair at the very meaninglessness of their lives. Widespread want and suffering can be more bearable if you believe there is nobility in it -- and particularly if you think that it can be redeemed for something nice and pretty -- than if you see it as just a function of living, as the inevitable fate of any biological system. A lot of the people I know who cleave to religion (though I admit that there aren't very many of them) precisely because it allows them to make some symbolic sense of the world: so and so is like this and they're bad; this other person is like this and they're good. Predicability is very reassuring.
Atheism and death
I am atheist. But that doesn't mean I can't face death. Everyone must face death, and atheist do it just like the others. Even if we don't have the comfort of the belief in afterlife, we find a way to cope.
I have witnessed quite a few death lately. So how to cope with it ? To me, life and death are two sides of the same coin. Where you find one, you find the other. And because you have one, you have the other. So death allow for life to be just like life brings death. So with these ideas in mind, we can see that death is merely a natural thing that can't be avoided and that MUST NOT be avoided. It would be being sad about growing up. You lose something, but you gain others. Once a man is dead, every space he filled becomes available for other to occupy. The food he ate will be eaten by others, the medications he took will be sold to others, his house will be occupied by others. Death is the pawn of evolution. Death brings change. So why be sad about it ?
Re: Frank's post of 2:28 PM EST, I would venture to say that those who worry about death more feel more of a need for religion than those who don't. I think that is one of the primal reasons for religion, in fact -- as patiodog says, making sense of the world, but more specifically than that, coming to terms with the inevitability of death. Those who don't really worry about it don't have the same need to come to terms with it, through religion or other means.
Atheism and Death
Midnight wrote in answer to my earlier post:
Personally I think its a combination of ignorance, choosing not to investigate the foundations of their belief system, and survival instinct. Of I think thats all mixed in with fear. A dangerous cocktail no?
Yes, Midnight, I agree with your assessment and fear in this context is definitely dangerous; perhaps people recall the Salem witch trials, for just one example. . .
Frank - almost always on the money - Apisa!
I do not worry an ounce about death.
patiodog wrote:Oh, that boy.
That boy? Which boy is "that boy"?
My personal experience is that religious people have a less hard time dealing with death than do people who are either agnostic or atheistic.
New Haven Quote:
Quote:Source: Teachings from the Torah and Qu'ran
It's all there for everyone to read and understand.
husker wrote:I do not worry an ounce about death.
I'm glad.
Have you seen many people, hospital or home, on their deathbeds?
New Haven wrote:New Haven Quote:
Quote:Source: Teachings from the Torah and Qu'ran
It's all there for everyone to read and understand.
and its history taken into account. Most of the writings in the torah have been traced to priestly forgeries not devine revelation. One of my sources which I highly recommend: The forgery of the Old Testament : and other essays / Joseph McCabe
Quote:Have you seen many people, hospital or home, on their deathbeds?
Yes, Yes, Yes, and Yes
I visit nursing homes and care centers on a frequent basis, I also assist my friend and have him visit with me when it can work out
http://www.micah6-8ministries.org
Quote:Music ministry for those living with terminal illness
I also developed his site.
New Haven wrote:patiodog wrote:Oh, that boy.
That boy? Which boy is "that boy"?
I have no idea. Just trying to be sociable.
New Haven wrote:My personal experience is that religious people have a much harder time with death than do people who are either agnostic or atheistic.
That seems not to agree with what you wrote earlier:
Quote:Those, who have a belief in God will have an easier time accepting the pains and trials of lifeand death than those without such a foundation.
Correction:
My personal experience is that religious people have a less hard time dealing with death than do people who are either agnostic or atheistic.
Well, it really is not so scary to die when you believe that The Heavenly Father will take care of you after death. And the divine treatment depends on your behavior in course of life, hence it is a good incentive to be on the side of good and not evil.
steissd wrote:Well, it really is not so scary to die when you believe that The Heavenly Father will take care of you after death. And the divine treatment depends on your behavior in course of life, hence it is a good incentive to be on the side of good and not evil.
Old saying: You die as you live.
