If you are religious (any belief/creed) do you fear death?

[sauvignonsass]

Not trying to be provocative or upset anyone.

For transparency I'm not religious.

I always wonder though how I would feel or think if I believed in an afterlife though.

If you believe in life after death does that make you more or less afraid of dying?

I don’t fear death, I believe that my Dad and grandparents will greet me in heaven. My faith keeps me strong and no one can change my mind on that.

The process of dying can be horrible no matter what. But being dead holds no fear for me at all, because I am confident that I will be safe in heaven with Christ forever and it will be beyond amazing.

I'm a former atheist that found faith, and I think death was actually less scary when I felt certain it would be the end and I would have no consciousness beyond it. I have a lot more questions now and I suppose with that comes both much more hope but also some fear.

No, I don’t. The process might be unpleasant depending on how I go I guess but I don’t fear it. I hope I live to a healthy old age but I also look forward to holding my child again and being in heaven for eternity.

Do you not fear/wonder that your beliefs aren't true? Why are you so assured and confident? Not goading but surely you must have some doubt

I'm a Catholic, practicing etc

Death- no fear at all. I've lived my whole life knowing I will die, it doesn't scare me. I said to my dd the other day heading to school "everyone you see here will die it's the main thing we all have in common"

We're all going to die, every one of us.it would be scarier to me if some people lived forever!!

Your second point, well if I'm not right I won't know will I 😅 I genuinely think ill either go to heaven OR nothing and nothing won't hurt?!

Thank you @Hardbackwriter that's how I feel really (pre religious you) I'm happy to accept that in the end we are as we began - nothing more and nothing less.

I was brought up Catholic but am not religious now. I always think it must be nice to believe that there’s something after death, but I don’t believe in anything like that.

For me even if nothing happens after death- I still don't fear it! I've been with a number of family members as they died, I seen peace come to them. If nothing happened to.their would after atleast I see it's nothing to fear!

Yes, and the idea of eternity terrifies me too.

As a Christian, I don’t fear death. In fact, what inspired me to become a Christian as an adult was remembering how a nun who taught me in primary school would tell us how much she was looking forward to her own eternity in heaven.
I believe Jesus died to take the punishment that I deserve for my sin, and that I have right standing with God, as I have made the decision to serve him as best as I can, so the expectation of going to heaven isn’t based on my own performance here on earth.
On another note, I have encountered God’s presence very powerfully in church at times, so in a sense I have had a foretaste of what it is like to be in heaven in the Shekinah glory of God.

I’ve gone the other direction, and am less fearful of death now than I was when I was a Christian, paradoxically. I think the whole notion of an afterlife, at least the typical Christian portrayal of it, is jarring because it is so unnatural and goes against our instincts.

I'm catholic by tradition and I think the reason I am asking is that if I were the Pope (big stretch of imagination and norms here) would I fear death at that "last moment" because I doubted everything I had believed and encouraged others to believe. Do the "most religious" not think "shit what if it's not true?" when the time comes?

Completely agree!

Why would religious people fear death? Don’t most religions promise an afterlife of sorts?

I know that we are eternal souls in temporary bodies and that death is merely slipping out of our corporeal means of getting around on the Earth plane.
I have had too many experiences since childhood to convince me otherwise.
I am also a Christian.

I don't fear death at all, only the manner of it.
Brought up catholic.

I am a sort of Christian. Lapsed and full of doubt but essentially a Christian nonetheless.

My husband and soulmate died suddenly when I was 36 — I found his body. I confronted death in that moment and I hoped my faith would bring me comfort, but it didn’t. His death terrified me. The idea that this beautiful, vibrant, joyful person who meant so much to many people and was so essential to us could just be… here one minute and gone the next? It was unbearable. I was terrified of that one day happening to me too. But then I heard Rob Delaney – an atheist – on Radio 4 as part of his “Moment Of Light” series. He was taking about his son, Henry, who died when he was two from a brain tumour. The whole thing is essential listening, imo, but this is the part that has stayed with me forever:

“I don’t know where Henry went or what happened to him when he died. Do you? But I know I get to find out when I die. At the very least, I’ll get to experience something Henry experienced. And that’s wonderful. That knowledge brings me peace... I’m here now, but one day I’ll be wherever Henry is. I’ll have to die to get there, but that’s okay with me.”

That’s how I feel about death now. For my daughter’s sake, I hope it doesn’t happen for a long time, not until she is ready to cope and has someone of her own that loves her the way her father loved me. But after that, I know that when I die I’ll experience whatever DH experienced, and be wherever he is. Whatever and wherever that is. And that will do me.

Here’s the full audio of Rob’s talk. It is utterly beautiful. www.facebook.com/share/v/19QXxwaGtv/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The Pope doesn't have second thoughts op...even If he did he wouldn't admit it 😅

The thought of being dead/afterlife/heaven doesn't scare me at all. As a Christian I have plenty of doubts and questions but a deep underlying confidence in a perfect eternal life with Jesus.

Lots of fears of being bereaved and those feelings of loss and grief, and of the process of dying myself though.

I don't believe in god, but I don't fear death either.
For me there's just nothing after death.
I'm not afraid of being nothing, since I won't be there to notice I'm not there anymore.

I have a strong religious faith and I
don't fear death at all.

@peachgreen I totally agree with you. I've lost my mum, my brother and my grandmother and several friends. I'm happy to go wherever they went, even if there's nothing there. But I do believe I will see them again.

Thanks all - to clarify I'm not asking if you fear death as I assume we all do but whether you fear that your faith will waiver in the face of death?

I don't fear death precisely because I don't believe in heaven or hell.

I'm Jewish. Judaism lays focus on how we live in this world we live in. When we die, we end. We live on in the memories of others, we are remembered for our deeds.

I do my best to live well because that's what makes this world a better place, not for hope of reward. Even if I’m wrong and there is such a thing as an afterlife, I have no fear of punishment after death because I believe I have done my best to live well.

While I don't fear death, I do fear dying painfully, and I do fear for my loved ones as I don't want them to be distressed.