Why do religious individuals  fear death?
88355
It's not death that I fear, it's the hole my death will leave in the lives of my fanily and friends. Because even though we, as Christians, look forward to being with our Lord in Heaven, we know our loved ones will miss us and we are caught in a quandry. We look forward to Heaven, but we don't want to cause pain to our loved ones.
1129664
What makes you think you have to have a firm decision of what awaits you after death?  Unless you ask someone who has died, you aren't going to know, so why agonize over it?  You'll find out when you get there.  Right now, you're here, so pay attention to one thing at a time.\n\nVarious religions have different beliefs about the afterlife that they hold firmly as hope for a better world and compensation for the suffering they've endured in this one.\n\nPeople without religious beliefs, or those who have chosen to spurn their family's faith, often believe that there is nothing after death.  Those thoughts often begin with a basis in not wanting to believe there is a hell to punish them - the rest just falls into place.\n\nDeath is the big unknown, so naturally there is a lot of speculation about it, and has been, down through the ages.  That's why most religions offer something of an answer.  Some have a heaven (of various names), some have repeated cycles of life on Earth to offer more learning experience, some - oh you get the drift here.\n\nIt's natural for humans to fear what they don't know, and since we don't know what follows death, some are afraid.  Others have religious guidelines to follow, and fear is alleviated, often replaced with anticipation or even joy.\n\nWhichever category you fall into, the fact still remains that we won't know until it happens to us, individually.  Why waste your energy worrying about it?  Make your own decision about what you believe, let everyone else alone to make theirs, and get on with your life.
1076038
those people up above me here, you know the ones, are scared of dying.  hell, they're scared of living.  they are the type that needs constant reassurence, you notice how they always try to shove their beliefs down your throat?  ever hear the term "a nation of sheep?"  ever watch a herd of sheep?  stupidest animal on the planet, they will trample their young to stay in the group.
626568
basically FEAR>>>>scared that they might not be RIGHT...\n\nand then there Are those who take their religion seriously and heavy WITHOUT condemning others....those are my kind of people.\n\nlive for the joy and peace...:)
514160
I completely agree with your statement. Fear of death is nothing new in society so what better way to control the masses and tell them after death there is a life....people die its a fact of nature. Im just waiting to be turned into plant food!
540395
Cuz christians are scared of people like us... ;-)
809528
It is just not possible... moreover after understanding the meaning of   death... the query would itself subside.\n\n\nDeath has always been the most dreaded factor of life for any living being. It is not only the humans who are afraid of death... animals and other forms of life also feel the same!\n\nWhat makes death the most fearful of all attributes of God? There is none who can defy death. It is only after gaining self realization and enlightenment that one becomes immortal. It is this stage when the fear of death vanishes for ever. Every God realized Master and an enlightened individual finally overcomes death.\n\nWhat is to death that is feared about most? Death announces the end of the physical manifested journey on Mother Earth. Whatever be the achievements of an individual in any phase of life... be it the form of an insect, animal or the human being himself... all seems to have gone wasted!\n\n\nAfter the death of the body... none remembers what the next manifestation would be! For the present being all is lost after the death of the body. The entity for which it lived all through in the present life seems to be lost forever the moment the death of the body occurs.\n\nThe achievements in the present life... do they carry no value. Why does not God Almighty show mercy on human beings and increase their life span proportionate to their achievements in the physical manifested life.\n\nIt is a remote possibility that such an arrangement may have worked. Probably God Almighty did not have able advisers. People of the level of Edison and Einstein may have continued living for thousands of years. In doing so they would have immensely benefited the mankind and for God there was nothing to lose. But so was not destined by God. Why?\n\n\nWhy is it so that death makes an uninteresting subject! We may have labored for a full 30~35 years... the primetime of our life having spent in creating an enormous wealth. But when comes the time for death of the body... All shall be left behind. Why?\n\nIn the system of God... nothing seems to be disordered or incomplete. Stephen Hawking in his book "a Brief History of Time" has advocated that the system of God is disordered at some stage. He is absolutely in the wrong. He is trying to place his judgments based on science. There are many factors in the field of spirituality which are purely based upon faith.\n\nThe conclusions of Stephen Hawking were wrong for the complete cosmic system is without a parallel. It has no flaws... such a phenomenon can never be! Everything in the whole of Cosmos is governed by laws which are a creation of the Creator himself.\n\n\nIf death was designed by God as it stands today... then how can it be that the achievements of an individual in a particular life remained unpaid? The balance of the whole of Cosmos would get disturbed on this account. The law of karma was primarily created by God to maintain this aspect of life.\n\nIt is the doctrine of karma which makes the achievements of one life carried forward to the next manifestation. It is through the chromosomes that whatever has been achieved by one in the present life shall get automatically transferred to next life.\n\nTalking of death, near death experiences, sudden death and subjects like life and death... science has a very limited role to play for it is only the parameter of faith which shall lay bare the doors of wisdom for us. Never as a scientist can one enter the domain of God.\n\n\nEinstein in his fag end of life when he was nearing death realized the importance of having faith in the system of God. It was too late by then. He regretted not having indulged into reading Bhagvad Gita... the foremost of all sacred Scriptures existing on Mother Earth. He realized his folly that standing on the platform of science... talking of spirituality carried no sense.\n\nStanding on the 30th floor of Empire State building one cannot have a glimpse of the entire New York as it would appear if one was s
773586
I lost a parent to cancer a few months ago, and another family member just two years before that. I was in the room when one of my loved ones died. And that image haunted me for a long time. No, it wasn't because I was afraid of death. It was because at that very moment, I knew I would never see her again in this physical life that I know.\n\nDeath comes to us all, there's no other way of escaping that. But death isn't the end. We are created to be immortal beings - our soul lives on but our physical bodies do not.\n\nWhat matters is if you're prepared when it finally does. Don't worry too much about those who have died. They have finished their race, but we who are still alive are still running. Make sure you finish your race well.\n\nIt's normal to fear death, but you shouldn't have to. The Bible teaches that upon death, our physical body “sleeps” (term used in relation to death - 1 Corinthians 15:6), but we continue to live. After we die, we immediately know our eternal destinies - our souls are either taken to heaven or hell (that’s decided by what we have done with our faith in Jesus). These are the final, eternal destinations of all people - based entirely on whether a person had trusted Jesus Christ alone for the salvation of their sins. Christ is the resurrection: John 11:25 "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies."
516345
The only reason that we are afraid to die is that we really do not know what is going to happen after we are dead so we are afraid to die . although there is a lot of information given to us by our religious leaders but how do we know that they are telling truth or not so we are just assuming that this will happen. there is no scientific facts about the time after death occurs so we (humans) areafraid. so when you say you donot want to live but keep on living is that because we are afraid of the realities of the life. KEEP LIVING ON AND ENJOY WHATEVER LITTLE YOU HAVE.
998320
They are afraid. Their fear of what they don't understand makes them always on the definsive. They are walking around in life in total darkness, while we as Christians can go through this world in Christ's light and not live in fear.\n\nThey fear what they can't control or see. What they do not realize is that when you become Christian, God gives you more of life than what you had without HIm. But since non believers don't have concrete proof of this, their fear of the unknown caused them to lash out foolishly. Essentially what they re doing is telling the world that they are satan's disciples when they behave that way. But consequentiy they will have all the proof they have been asking for, but by then, us Christians will be sitting with Jesus in heaven, and they will be sitting in hell with their lying buddy satan. But they made that choice. God did not put them there. They put themselves there.\n\nJesus is our armour in life. His name is as beautiful as the life we live with Him. His strength is more powerful than all the strongest men in this world put together. And He keeps His promises, which is something that most mortal people can't seem to. So...\nIf the Lord says something, you can bet your life that it is so.\n\nCome visit my prayerline at...\nhttp://www.freepowerboards.com/praywithcarol/praywithcarol.html\n\nEmail me at carolbmartin1958@yahoo.com and I will give you a access code if you wish to become a free member of our little prayerline family in Christ. We even have a chat line called the shout box where you can chat online if you wish. The posting on the prayerlien is for Members only.\n\nGod bless you\ncarol
331341
Yep...I think some people just want to do what they want to do so they don't want to follow rules of religion. But when something bad happens, the idea of death seems so final that at that very moment it hits em!
21748
because you haven't accepted yet the death is part of the cycle of life.\n\nthere's nothing much to fear about death, in fact it relieves us of the wordly chaos and pain (dont get me wrong, i am not suicidal). death is a God given gift.\n\nProbably the thing that you are scared of is the manner of your death. you fear that it will be a painful one.  death also gives us the anxiety of what will become of our loved ones long after we're gone.
1182891
No, they do not. There are several reasons for this. The Buddha, like modern sociologists and psychologists, believed that religious ideas and especially the god idea have their origin in fear. The Buddha says: \n"Gripped by fear men go to the sacred mountains,\nsacred groves, sacred trees and shrines".\n\nPrimitive man found himself in a dangerous and hostile world, the fear of wild animals, of not being able to find enough food, of injury or disease, and of natural phenomena like thunder, lightning and volcanoes was constantly with him. Finding no security, he created the idea of gods in order to give him comfort in good times, courage in times of danger and consolation when things went wrong. To this day, you will notice that people become more religious at times of crises, you will hear them say that the belief in a god or gods gives them the strength they need to deal with life. You will hear them explain that they believe in a particular god because they prayed in time of need and their prayer was answered. All this seems to support the Buddha’s teaching that the god-idea is a response to fear and frustration. The Buddha taught us to try to understand our fears, to lessen our desires and to calmly and courageously accept the things we cannot change. He replaced fear, not with irrational belief but with rational understanding. \n\nThe second reason the Buddha did not believe in a god is because there does not seem to be any evidence to support this idea. There are numerous religions, all claiming that they alone have god’s words preserved in their holy book, that they alone understand god’s nature, that their god exists and that the gods of other religions do not. Some claim that god is masculine, some that she is feminine and others that it is neuter. They are all satisfied that there is ample evidence to prove the existence of their god but they laugh in disbelief at the evidence other religions use to prove the existence of another god. It is not surprising that with so many different religions spending so many centuries trying to prove the existence of their gods that still no real, concrete, substantial or irrefutable evidence has been found. Buddhists suspend judgement until such evidence is forthcoming.\n\nThe third reason the Buddha did not believe in a god is that the belief is not necessary. Some claim that the belief in a god is necessary in order to explain the origin on the universe. But this is not so. Science has very convincingly explained how the universe came into being without having to introduce the god-idea. Some claim that belief in god is necessary to have a happy, meaningful life. Again we can see that this is not so. There are millions of atheists and free-thinkers, not to mention many Buddhists, who live useful, happy and meaningful lives without belief in a god. Some claim that belief in god’s power is necessary because humans, being weak, do not have the strength to help themselves. Once again, the evidence indicates the opposite. One often hears of people who have overcome great disabilities and handicaps, enormous odds and difficulties, through their own inner resources, through their own efforts and without belief in a god. Some claim that god is necessary in order to give man salvation. But this argument only holds good if you accept the theological concept of salvation and Buddhists do not accept such a concept. Based on his own experience, the Buddha saw that each human being had the capacity to purify the mind, develop infinite love and compassion and perfect understanding. He shifted attention from the heavens to the heart and encouraged us to find solutions to our problems through self-understanding
240087
I am a former fundamentalist Christian and I can tell you that religion definitely causes harm. It instills fear - especially in children - fear of God, the devil, the unknown, demons, natural feelings... the list goes on. I spent my life terrified that anything I did or didn't do might have been a sin, and praying for forgiveness just in case. I think I was more afraid of Jesus than any "devil". Of course, I believed in the teaching that Jesus is love, and therefore any fear came from the "evil one" - but the fact of the matter was that it was God who imposed all the rules in the first place, so at the heart of it, I was terrified of my idea of God.\n\nI preached to strangers, gave more than a tithe (tenth) of my before-tax income every week, and was only friends with non-Christians because I believed it was my duty to bring the Gospel to them. I read the Bible every day and believed my church pastor and elders when they told me that it was my responsibility to take the message of Jesus to non-believers, and that if I let an opportunity slip by when I could have shared the Gospel, and that person then died without knowing Jesus, "their blood [would] be on [my] hands."\n\nReligion has caused countless fights within my own family alone and was the basis for abuse at the hands of my ex who raped me (among other things). The church elders informed me that I was too tempting for him, it was my fault because I was a woman. I was to accept such treatment (and other abuse) because I was the woman and the man is the head of the house - it was not my place to question this.\n\nIt took me years to recover, and after living in fear for so long - and fear of a person for which there is no historical evidence - I can tell you religion definitely causes harm.\n\nMost people wouldn't hold religious beliefs if they weren't taught those beliefs. They may believe in a "higher power" but in today's society, chances are they wouldn't believe in the stories of the Bible. We know that bats are not birds, that donkeys and snakes don't talk, that you can't determine a sheep's colouring by the plants they view while copulating. Most people today would not extol the virtues of a book that tells us to feel happy while smashing babies' heads on rocks, that contains a rape manual, and that glorifies brutal treatment of women and slaves. There are many people who, if they actually read that book, would be utterly horrified at the things that have been attributed to their god.\n\nWhether people want to believe in a deity is neither here nor there, as far as I'm concerned. What they do BECAUSE OF that belief is what matters - and that's what religion is: organised belief in a deity.\n\nI have helped more people as an ex-Christian than I ever did while a Christian - and whatever I do to help people now is worth more because my motivation is that I give a damn about people, and not out of fear of punishment. When "help" is given by religous people and organisations, there is often (not always) a pound of flesh - whether that be an expectation that you attend services, or constant conversion attempts, whatever - because the motivation is a religious one. If people would just love each other because they CARE, it would mean much more.\n\nWould you like your loved ones to help you and be good to you because they care, or because they think they're going to get a reward from you (an inheritance, perhaps)? Worse, would you want them to help you because they're terrified of what you'll do if you don't?\n\nI'm not saying there is no "god". I'm saying that I believe there is no god as people believe it. If such a being exists and is truly all-powerful and all-loving, it certainly doesn't have a need for a "hell" and sure doesn't need our money.
144297
those who hope that they will go to heaven don't feel of death because they are expecting a better life .\nbut those who have no hope at all like being alife
105495
Religious people are not "afraid" of homosexuality, they fear the creator, the one who has power over all things and the one who deals out punishment in the hereafter. Those who choose not to engage in things they or their religion deems as sinful acts only fear the one who will judge them for their good and bad deeds when this life is over. Fear of the things that people choose to do with their own lives has nothing to do with it.
483595
As a Christian, physical death is nothing that i fear.  I would be more afraid to lose all hope in something.  The only way I feel that I could ever lose all hope is if God abandoned me.  That is veritably the description of hell--eternal torture and the absence of God.  \n  On a more secular note, death is at least a form of ignorance.  Hopelessness may have no cure, and the only relief may actually be death.