Mediancat

I don't have anything to compare it to, honestly -- but I've never really looked at it that way. To me, atheism vs. theism isn't about being happy, it's about being right. Happiness comes from other things.

Incidentally, Emotional: I understand your fear. The anticipation of nonexistence scares the hell out of me, too. (So much so that somehow I've 'proven' that I can never die -- something to do with the persistence of memory, I think. I've never been able to state it coherently, so I know it's not a valid proof.)

The reason why I don't do as you do is, again, because to me the choice between atheism and theism is about being right. If there's no God and that means that for billions of years in both directions I won't exist, that's just the way it is and I have to deal with it. I would be dishonest to myself if I believed in a deity to make myself feel better.

Which does NOT mean your solution doesn't work for you. I'm not intending to be critical.

Rob aka Mediancat

Grad Student Humanist

I feel the same way you do. Death scares the hell out of me. I try not to think about it because if I meditate to long on the idea of non-existence I start to panic (honestly).

But, I can't fool myself into believing in heaven just because the alternative sucks. There's just no getting around death and annihilation. So I just plan to do everything humanly possible to prolong my life (and hope medicine makes some huge advances in the next thirty to forty years).

Mister Impossible

You really shouldn't fear death too much. It's one of those things that comes to us all eventually and cannot be changed. I've always believed that things which are trully beyond our control are really best not worried about. Little consolation I know, but it's the best I can come up with, I'm afraid.

Whether atheists are 'happier' than theists? I'm an atheist and I'm happy enough most of the time, though not always. Sometimes I'm very unhappy. Thats the way it goes. What makes me happy is nothing to do with religious belief, or lack of it, rather it is more to do with the way I live and the activities I persue. Worrying about stuff seldom makes me happy although sometimes its unavoidable. I try to only worry about things I can do something about, though, otherwise I think I'd end up going mad.

I had a point when I started writing this, but now I've forgotten it.

Never mind.

Have fun.

winstonjen

If it's a sin, better. If it's not, worse.

shome42

To those who have an extreme fear of death--

The following type of thinking is what gives me comfort...hopefully it will do the same for you.

When we think about death as living people, we tend to think it's this abnormal, horrible fate that only a few unlucky must endure.

The reality, is , in fact, quite the opposite.

When you look at the entirety of humanity, those who are alive are a MINISCULE minority.

What I mean is that there have been billions if not trillions of humans who have lived. Of those, only a few tens of millions are alive, and they will join the rest soon.

By thinking that way, you don't feel so alone. You realize that life is the abnormal condition and death is the more common state of existance that meets the majority.

As such, you don't feel so alone. You don't feel like it's such a lonely fate that you alone must meet. Rather, death is something that billions of humans have already met, and those who happen to be living at this tiny moment in time will soon also meet that same fate.

Get ready to join the masses, that's the way I look at it.

DOLBAC DENIS

In a way yes, they are the ones who are really consistant with their faith and this demonstrates that real faith is incompatible with any other belief.
And these poor guys are the victims of a lousy translation, the Cananean translated from means in fact "translucid grapes", not "virgins".
Granted, a few females have been candidates, I do not know wjhat they were promised, perhaps seventy young virgin priapists.....

Amlodhi

Exactly.

Actually, if one really applies some deep contemplation to the matter, it's the concept of living *for - eeeev- eeerrr * that should scare the bejesus out of you.

Namaste'

Amlodhi

emotional

It seems so, does it? It seems so to you. But it doesn't work for me. It's final death that scares the bejeebers out of me, whereas the thought of living forever keeps me calm.

Amlodhi

Then, by all means, you should pursue whatever works for you.

Namaste'

Amlodhi

emotional

That I certainly do.