if you truly beleived in an afterlife, why would you fear death?
970011
perhaps you have not read the three hundred and forty seven times this has been answered, so I will answer it again just for you.\n I do not fear death,\nGod put me here for a purpose and I am not ready to go until he wants me to.\nbesides that i do not enjoy pain.
1083237
Experiencing death does not scare me - I will do what I can to make sure it is the last thing I do - but I am not afraid.\n\nI don't want a long, painful death, but if that is what God has planned for me, then I will accept it and take joy in some of the suffering that Jesus experienced on the cross.
679157
You are not so much in fear of dying as you are in fear of how it will happen, when it will happen and what will happen to you after wards.  So lets give consideration to the first two questions. You can not know the circumstances unless of course your doctor has pronounced you terminal. Most of us fear a long, tortourous, painful demise. When it happens we don't want to see it coming. We want it to happen fast without warning. If the nuclear bomb is aimed at my house and this is the last minute of my life, I don't want to know about it.\nThere is nothing you can do to control this part of your future. You can pray and believe that God is going to watch out for you and not have you die til you are very old and then in your sleep. In the meantime, plan on living your life like that is exactly what is going to happen.\n\nNow as to the other part, what happens after you die.  Without talking about any religion lets discuss if you believe death is the end of all or if the personality that makes you, you, survives physical death.  Do you believe in reincarnation? Ghosts? these are beliefs that many people share that indicate that there is life waiting for us once we leave our physical bodies behind.  Many people that have lost someone close to them can talk about being visited by their loved ones sometimes in person and sometimes in dreams. But its a real visit, not just a memory or wishful thinking.\nIf you believe that you will continue to go on after your body ceases there is less to be in fear of.\n\nA good book to read is "What Dreams May Come" that deals with the subject of death and what happens to us.  If you are not a reader, check out the movie on video, the movie isn't as good as the book but the meaning is still there.\n\nDon't get tied up in knots over what "religion" tells you and consider what you personally believe and don't believe.
319629
There is nothing.  Its the same as life was before you were conceived...no thought, no light, no heaven/hell/reincarnation...nothing.\n\nLife ends, and I don't fear this.  I DO fear dying, but not ceasing to be.  Think about it, many religions include life never-ending (with reincarnation or an afterlife), but no one knows for sure.  So, where did this information come from?  Only rumor, speculation, and assumption.  You might as well describe what life is like on Pluto...no one knows.
1035809
I have no experience. Why should we not fulfill our wish before death? This I can assure the story is valid before death. I dont want to tell one to take risk. Who knows.
439459
I am not afraid of death just of having a painful death that I am conscious enough to experience.  Death is just a part of life and you waste life worrying about something that you can do nothing about.  It comes to everyone and if you think about it would you want to live forever after all the people you know and love are dead and unless you have eternal youth  you are going to have a body that gets older and older and more broken down and prone to disease or injury.  Live life in a way that can in some way help other people  Find the Lord and follow him and you have nothing to worry about when it comes time for you to leave this world\n\nI am not afraid to die because the love of my life is waiting for me along with other dearly missed loved ones
236333
No, I don't think I have ever been afraid to die. My life has been a very hard life, so to be honest, I would have to say, I use to feared living more than dying. I know where I will be, and I am so ready to sit at Jesus feet and lay my head upon His lap.
368969
It's because of the fear of death.
1105750
I don't think you have to believe in God to believe in some kind of afterlife, there are many relgions in the world each one with it's own beliefs and viewpoints.  I personally believe in a soul, but that does not automatically mean I believe in Heaven.  I do believe something wonderful will happen when I die, I am just not sure what that is yet, and I hope it is along time before I find out.  Maybe he was there, because evryone was thinking about him.  It's hard to say.
12190
I do not believe that heaven exists as a place that you go after you die.  I think that Heaven is a myth based on a desparate desire for people to live forever, like gods, which is part of almost every religion and has been for thousands of years.  \n\nThere is nothing new about wanting eternal life and a semblance of omnicience.  Power and knowledge are the two things that humans want more than anything, so it makes sense taht we would create a myth which involves us living forever and gaining a deep understanding of the universe after we die.
662693
I'm not afraid of death, but i don't want to die now because i know if i did i would go to hell.  Believing in God kinda makes it hard to accepting death if you have not turned your life over to him. After i get baptized i can die, but right now being alive is looking good.
801706
I am a believer in reincarnation. It would explain why children come into the world with such distinct personalities, and also why people have such odd phobias. There is scientific evidence (none of it conclusive) that reinforces my belief as well. I also believe that there are many places in the Universe where one may incarnate, and that a lot of beings from other places are choosing to live lives here now. I'm flirting with the idea that I'm from one of those other places, because I'm so drawn to the idea of extraterrestrial life.
570057
Because there is no evidence of an afterlife I try to enjoy this one life as much as possible. Religion does not provide all the answers for me. Atheism does. So with that core belief in place I must live this life to the fullest. I've traveled to almost every Continent. I've skydove, hanglided, bungeed and hot air ballooned. I've driven a Ferrari 155 m.p.h. I've gambled lots of money. I've done drugs. I've frequented strip clubs and enjoyed pornography. I've volunteered at a soup kitchen and a homeless shelter. I've read the bible, the koran, the torah and budhist philosophies. I've been to China! I learned to juggle 5 objects at the same time(very difficult). I've sat by a swimming pool every day for six months and drank myself silly. I've gone to chuch, prayed to "God". I've watched TV for hours. I played basketball on the collegiate level. I played bass guitar in a rock n roll band. There is much more to come....\n\nIt fills the void. I wish that I could just close my eyes and have religious faith, but my experiences won't let me. My experiences tell me that when you die, you die. That's it. It's over. No one ever comes back. Not Huidini, not Elvis, not Jesus. So when I'm on my death bed I only want the knowledge that I did as much as I could with my one life. And just like everyone else when I die, my existence ends forever. Pretty scary thought, but religeon deals with that thought by saying "No it's not over, don't worry. Uhm follow us and you'll uhhh live forever! Yeah that's it, you never have to really die! Yea. you'll live forever! In the clouds!...That's why it's so popular. \n\nSo first, come to terms with the FACT that you're going to die and never live or see, or feel or taste that succulent Lobster dipped in butter again. Then go out and enjoy life and don't let the people who are in denial get in your way!\n\nEnjoy!
196372
Imagine how scary it must be to not believe in God, or in an afterlife.  Imagine how scary it is...if you are wrong.  I would imagine that many people that claim not to believe in God must have a nagging doubt, some underlying suspicion that they may not even be aware of.  If you live your life in whatever way you choose, claiming not to believe in an afterlife, in heaven or in hell, then what happens if you are wrong?  I would think that must be terrifying...and what do many people do when they are afraid of something..they attack.  They attempt to fight, to disprove, to make themselves feel better, to feel safer, in any way that they can.  That is just my opinion.
1079502
Most religions have no heaven or hell.  They still have other stories and legends of ways to save yourself after death.  Those that believe in Karma believe that our actions in this life affect the next life.  What we do returns to us eventually.  Others believe in predestination (that what happens to us in the afterlife is already decided regardless of our actions).  Some Christian sects believe this as well.  Still others believe there is no afterlife or that we remain as spirits to watch over our loved ones.  \n\nAlmost every religion has "salvation" stories that are essentially guides to being a better person and living a better life.  Sadly, many Christians feel (and will say) that if there were no heaven or hell, there would be no morals.  You have to wonder what lives they would lead if they did not fear punsihment.  Millions of people accross the world live without fear of hell and are good and decent people with excellent morals.  So is heaven and hell really all that neccessary?
1183805
Some comfort for you..... No matter how amazing life is here, it is nothing compared to how wonderfuly awesome heaven will be.\n\nMy christian friend believes Dejavu is God way of telling you that your in the right place at the right time. And dreaming you will die doesn't mean anything. My mom dreamt for years she was shot to death, and she's still here.\n\nAnd what scares you more, being dead, or how you will die? Im not afraid of being dead, I know heaven is more than I can ever imagine, but I am afraid of how and when I will die. For that, I give it to God, trusting his perfect plan for my life, and his will, is better than my own, and with trust comes comfort. Good Luck to you.
694014
You make a valid point! But if there is a afterlife I would like to think that it is whatever one would want it to be. For all we know we could all already be immortal and this reality is just a training ground for our true selves to take our experiences and the things we learn to the next phase of our existence.