Thread: Are you afraid of death?

i used to be, but now i am not

When we are born we cry and scream while everybody around us laugh and celebrate.
When we die we laugh and celebrate while the ones left behind cry and mourn.
Speaking from experiance and I´m not alone: Near-Death Experiences and the Afterlife

In my opinion: Death is sudden, you will never predict it in any way so why go around thinking about it. I was born, I live, I die..
No, im not afraid of dying.

I suspect when death comes for us, it won't be like in the horror moivies with all the screaming and pleading and bleeding.

Ever notice in those wildlife documentaries, when a cheetah catches a gazelle or a crocodile snatches an unwary wildebeest - always in glorious slow-mo - the prey animal seems to just relax into it after a brief flurry of desperate struggling.

There's almost never any blood - and as the cheetah's jaws crush the gazelles throat they seem locked in an almost intimate embrace.

Is it that wild animals bleed less than humans? And maybe are more philosophical about impending decimation?

Possibly.

I guess they don't suffer from the anxieties we do.

Im not scared of it, just leaving people behind, If there was a beggining to my life there will be an end eventually but also i beleive that if i die i will be reborn we are energy and it doesnt die

Originally Posted by Wrighty

Im not scared of it, just leaving people behind, If there was a beggining to my life there will be an end eventually but also i beleive that if i die i will be reborn we are energy and it doesnt die

Well you will be reborn in a sense, as a bunch of bugs that feed on decaying organic material. But the human form that you consider to be you will be lost forever.

Subconsciously, I am. I'm not sure what will happen beyond death. Sometimes I have thoughts like "What if the Christians are right and I go to he'll when I die?" or "What if there's nothing on the other side?". I think I'm more afraid of how I die and being separated from loved ones than actually dying too. If I die a painless death I don't think I'd be afraid as much.

Well, there isn't really much to being "alive".

That's funny....... I made comments in this thread 3 years ago. I am not really afraid of dying anymore. I am a little bit..... but I am more excited than afraid. I'm sure the the final moments (assuming conscious) leading up to death will be the ultimate experience. It's better to not worry about it. Think about it... wonder about it...... plan....... but don't worry. When it's you turn it's your turn.

Me? I'm not frightened by Death, I'm frightened to Live. I'm not frightened by one who could kill me physically, I'm terrified by the one who can kill me spiritually. I know in my beliefs, my faith, that I am saved by my God. Death is peaceful for everyone, and in my view, it's extremely pleasant. I'm moving from the Decaying world, to the world full of righteousness. You could even say I'm a tad excited.

Yay for coping mechanisms.

I do agree though that... to put it another way, many people die at 25 but aren't buried until they're 75.

Animals in Heaven
The Bible indicates that animals will exist after*His return*
and the beginning of the Kingdom as Isaiah 11:6-9 reads,*“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”**Here is the Word of God declaring that animals will still exist in the future, after Christ’s reign begins. Ecclesiastes mentions that there is a “spirit” in man but also in animals in (3:19, 21) but this does not necessarily mean that it is an eternal spirit.


Read more:*Do Animals or Pets Go To Heaven? A Biblical Analysis

Hi SilverJay

I am searching on Google for a line of a poem that went, something like,

"the birds do not know that they are dying"

I think of that a lot because if I had no concept of being doomed I would be as happy and free as a bird.

on my search I found this. I like it. Some one asked a bible-man if there beloved pets will go to Heaven. He said there is not enough Biblical evidence to say "yes" but it don't matter if you are not there. This is the bit I like best:

Animals in Heaven

The Bible indicates that animals will exist after*His return*
and the beginning of the Kingdom as Isaiah 11:6-9 reads,*

“The wolf will live with the lamb,

the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling together;

and a little child will lead them.

The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.

They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,

for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”**

Here is the Word of God declaring that animals will still exist in the future, after Christ’s reign begins. Ecclesiastes mentions that there is a “spirit” in man but also in animals in (3:19, 21) but this does not necessarily mean that it is an eternal spirit.


Read more:*Do Animals or Pets Go To Heaven? A Biblical Analysis

What is your opinion on animals regarding virtue?

Before the tree of knowledge of good and evil, there was no such thing as virtue, as far as humanity was concerned. You could almost consider them true stoics, and stoicism would also be an apt philosophy to label animals with. Do they know any other justification for action other than the pursuit of happiness and escape from pain?

What I'm really driving at, and this probably deserves a thread of its own, is that according to Catholicism, babies go to purgatory if they haven't been baptized. Among most major western religions, paradise is reserved for those who have been properly indoctrinated into that particular religion. Even virtuous heathens can hope for purgatory at best.

Even virtue imposed upon you by religion is still basic stoicism at heart, as the indoctrinated cope with death by buying into the belief that as long as they adhere to the virtues of their religion, they can look forward to a posthumous reward and escape death. This alleviates fear, making them happier. Stoicism reduces all virtue to the pursuit of happiness or alleviation of unhappiness. Do the religious adhere to their doctrines because of any other reason other than to make themselves feel better about death?

Basically what I'm trying to say is that without the tree of knowledge of good and evil, there would be no need for baptism nor any sort of indoctrination. Without knowing the duality of good and evil, how could humanity possibly commit either?

I don't fear death, I fear pain, for myself or others, but not death.

Two quotes from Jim Morrison could provide some good perspective

"People fear death even more than pain. It's strange that they fear death. Life hurts a lot more than death. At the point of death, the pain is over. Yeah, I guess it is a friend"

"I wouldn't mind dying in a plane crash. It'd be a good way to go. I don't want to die in my sleep, or of old age, or OD. I want to feel what it's like. I want to taste it, hear it, smell it. Death is only going to happen once. I don't want to miss it"

OP

In Adelaide, Australia we carefully breed Guide Dogs for the Blind. And even with that careful and inteligent breeding onlt 2 out of a litter of 5-8 will become Guide dogs for the Blind. Because only 2 will prove to have the right Nature.

If you waste all that money and try to overcome a wrong nature with expensive training ... that will seem to work.

But

as soon as that dog is under pressure he/she will instinctively revert to its natural born NATURE and you have a guide doge fighting another dog on a busy street try to gain dominance over that other dog. And that would be worth than useless to the poor blind person.

Humans are no different.

we are ruled by our individual nature. Sure, training can makes us usefull in society but it won't change our instinctual nature.

Oh and untill a human has tje capasity to choose to sin it goes straight to heaven. That means the life long retarded and chidren under (about) 8 go straight to Heaven because the Bible considers them incapable os sinning against God.

This leads to follow up questions.

If only 2 dogs out of a litter have the nature necessary to guide the blind, does that mean only those two are objectively virtuous, or does it simply mean only their particular nature is suitable for the task they are bred for? Just as only a small handful of athletes will have the natural body to perform in the olympics, that doesn't mean those without olympic stage genetics are inferior, it simply means they're not suited for the task.

So if humanity is following their individual nature, then for what purpose exists virtue? For what purpose exists religion? For what purpose exists paradise? And most importantly, for what purpose exists the opposite of paradise? Can a person truly choose to be bad?

O. P. wrote:

This leads to follow up questions.

If only 2 dogs out of a litter have the nature necessary to guide the blind, does that mean only those two are objectively virtuous,

or

does it simply mean only their particular nature is suitable for the task they are bred for? Just as only a small handful of athletes will have the natural body to perform in the olympics, that doesn't mean those without olympic stage genetics are inferior, it simply means they're not suited for the task.

Yes.

At a few months old the litter is put in an observation room with soft toys scattered about.

If a puppy goes up to a toy, bites it, shakes it and is very possesive with it, that puppy's behaviour is noted and (from lot's of experience,) puppy trainers know that that dog is not Guide Dog for the Blind material.

If a puppy goes up to a toy and snifs it, but too quickly looses interest, that puppy isn't Seeing Eye Dog material iether.

Only middle of the road (behaviour) natured dogs continue with the (most expensive) training program. The other puppy's will make good (maybe) Deaf Peoples helpers, Wheel Chair People helpers or Childrens Hospital therapy dogs, and Old People's Hospital therapy dogs.

Several months later the dogs in training are walked, and a dog they never met is brought to them. If they show little to no interest in that strange dog they are well on their way to qualifying for the full, expensive, Guide Dog Training.

[quote]So if humanity is following their individual nature, then

for what purpose exists virtue?

For what purpose exists religion?

For what purpose exists paradise? And most importantly,

for what purpose exists the opposite of paradise?

Can a person truly choose to be bad?[/b]

Ummmm?????

Untill expecting parents are the central focus of civilisation and the nurture of their embrio's fetus' baby's and infants given top priority by society, evil will keep popping-up and tormenting us.

Nothing matters more than the nurture of the child and it's support group.

And before you ask:

Yes A version of "A Brave New World" is esential to abolish the institution of Hell forever.

Good breeding and gentle nurture will cause the demons to die of bordom.

Firstly I am confused, you emboldended "objectively virtuous" and replied yes, though you ended the quote on my follow up question. I therefore do not know if you are agreeing that you cannot claim an organism is bad simply based upon the criteria you judge it for regarding a particular task, or if you are agreeing that you can claim something is objectively bad based upon arbitrary criteria.

And the second part of your post does not relate to my point. My apologies, allow me to further elaborate.

In the history of humanity, has a single human being ever decided to be evil? Can you possibly imagine a scenario where a person has sat down and thought, "Well all those lofty suggestions may seem helpful to people that want to go to that heaven thing that weird dude in a suit was talking about, but I'm just going to serve my own interests instead?"

Does justice disappear when the Abrahamic God (other definitions of God create a tenuous argument though I'm willing to go there if you define the God you believe in) does not decide for people what morality is?

How could Adam and Eve even cause Original Sin if before they ate from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they had no sense of good and evil? They broke God's only rule, but how were they even supposed to know there were such things as rules to follow until they took that bite? How can one choose to follow the rules until one understands that following the rules is good and not following them is bad?

If you believe in heaven or paradise, then explain how someone ends up in the opposite of such a place. How can someone be bad? How is it possible? Yes, we all know Adolph Hitler was responsible for millions of deaths, but how was he a bad person?

O.P.

I've copied the whole post to think about and reply to. But when I got to the end bit I thought I'd reply to this first.

OP wrote

How can someone be bad?

How is it possible?

Yes, we all know Adolph Hitler was responsible for millions of deaths, but how was he a bad person?

Mum went to school with Alfred Kapsicavich. they were childhood sweethearts. They married. Then his family (and he) told mum that Alfred could not have children.

Mum met my dad. Got pregnant and Alfred let mum go. Alfred brought boxes of food to mum to help feed the children that he could never give her. He sent big Valentine cards and Birthday cards every year to mum saying "to my beloved Wife.

You see OP I would not exist if Hitler had not invaded Poland and had all male babies (including baby Alfred Kapsicavich) from dark-eyed, dark-haired parents (none-Arian) nuted.

Hitler was leting nonr-Arian live to serve the master race but he would not tolerate them reproducing.

Mum would never have left Alfred had she had babies to him.

I owe the monster Hitler my wonderful life. So if Hitler is burning in Hell fire for all eternity. I need to ask the Abrahamic God to let me go there to get him back.

I coulden't be happy in the Abrahamic God's Heaven while the one responsible for my life is suffering in Hell.

(page 19) "Are you afraid of death" Post 471

Firstly I am confused, you emboldended "objectively virtuous" and replied yes, though you ended the quote on my follow up question. I therefore do not know if you are agreeing that you cannot claim an organism is bad simply based upon the criteria you judge it for regarding a particular task, or if you are agreeing that you can claim something is objectively bad based upon arbitrary criteria.

Yeah, I got mixed-up. I did answer the second point. My bad.

And the second part of your post does not relate to my point. My apologies, allow me to further elaborate.

In the history of humanity, has a single human being ever decided to be evil?

Can you possibly imagine a scenario where a person has sat down and thought, "Well all those lofty suggestions may seem helpful to people that want to go to that heaven thing that weird dude in a suit was talking about, but I'm just going to serve my own interests instead?"

Everyone I have known who followed Jesus in an extra-ordinary way only did so because they had extra-ordinary experiences. Dry intellect never inspires a human to extraordinary positive deciisions and spiritual service.

Does justice disappear when the Abrahamic God

(other definitions of God create a tenuous argument though I'm willing to go there if you define the God you believe in)

does not decide for people what morality is?

How could Adam and Eve even cause Original Sin if before they ate from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they had no sense of good and evil?

They broke God's only rule, but how were they even supposed to know there were such things as rules to follow until they took that bite?

How can one choose to follow the rules until one understands that following the rules is good and not following them is bad?

It was actually that magnificent serpent that cleverly crafted the fall into original sin. That beautiful creature was a legless snake that stood tall on his lower body and moved by flipping his lower snake body in a magestic, unimaginanle way. God cursed him to loose that way of moving and wallow on the ground.

Adam may have been millions of years old (having named every animal there was) before God put him to sleep amd made Eve out of his rib.

The highly intelgent, fallen angel, (serpent) knew there was nooooo wayyy he'd trick the ancient Adam into betraying his beloved creator. So he went to work on the new one, Eve.

He knew Adams love for Eve would Damb Him. Adam could not live without Eve. He lost trust in God. And cleaved to his deep love for Eve. God became a distant second in Adams heart.

That's what the fall was about.

All belief systems train us to learn to put love of God above all our other loves.

This reverses the "Fall".

If you believe in heaven or paradise, then explain how someone ends up in the opposite of such a place.

How can someone be bad?

How is it possible?

Yes, we all know Adolph Hitler was responsible for millions of deaths, but how was he a bad person?

Okay, let's get real here... Suppose somebody you know is determined to kill you is holding you by the ankles off the edge of a very high cliff. You and the enemy are way out in the wilderness with nobody else around. The fall is far enough for you to not feel any pain when you hit the ground. Would you be scared?

No, I think I'm going to be happy in heaven when I pass away.