Insightful Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 I noticed a strange thing recently: compared to 3 years ago - when I was a believer - my fear of death has SIGNIFICANTLY diminished. At first it seems ironic - now that I don't think I have a blissful eternity waiting for me, I'm somehow more comfortable with death. I remember many dark nights grappling with intense fear of dying - what it would be like. It would almost send me right into a panic attack. (sometimes it did). This past week, on a long plane flight, when I thought about dying in a plane crash (I used to be totally freaked out on planes), I just peacefully accepted that life is fleeting - that I am impermanent. I treasure every moment. They matter more now because they are few and precious and limited. In some strange way, Christianity seems to heighten our fear of death - it is seen as a divine punishment - rather than help us accept it as a very natural and neutral part of being alive. It's really crazy. I would have expected to be so much more fearful as a non-Christian. But I guess that's part of what keeps the back door of the church locked tight... Realizing that I could be snuffed out in a moment's breath keeps me *in the moment*, savoring, enjoying, and letting go. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
older Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Yup. Christianity is based on fear. As you've discovered, when you finally get out of the box, the fear goes away and you feel a terrific sense of serenity. One of my favorite quotes is from Mark Twain, an atheist: "I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Yep, same for me. Isn't it interesting that Xianity is supposedly all about removing the fear of death for a promise of eternal bliss, but then Xianity also says heaven is just a hope not a guaranty. Xianity is also unable to lay out the minimum requirements for a believer to make it to heaven. For every Bible verse that offers some degree of hope there is an off setting verse that effectively nullifies the hope of heaven. It's a shell game except there is no pea under any of the shells. As a non- believer I've come to accept that death is simply the end of life. That's it there isn't anything else. When a person dies they metaphorically go to sleep & never wake up. Best of all the dead are not aware they are dead, they are not aware of anything. I think that could be honestly called eternal peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator LogicalFallacy Posted August 31, 2016 Moderator Share Posted August 31, 2016 I found the same thing... once I realized I didn't believe in God I also didn't believe in hell or Satan... and lost much fear of death. Kind of weird since supposedly I was never going to die but go in the 'rapture' Enter fear 2 - not making the rapture and being left behind (cue movie title) Here is a clip that put things into perspective - listen from 1:05 if you don't want to listen to the beginning music (Sets the atmosphere though ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilledmilk Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 I can totally relate. I didn't expect that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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