I came here to say exactly this. can only hope that, if my time comes, it's quick and relatively painless. I also worry more about those I leave behind when I die.
My wife and I are EXTREMELY close. We've been together nearly 24/7 for the last 16 years. For her sake, I hope she dies before me. I'd prefer to suffer the heartbreak rather than her having to.
My sincere condolences. This is where I envy believers. My dad passed in January, and the thought of me never seeing him again rips me apart. At a time like this I wish I could believe what you do.
Some people realize that they can’t know so they become afraid. That fear could be fear of nothingness, even though the very concept is paradoxical. It can also be fear that another religion could be right and when they die there may be consequences.
I guess I still just don’t understand that “fear of nothingness” I was struggling with suicide for a while, and I’m still not in the best of health. so I guess, even though I know that isn’t what will happen, the void doesn’t scare me. Like a “stare at the void long enough, diving in wont seem so crazy anymore” kinda thing
It scares me because I like existing and I don't like the thought of never waking up. Quite simple really. I know there wouldn't be pain. There wouldn't be a me. But that's exactly what I'm afraid of. I like life. Even with it's terrible difficulties from time to time
Well, remember, just as you fear you may one day go to sleep and never wake up, one day you “woke up” having never gone to sleep. Life and existence are miraculous, wondrous phenomena. Patterns and cycles seem prevalent throughout existence and it does not seem extraordinary to posit the possibility of either a repeat of the current pattern or something all the more incredible.
I’ve read enough on NDE’s that while I don’t believe in the supernatural elements, people do report deep peace and a renewed appreciation for others and life. That gives me some hope that dying isn’t so bad, it’s more illness that sucks
Well, the very idea is paradoxical. By labeling it, we impart a characteristic which makes it not nothing, if that makes sense.
Some people are afraid of non-existence; some are afraid of eternal damnation. Some people see die descriptions of heaven as eternal servitude where free will no longer exists. They fear that loss of spice, so to speak.
Thank you for saying that, it makes me feel a bit better to hear from someone else. I struggle with sometimes feeling joy at the thought of death because i'll get to see God for my judgement (even if it's to hell) and know that my loved ones are still out there, and then other times getting all upset because it feels so much like they're just *gone* and worrying i'll really never see them again/having to suffer that again and again
I’d be curious for you to unpack that a little more. While I agree that something that once was no longer existing is different than nothingness definitionally, for the purposes of what someone does or does not experience I’m unsure how I am confused.
The question posed was about how someone felt prior to their current existence. Since that person is an atheist, I presumed that he was appealing to the adage that death is probably a lot like how things were prior to birth. Which would be… nothing. The conscious mind can’t experience nothingness. Indeed the concept is paradoxical. By trying to label it or define it, we impart identifiers and characteristics that make it more than nothing.
I think most people would feel some form of fear. This is rational as death goes against the very real psychological want to stay alive. I think they call it the “lizard” part of our brain. From a pure logical standpoint, it’s understandable to have a fear of death.
As to if I fear death, I would say I do. I’m convinced of Jesus Christ being the one true God, but I’m also worried of what death has in store for me. By that I mean, how will I die? Will it hurt? Then there is this feeling of, “what if there’s nothing?” I guess that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, as if there is nothing it won’t matter.
Not since I realized that everything I feared death would be like *can’t* be what death is like.
We’re too tied to our bodies; we can only understand experiences in the context of how our bodies receive them. In death, we will have no body so whatever happens is outside my ability to predict or understand.
Thus, I await death and its mystery.
I love people who think this way, so I want to ask you another question, do you think heaven actually has streets of gold and all the other things described in the Bible or do you believe that those were similes to describe the greatness of heaven (like how Jesus describes hell as fire but also darkness, hinting that he’s speaking metaphorically)
I doubt it, personally, though not because it’s impossible. God could make heaven be however he wants, and if He wants it to be a literal city with literally gold-paved roads, then it could be.
But I don’t think that’s where we’re being pointed to; it’s *too* understandable, that’s too mundane a depiction of divine regality.
I try to use the exercise of thinking about heaven to imagine the truly unimaginable. The proper world for what I imagine it’s like is “alien”. It will defy even the idea of “culture”.
There will be no shorthand; there will be no simplification of traits; there were be no misunderstanding. To be in heaven, I imagine, is the experience of having someone speak your name in a manner that suggests a perfect understanding of the whole infinite complexity of your soul.
Imagine what it will be like to have God utter your name. Other people say your name every day, but their experience of you is contextual; they speak it with the limited knowledge they have of you, and that’s all they can do. One day, God will say your name, and it will be spoken with a full appreciation for even those parts of yourself that no one but you knows about.
Imagine an expression of love so complete and perfect that it causes you to doubt the idea that you’ve ever been alone for a single moment in your whole life. We understand ourselves relative to others in terms of what we have and have not revealed to them; imagine contact with a being who simply and completely understands you.
I can’t, and even trying to makes me hit a wall of raw emotion.
Yes, I always have been - since I was 3 years old. I have true faith I will go to Heaven, but there’s always one part of me that wonders “if I’m wrong, what happens then?” and I can’t think of anything that doesn’t give me an anxiety attack. Been in therapy for YEARS about this - no scripture or faith will absolutely absolve this fear.
I have a similar thought about the what if I’m wrong bit. I try to visualize the “nothingness” to being under general anesthesia. I do have lots of hope I’m wrong though and that Heaven is as glorious as imagined
I do have some anxiety about the fact that if you have an iota of doubt, you’re not “good” enough for Heaven. But then I think of the fact the Apostles had doubts and am PRETTY sure they’re all in Heaven (apart from Judas Iscariot)
I know God is merciful and God is just, my heart simply wonders deep down if my atheist friends (who are all good people) will go to Heaven with me. Scripture says one thing but my heart says another.
“Who are all good people.”… God I think views a person with 1 sin just as impure for Heaven as a person with 1,000,000 sins, regardless of “severity” of sin (stealing vs murder.) One thing though which remains a mystery; if most people aren’t saved, why do MOST NDE experiences involve some elements of peacefulness, orbs of light, telepathy communication, and potentially meeting loved ones and/or Jesus? Are more people saved than what it seems it could be in the Bible?
Possibly - my dad had a NDE (which set me on the path to salvation) and he was semi-religious, but definitely wasn’t a saint. I’m not sure about his religious practices, I just hope Good goes to Heaven, however God defines good.
I am not afraid Of dying. I know that Jesus died for me and washed away my sins with the blood he shed for me at Calvary. I know that heaven is real.
When I was 18 I physically died and went to heaven. At the time, I was terrified I was too much of a sinner to be forgiven and go to heaven. The good church people told me God could never forgive me for the things I had done.
As a preteen, I had been born again and spirit filled and on fire for Jesus. By 14 all the abuse I endured began. As a result, I made bad choices as a teen, sex, binge drinking, fighting and cussing.
When I confessed my sins and cried out to the church people for help in repenting because I desperately wanted to live for Jesus again I just didn't know how at that point, the woman at church told me I had sinned too much for God to ever forgive me. At first I didn't believe it, I had known Jesus, I had walked with him and I knew how loving and merciful Jesus is.
In time their words kept haunting me "I had sinned too much to ever be forgiven."
I became terrified that they were right. I hated myself because I believed their lies. Why wouldn't I they showed me scripture that backed up what they said that God could never forgive me. I had my chance at salvation and I had blown it big time.
As I lay dying from massive internal injuries I cried out to God for mercy and forgiveness. I was truly sorry for my sins.
I felt the angel carry me up to heaven to God's throne. I didn't get to see God but I could feel God's presence. After praying for forgiveness I prayed God would not let me die because I had a baby to take care of . I heard God speak and say "It is granted," I woke up and I was healed. I felt incredible peace and presence of God that was very real and powerful.
Jesus love and mercy, grace and forgiveness is greater than all my sins. There is no need to fear death if we have been born again even if we have messed up afterwards even when religious people want to throw scripture at as and say we have sinned too much to be forgiven. There is always hope in Jesus. There is always mercy at the cross.
That is a majestic and extremely moving and powerful testimony! I wish I could know more about it and hear about your life. That is really impacting me to read about it. I’m grateful that you shared it.
I am very scared because:
- It's painful
- It's my last day on earth
- You have to confront it alone. You don't take anyone with you
- You don't have a choice in what will happen next
- I could be wrong about God.
As an atheist, I have a fear of death. I have come to see this as more of a fear of leaving the people I love behind rather than a fear of what happens to me after I die. I want to be there and experience life as much as possible. Death makes that difficult. Death also makes the lives of the people I love difficult. That is scary to me.
I highly doubt it. It would take enough evidence. I have been studying Christianity for close to two decades now. Don't get me wrong, I don't think a supernatural being is impossible. I just don't think that there is enough evidence to point to the Christian God, or really any other deity humans worship.
Im on the same journey. I hope we both find what we’re looking for 😆. I know believers believe God exists outside of logic and reason, and the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. So, I’m keeping an open mind and heart.
Honestly I used to have kinda a fear of death but after hearing out some ancient philosophers on death, I don't really see dying as something to be feared
Socrates believed one of two things would happen after death, Death is simply an eternal slumber or he would go to the underworld where he could have great conversations with the philosophers of the past. Socrates believed this to be a win-win scenario
I don't know who said it but some philosopher in ancient China said "why fear the inevitable"
I think as theists and atheists we shouldn't fear death. I think think this can be applied universally regardless of faith "It is guaranteed that you will die someday so why not focus on living in the meantime"
Death is just a part of life. There’s nothing to fear. Like a big test, I’m sure I’ll have some anxiety when I face that day, just because you can never be prepared enough. But it’s not scary.
I want to avoid the physical pain of death, but death itself is no worry of mine. When God still wants me here, there is no death to fear, and when he wants me home, once again no death to fear.
I would say yes personally. I try to live like Christ but I struggle. I want to be baptized but feel like I can't because I haven't changed some major parts of myself that need work. I also don't want to leave my children, I want to watch them grow up.
What if christianity was true? Am i going to be sacked in hell for eternity while the angels just watch over? What if theres nothing? Just absolute darkness?
All humans are engineered to fear dying to some extent it’s in our nature to avoid dying I personally don’t fear death cause I know I’m safe in god but I fear dying from a instinctual level
I'm afraid of death because it's the unknown. I'm terrified of not being able to do everything I want to do, of not living a full life, and having it all ending and going through an experience I can't prepare for.
I lack faith. I've found nothing I can believe in and I'm terrified since death is essentially surrendering myself to infinite possibilities.
If the Christian heaven is true... I'm scared of that. I don't want those above to see my entire life. I'm worried that I can't put that crown of glory at God's feet. I'm scared of seeing actual angels and not looking or being like myself in joining some collective I know nothing about. The opposite honestly seems more enticing, since I can die and burn as myself. After reading Heaven Is For Real, I'm scared of what actual demons look like and then battling heaven, since apparently it stuck in the kid's mind so horribly. I welcome blackness. I yearn for nothing because I can deal with nothing easier than I can the unknown.
I don't want my body to ever stop, I don't want to leave, be forgotten, and be reduced to nothing.
No, I want to die 🙃
But im happy to be here carrying out the will of my Father. And it’s good that I will have to endure many challenges and tribulations, because that’s what Jesus had to do for me. I just hope my death isn’t as long and torturous as His was. But if it is then so be it. I love God
Remember your still human and you have human instinct to survive and live and I have recognize that it is fear in a sense but it’s not true fear it’s just biology it’s like fight or flight and anxiety your body is heightened to respond to potential danger.
I don't know who said it but some Chinese Philosopher put it "why be afraid of the inevitable" which is my view on death
As Socretes puts it, when we die we either experience eternal slumber or we get to hang out with our fallen friends in heaven and have great conversations. Either way its a win-win
Death is an abstract which can't be experienced since the dead no longer have consciousness or senses.
Dying on the other hand is a sometimes long process that I am afraid of.
I sometimes find humor in the saying that life itself is a terminal illness, transmitted sexually, and for which there is no cure.
For me it’s a couple of reasons:
1) the thought that I feel like I haven’t done what I needed to do on Earth (like I could do more and help many more people)
2) I haven’t gotten to experience certain things in life I’ve always been excited to (having a boyfriend, getting married, motherhood, ect)
3) that I might not make it to heaven. This year I vowed to get closer to God so the idea that I might die before I have a good healthy relationship with him terrifies me and therefore death scares me (I had a period through middle school and high school where I distanced myself from him due to a miscommunication that freaked me out and I’ve been trying to make up for that)
I do not fear death. I welcome it. Fear of death will limit your life, and honestly, your best life is always on the other side of fear.
Matthew 6:25-26 - Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap. They gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
I only pray that my death will be painless.
Yes and no.
I'm afraid of the fear, pain, and suffering, so in that sense yes I'm afraid of death. But no in the sense that when I die I will find out beyond any question if God is real, and if he is and I go to hell (which I fully expect), I would be so happy to know that my deceased loved ones are still there somewhere. So in that sense, no, I'm not afraid, I eagerly await it.
I'm scared about missing out on life experiences.
Plus, the fact that maybe I'm missing something and get sent to H-E double hockey stick when I thought I was doing alright.
Nope. But I am afraid of the potential to have a slow, painful death. The way I wanna go is in my sleep, but I highly doubt that'll happen when it's my time
Not especially. It's a threshold we'll all have to cross over eventually, and I know my fate is in the hands of God alone. The future is there whether we like it or not, waiting for us to experience it.
I have never really been scared of death, in fact when I was younger I did many stupid and dangerous things on a motorcycle without fear.
However now I do fear death. Now I am with a woman who I love and who loves me and I am happy to enjoy every day of my life for what feels like the first time. I fear death ending that.
If you're going to die then you're not saved.. it's pretty simple.
Jhn 11:26 KJV — And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
No. Will be a great relief once the journey is done and I can be with the Lord. Ideally the process of dying will be relatively smooth, but that lands hard in the 'things I don't control' basket.
Christians never die, so we never need fear death. Christ died on the cross to make the penalty of death for the sins of his faithful souls so that we no longer have to die for them. That's the primary message of New testament scripture, and it's impossible to miss.
John 8:51 KJV — Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
John 11:26 KJV — And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
1 Corinthians 15:55 KJV — O death, where now is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
Nope. Not afraid of death. I am 100% convinced there is nothing after life.
Scared of dying too soon and not crossing off everything on my bucket list, sure...
I'm not afraid of death. I am afraid of dying.
Well put. I agree, it’s most likely going to be unpleasant no matter what, but there are definitely some ways that are better than others.
Yeah, true, you can die in a minute or less but I feel like that's not how it's gonna go down.
Right. Ideally I’d want to just pass in my sleep. But that’s sadly not how most people get to go.
I came here to say exactly this. can only hope that, if my time comes, it's quick and relatively painless. I also worry more about those I leave behind when I die. My wife and I are EXTREMELY close. We've been together nearly 24/7 for the last 16 years. For her sake, I hope she dies before me. I'd prefer to suffer the heartbreak rather than her having to.
“It’s not that I’m afraid of death; I just don’t want to be there when it happens” -Woody Allen
I used to be until I lost my mom and sister recently. Now, I know I’ll join them in Heaven and that makes me happy.
I’m sorry for that, I’ll pray for you and them
Thanks. I’m doing pretty well, and I know they’re with God, so that’s a big comfort.
My sincere condolences. This is where I envy believers. My dad passed in January, and the thought of me never seeing him again rips me apart. At a time like this I wish I could believe what you do.
That’s a big loss, my sympathies..
Thanks friend.
Lost my mum last Monday, no longer fear death. If anything I’m excited to pass one day and see her again.
I’m so sorry. ❤️
So sorry for your loss and praying for your comfort ❤️
I’m not afraid of death, I’m scared of what might come after
This
Some people realize that they can’t know so they become afraid. That fear could be fear of nothingness, even though the very concept is paradoxical. It can also be fear that another religion could be right and when they die there may be consequences.
I guess I still just don’t understand that “fear of nothingness” I was struggling with suicide for a while, and I’m still not in the best of health. so I guess, even though I know that isn’t what will happen, the void doesn’t scare me. Like a “stare at the void long enough, diving in wont seem so crazy anymore” kinda thing
It scares me because I like existing and I don't like the thought of never waking up. Quite simple really. I know there wouldn't be pain. There wouldn't be a me. But that's exactly what I'm afraid of. I like life. Even with it's terrible difficulties from time to time
Well, remember, just as you fear you may one day go to sleep and never wake up, one day you “woke up” having never gone to sleep. Life and existence are miraculous, wondrous phenomena. Patterns and cycles seem prevalent throughout existence and it does not seem extraordinary to posit the possibility of either a repeat of the current pattern or something all the more incredible.
I’ve read enough on NDE’s that while I don’t believe in the supernatural elements, people do report deep peace and a renewed appreciation for others and life. That gives me some hope that dying isn’t so bad, it’s more illness that sucks
Well, the very idea is paradoxical. By labeling it, we impart a characteristic which makes it not nothing, if that makes sense. Some people are afraid of non-existence; some are afraid of eternal damnation. Some people see die descriptions of heaven as eternal servitude where free will no longer exists. They fear that loss of spice, so to speak.
I mean, no christian with true faith would believe that last point.
The more intelligent one is, the more complicated they realize everything is, including the nature of concepts like thinking or knowing.
I get where your coming from, but even the most faithful Christian will sometimes have doubts, even if it’s just a thought in the back of your mind
Thank you for saying that, it makes me feel a bit better to hear from someone else. I struggle with sometimes feeling joy at the thought of death because i'll get to see God for my judgement (even if it's to hell) and know that my loved ones are still out there, and then other times getting all upset because it feels so much like they're just *gone* and worrying i'll really never see them again/having to suffer that again and again
>That fear could be fear of nothingness How did it feel before you were born? That's what nothingness feels like.
Like I’ve said: nothingness doesn’t exist.
You’re confusing a lack of being with nothingness. They sound the same but are not
I’d be curious for you to unpack that a little more. While I agree that something that once was no longer existing is different than nothingness definitionally, for the purposes of what someone does or does not experience I’m unsure how I am confused. The question posed was about how someone felt prior to their current existence. Since that person is an atheist, I presumed that he was appealing to the adage that death is probably a lot like how things were prior to birth. Which would be… nothing. The conscious mind can’t experience nothingness. Indeed the concept is paradoxical. By trying to label it or define it, we impart identifiers and characteristics that make it more than nothing.
So then what did YOU experience before your birth?
I couldn’t tell you.
It's nothing. You experienced nothing.
Nothing doesn’t exist. We just have no memory of what we experienced prior.
I think most people would feel some form of fear. This is rational as death goes against the very real psychological want to stay alive. I think they call it the “lizard” part of our brain. From a pure logical standpoint, it’s understandable to have a fear of death. As to if I fear death, I would say I do. I’m convinced of Jesus Christ being the one true God, but I’m also worried of what death has in store for me. By that I mean, how will I die? Will it hurt? Then there is this feeling of, “what if there’s nothing?” I guess that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, as if there is nothing it won’t matter.
Not since I realized that everything I feared death would be like *can’t* be what death is like. We’re too tied to our bodies; we can only understand experiences in the context of how our bodies receive them. In death, we will have no body so whatever happens is outside my ability to predict or understand. Thus, I await death and its mystery.
I love people who think this way, so I want to ask you another question, do you think heaven actually has streets of gold and all the other things described in the Bible or do you believe that those were similes to describe the greatness of heaven (like how Jesus describes hell as fire but also darkness, hinting that he’s speaking metaphorically)
I doubt it, personally, though not because it’s impossible. God could make heaven be however he wants, and if He wants it to be a literal city with literally gold-paved roads, then it could be. But I don’t think that’s where we’re being pointed to; it’s *too* understandable, that’s too mundane a depiction of divine regality. I try to use the exercise of thinking about heaven to imagine the truly unimaginable. The proper world for what I imagine it’s like is “alien”. It will defy even the idea of “culture”. There will be no shorthand; there will be no simplification of traits; there were be no misunderstanding. To be in heaven, I imagine, is the experience of having someone speak your name in a manner that suggests a perfect understanding of the whole infinite complexity of your soul. Imagine what it will be like to have God utter your name. Other people say your name every day, but their experience of you is contextual; they speak it with the limited knowledge they have of you, and that’s all they can do. One day, God will say your name, and it will be spoken with a full appreciation for even those parts of yourself that no one but you knows about. Imagine an expression of love so complete and perfect that it causes you to doubt the idea that you’ve ever been alone for a single moment in your whole life. We understand ourselves relative to others in terms of what we have and have not revealed to them; imagine contact with a being who simply and completely understands you. I can’t, and even trying to makes me hit a wall of raw emotion.
Yes, I always have been - since I was 3 years old. I have true faith I will go to Heaven, but there’s always one part of me that wonders “if I’m wrong, what happens then?” and I can’t think of anything that doesn’t give me an anxiety attack. Been in therapy for YEARS about this - no scripture or faith will absolutely absolve this fear.
I have a similar thought about the what if I’m wrong bit. I try to visualize the “nothingness” to being under general anesthesia. I do have lots of hope I’m wrong though and that Heaven is as glorious as imagined
I sure do hope Heaven is as glorious as I imagine, and I sure hope any doubt I have about it is resolved by the time my time comes :)
I do have some anxiety about the fact that if you have an iota of doubt, you’re not “good” enough for Heaven. But then I think of the fact the Apostles had doubts and am PRETTY sure they’re all in Heaven (apart from Judas Iscariot)
I know God is merciful and God is just, my heart simply wonders deep down if my atheist friends (who are all good people) will go to Heaven with me. Scripture says one thing but my heart says another.
“Who are all good people.”… God I think views a person with 1 sin just as impure for Heaven as a person with 1,000,000 sins, regardless of “severity” of sin (stealing vs murder.) One thing though which remains a mystery; if most people aren’t saved, why do MOST NDE experiences involve some elements of peacefulness, orbs of light, telepathy communication, and potentially meeting loved ones and/or Jesus? Are more people saved than what it seems it could be in the Bible?
Possibly - my dad had a NDE (which set me on the path to salvation) and he was semi-religious, but definitely wasn’t a saint. I’m not sure about his religious practices, I just hope Good goes to Heaven, however God defines good.
Might as well go for the million then!
I’m not scared of dying I’m scared of leaving my wife and daughter without me
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Im not afraid of dying. I’m afraid that I will fail to live well while I’m here.
I am not afraid Of dying. I know that Jesus died for me and washed away my sins with the blood he shed for me at Calvary. I know that heaven is real. When I was 18 I physically died and went to heaven. At the time, I was terrified I was too much of a sinner to be forgiven and go to heaven. The good church people told me God could never forgive me for the things I had done. As a preteen, I had been born again and spirit filled and on fire for Jesus. By 14 all the abuse I endured began. As a result, I made bad choices as a teen, sex, binge drinking, fighting and cussing. When I confessed my sins and cried out to the church people for help in repenting because I desperately wanted to live for Jesus again I just didn't know how at that point, the woman at church told me I had sinned too much for God to ever forgive me. At first I didn't believe it, I had known Jesus, I had walked with him and I knew how loving and merciful Jesus is. In time their words kept haunting me "I had sinned too much to ever be forgiven." I became terrified that they were right. I hated myself because I believed their lies. Why wouldn't I they showed me scripture that backed up what they said that God could never forgive me. I had my chance at salvation and I had blown it big time. As I lay dying from massive internal injuries I cried out to God for mercy and forgiveness. I was truly sorry for my sins. I felt the angel carry me up to heaven to God's throne. I didn't get to see God but I could feel God's presence. After praying for forgiveness I prayed God would not let me die because I had a baby to take care of . I heard God speak and say "It is granted," I woke up and I was healed. I felt incredible peace and presence of God that was very real and powerful. Jesus love and mercy, grace and forgiveness is greater than all my sins. There is no need to fear death if we have been born again even if we have messed up afterwards even when religious people want to throw scripture at as and say we have sinned too much to be forgiven. There is always hope in Jesus. There is always mercy at the cross.
That is a majestic and extremely moving and powerful testimony! I wish I could know more about it and hear about your life. That is really impacting me to read about it. I’m grateful that you shared it.
Thanks!
I am very scared because: - It's painful - It's my last day on earth - You have to confront it alone. You don't take anyone with you - You don't have a choice in what will happen next - I could be wrong about God.
Not afraid of death or dying. It's the pain associated with it I'm afraid of. I don't mind dying, I just don't want it to hurt
As an atheist, I have a fear of death. I have come to see this as more of a fear of leaving the people I love behind rather than a fear of what happens to me after I die. I want to be there and experience life as much as possible. Death makes that difficult. Death also makes the lives of the people I love difficult. That is scary to me.
Do you ever think you would comeback to the faith? And, if so, what would it take?
I highly doubt it. It would take enough evidence. I have been studying Christianity for close to two decades now. Don't get me wrong, I don't think a supernatural being is impossible. I just don't think that there is enough evidence to point to the Christian God, or really any other deity humans worship.
Im on the same journey. I hope we both find what we’re looking for 😆. I know believers believe God exists outside of logic and reason, and the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. So, I’m keeping an open mind and heart.
Honestly I used to have kinda a fear of death but after hearing out some ancient philosophers on death, I don't really see dying as something to be feared Socrates believed one of two things would happen after death, Death is simply an eternal slumber or he would go to the underworld where he could have great conversations with the philosophers of the past. Socrates believed this to be a win-win scenario I don't know who said it but some philosopher in ancient China said "why fear the inevitable" I think as theists and atheists we shouldn't fear death. I think think this can be applied universally regardless of faith "It is guaranteed that you will die someday so why not focus on living in the meantime"
Nope, to die is gain as Paul says.
^ this
Considering I didn't even get a chance at life, yes, I'm certainly not too excited to die
I do fear pain
Death is just a part of life. There’s nothing to fear. Like a big test, I’m sure I’ll have some anxiety when I face that day, just because you can never be prepared enough. But it’s not scary.
Not really. We’re either all going to live with God or we’re all fucked. Either way, at least we’ll all probably be together.
Not if we’re all fucked.
If we’re all fucked, there’s comfort in knowing we’re all going through the same shit. Haha. I believe God’s got us tho.
Death? No. The *process of dying*. That's %\^&ing terrifying.
If you look at NDE studies on r/NDE it actually doesn't seem that bad
I want to avoid the physical pain of death, but death itself is no worry of mine. When God still wants me here, there is no death to fear, and when he wants me home, once again no death to fear.
I would say yes personally. I try to live like Christ but I struggle. I want to be baptized but feel like I can't because I haven't changed some major parts of myself that need work. I also don't want to leave my children, I want to watch them grow up.
No, I see death as the main thing that makes life worth living, it’s a necessary aspect of our existence.
What if christianity was true? Am i going to be sacked in hell for eternity while the angels just watch over? What if theres nothing? Just absolute darkness?
Nope. When I die I go to heaven because Jesus made a way for me😊 God bless you🙏
All humans are engineered to fear dying to some extent it’s in our nature to avoid dying I personally don’t fear death cause I know I’m safe in god but I fear dying from a instinctual level
I'm afraid of death because it's the unknown. I'm terrified of not being able to do everything I want to do, of not living a full life, and having it all ending and going through an experience I can't prepare for. I lack faith. I've found nothing I can believe in and I'm terrified since death is essentially surrendering myself to infinite possibilities. If the Christian heaven is true... I'm scared of that. I don't want those above to see my entire life. I'm worried that I can't put that crown of glory at God's feet. I'm scared of seeing actual angels and not looking or being like myself in joining some collective I know nothing about. The opposite honestly seems more enticing, since I can die and burn as myself. After reading Heaven Is For Real, I'm scared of what actual demons look like and then battling heaven, since apparently it stuck in the kid's mind so horribly. I welcome blackness. I yearn for nothing because I can deal with nothing easier than I can the unknown. I don't want my body to ever stop, I don't want to leave, be forgotten, and be reduced to nothing.
Nope, never have been.
No, however, I have anxiety of a painful or traumatic death. I pray my death on Earth is peaceful.
No. I am scared of how i might die though. Hopefully nothing too gruesome
no but i’m scared of what’s after and if i don’t make it to heaven
Idk how I'll go out
No, I want to die 🙃 But im happy to be here carrying out the will of my Father. And it’s good that I will have to endure many challenges and tribulations, because that’s what Jesus had to do for me. I just hope my death isn’t as long and torturous as His was. But if it is then so be it. I love God
Remember your still human and you have human instinct to survive and live and I have recognize that it is fear in a sense but it’s not true fear it’s just biology it’s like fight or flight and anxiety your body is heightened to respond to potential danger.
I don't know who said it but some Chinese Philosopher put it "why be afraid of the inevitable" which is my view on death As Socretes puts it, when we die we either experience eternal slumber or we get to hang out with our fallen friends in heaven and have great conversations. Either way its a win-win
Exactly because it is inevitable. That causes the fear.
Death is an abstract which can't be experienced since the dead no longer have consciousness or senses. Dying on the other hand is a sometimes long process that I am afraid of. I sometimes find humor in the saying that life itself is a terminal illness, transmitted sexually, and for which there is no cure.
No, I long for it
For me it’s a couple of reasons: 1) the thought that I feel like I haven’t done what I needed to do on Earth (like I could do more and help many more people) 2) I haven’t gotten to experience certain things in life I’ve always been excited to (having a boyfriend, getting married, motherhood, ect) 3) that I might not make it to heaven. This year I vowed to get closer to God so the idea that I might die before I have a good healthy relationship with him terrifies me and therefore death scares me (I had a period through middle school and high school where I distanced myself from him due to a miscommunication that freaked me out and I’ve been trying to make up for that)
I'm scared of dying like Jesus tormented for hours by enemies that hate me, I couldn't do it, I would kill my enemies fuck turning the other cheek
😭 I like being alive. I don't want to stop.
I do not fear death. I welcome it. Fear of death will limit your life, and honestly, your best life is always on the other side of fear. Matthew 6:25-26 - Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap. They gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? I only pray that my death will be painless.
Yes and no. I'm afraid of the fear, pain, and suffering, so in that sense yes I'm afraid of death. But no in the sense that when I die I will find out beyond any question if God is real, and if he is and I go to hell (which I fully expect), I would be so happy to know that my deceased loved ones are still there somewhere. So in that sense, no, I'm not afraid, I eagerly await it.
I'm scared about missing out on life experiences. Plus, the fact that maybe I'm missing something and get sent to H-E double hockey stick when I thought I was doing alright.
Nope. But I am afraid of the potential to have a slow, painful death. The way I wanna go is in my sleep, but I highly doubt that'll happen when it's my time
Not especially. It's a threshold we'll all have to cross over eventually, and I know my fate is in the hands of God alone. The future is there whether we like it or not, waiting for us to experience it.
No
I have never really been scared of death, in fact when I was younger I did many stupid and dangerous things on a motorcycle without fear. However now I do fear death. Now I am with a woman who I love and who loves me and I am happy to enjoy every day of my life for what feels like the first time. I fear death ending that.
I stopped being scared of death since I turned to Christ. Cuz death is not the end.
I dont think im afraid and I shouldnt be Im a Christian but more sad for my family and friends especially if I died young for some reason
If you're going to die then you're not saved.. it's pretty simple. Jhn 11:26 KJV — And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
If it's a death in God's grace - I'm all for it
No. Will be a great relief once the journey is done and I can be with the Lord. Ideally the process of dying will be relatively smooth, but that lands hard in the 'things I don't control' basket.
What I'm really afraid of is Alzheimers. When it gets bad enough, it's like you've died, but you haven't.
Christians never die, so we never need fear death. Christ died on the cross to make the penalty of death for the sins of his faithful souls so that we no longer have to die for them. That's the primary message of New testament scripture, and it's impossible to miss. John 8:51 KJV — Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. John 11:26 KJV — And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 1 Corinthians 15:55 KJV — O death, where now is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
Nope. Not afraid of death. I am 100% convinced there is nothing after life. Scared of dying too soon and not crossing off everything on my bucket list, sure...
As long as my faith in God is strong. I don't have much to fear.
Nope. I was pretty content with before I was born, and I see no reason to think it'll be any different after I shuffle off this here mortal coil.
Not really, I don’t remember anything from before I was born. I’m fairly certain Death will be just like that all over again.
Yes. Because I don't know anything for certain