What Do You Believe Will Happen To You Once You Die?

[*Deidre*]

In reading through this thread, I'm reminded of my days following Christianity, and I think religion promotes a fear of death. I mean, if you sucked during your 'earth life,' you might burn for all eternity in a torturous pit called 'hell.' As a Christian, you hang your head low a lot, and feel unworthy of an almighty God; you feel undeserving of a place called 'heaven.' Doesn't the thought of death as a Christian, sound so wonderful? lol

So a fear of death in general, sets in. It's funny, since leaving religion behind, I no longer fear death. What people should fear, is wasting a life while they still have it to live. Worrying about an after life robs you from the here and now. Makes you fearful of death, which you have no control over. Death will find us all someday, and so it's important to live life to the fullest, and stop fearing things we don't know, or can't control.

But, to me, that's where a lot of this obession about the after life comes in for religious people. The ''hope'' in an after life helps religious people deal with what they can't control, which is death.

That's kind of how I've come to view it, both as a Christian, and now...as an atheist.