[Serious] Comfort in Faith at Death

[soldierofGod]

For the true believer, death is a gift from God because his servant meets with Him

Welcome, newbie! Why don’t you make a post in the Introductions thread and tell us a little bit about yourself, and why you’ve decided to join the forum?

and how can I do that?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Welcome, newbie! Why don’t you make a post in the Introductions thread and tell us a little bit about yourself, and why you’ve decided to join the forum?

and how can I do that?

You scroll down the list of threads until you come to the one titled 'Introductions'.  You click on it. You then click 'Post thread'.  You then start typing things about yourself.

Alternately, you could sacrifice a lamb and ask God to do it for you.

Boru

[soldierofGod]

and how can I do that?

You scroll down the list of threads until you come to the one titled 'Introductions'.  You click on it. You then click 'Post thread'.  You then start typing things about yourself.

Alternately, you could sacrifice a lamb and ask God to do it for you.

Boru

Hajajaj Thank you very much

[The Grand Nudger]

People may draw strength from other things, but religion is definitely one of them. It’s well known as a balm for the frightened. I think we’re well past that being up for debate.

It’s well known that people assume as much, but it’s entirely unclear that or how it actually is. We’re also well beyond the point of debating whether or not human beings are anxious about their mortally, I assume.

We could always ask ourselves what the difference is between two believers, one calm and one afraid....and unless the answer reduces to one of them believing harder than the other....were discussing individual resolve and comfort that’s been misattributed.

If we were trying to be very generous, and ignore that any comparison of benefit would have to begin by establishing that specific benefit.....and imagine that religion has some placebo like effect-

The question becomes “what’s so wrong with placebo”. Nothing, unless you have cancer, or unless the placebo is a cancer. This is the contention of antitheism.

We dont tend to seriously entertain questions like these in other contexts, beyond some charged scenario or a valued person. “Look, strangling one more puppy will make Poppy feels better before he dies” isn’t something that we toss out there seriously. There’s an infinite number of things that may bring people comfort, and plenty of them assumed to do so regardless of whether they’re it’s cause- but so what if they did and there really were no other way or thing that same person would or could draw comfort from? It doesn’t speak to or against what anti theism is commenting on. The simple fact of this conversations existence only reenforces the broadest objections to theism.

Just how much is the comfort of a dying person supposed to be worth against centuries of others suffering....and dying? If telling my kids to put pennies on my eyes when I died gave me comfort, would that be an argument for capitalism?

[Cecelia]

While religion can bring comfort to some, it can bring fear to others. Imagine being a person who is dying and believes they are going to hell. I don't imagine they find such comfort in their religion. Especially someone who's only 'sin' is something like being gay, or having 'bad thoughts'. Sure, a lot of people (even those who are despicable, like Jerry Falwell Jr.) believe they are going to heaven, even if by their religion they wouldn't be. But not every religious person has that confidence. (Often because other people, like Jerry Fallwell Jr, convince them they are broken)

I wouldn't take faith away from someone who is dying and finds comfort in it, but I also wouldn't let it be used to harm other people who are alive.

[Aoi Magi]

So, one of the only reasons why I'm not anti-theist is that I see a good reason why people are religious-comfort. I know that death is frightening, but my mother has been dying for six months and hasn't shed a tear. She knows she'll be with her dead family and god, the god she believes in, who is loving and kind. She is starting to see her aunt, who passed away a long time ago. That comforts her. I'll tell you what, I'm quite happy for her faith now that she's at the point of death. It has given her a coping mechanism that is deeply ingrained in her psyche. For her, Heaven awaits her. It's a beautiful thing. There isn't a single ounce of harm in it.

How do you feel about finding comfort in faith while dying? Please don't use my mother's situation as an example. I'm bound to take debate about it personally.

People find comfort in different things, I for example, find comfort in the fact that there is a definite end to life, so I can enjoy my life while it lasts, and once I die, I'll get to rest. Being forced to live on eternally is what scares me actually, no matter how pleasurable you imagine it to be, eternal pleasure would get boring real fast and that boredom is gonna last eternally... unless there are regular memory wipes, in which case eternal life is pointless.

If your mother finds comfort in faith there's no harm in it, and I don't think what one believes for comfort, in life or death, should be a point of debate unless it is affecting others.

[Foxaèr]

How do you feel about finding comfort in faith while dying?

Ignorance brought on by irrational mental weakness.

[Fake Messiah]

Yeah faith as comfort at dying rather seems like if a homeless and poor person imagined to be Bill Gates as a comfort.

[Shell B]

How do you feel about finding comfort in faith while dying?

Ignorance brought on by irrational mental weakness.

Fear of death isn't irrational. Sure, being religious is ignorant, but it's hardly harmful at the point of dying.

[Foxaèr]

Fear of death isn't irrational.

Succumbing to a religious delusion due to mental weakness is.