Christians: Do you have a fear of death and how do you deal with it?

[talquin]

Christians: Do you have a fear of death? If so, how do you deal with it? If not, why do you suppose you don't?

 

[graceandpeace]

Sometimes.

I doubt. I fail. Rationally, I know that I cannot be 100% certain of what will happen to me in death.

But as a Christian, I hope. Because I profess faith in a risen Christ, who trampled down death by His own death, I believe that I, too, will have victory over death. That I, too, will be resurrected. That I, too, will be in God's Kingdom where suffering has ceased & I may walk in the coolness of day.

And when I'm feeling afraid, it's in that hope that I find consolation.

 

[talquin]

Sometimes.

I doubt. I fail. Rationally, I know that I cannot be 100% certain of what will happen to me in death.

But as a Christian, I hope. Because I profess faith in a risen Christ, who trampled down death by His own death, I believe that I, too, will have victory over death. That I, too, will be resurrected. That I, too, will be in God's Kingdom where suffering has ceased & I may walk in the coolness of day.

And when I'm feeling afraid, it's in that hope that I find consolation.

Do you believe if you are resurrected that you will have consciousness as well?

 

[orangeness365]

yes.
I'm afraid I'm going to be one of the Christians that God says to, "I never knew you." I'm really afraid of going to hell. I know that we are supposed to believe that we are saved through grace, and that no one is perfect, and that it is through faith, not works, but what if I don't have enough faith? I sure as hell don't have enough good deeds to go to heaven. I used to believe I was going to heaven and everyone else had to walk on eggshells, but I was also very arrogant. I'm just not so sure I'm going to make it anymore. I don't deal with it. I either am petrified all of the time, or I try to forget about death altogether. Every time I drive a car (yes I FINALLY got a driver's license) I'm afraid I'm going to die and go to hell that day, therefore, I'm scared to even drive. I know I shouldn't be so scared to die, but I just can't shake the fear of hell. sometimes I try to convince myself that God will accept me despite everything I've done, and that I will see a bunch of Christians I met in this life again, but most of the time I'm just afraid I'm going to hell.

 

[LilLamb219]

I do not have fear of death. God has been a part of my life, working in too many ways, for me to feel he'll abandon me.

 

[7angels]

wanting to die and afraid of death are 2 different issues. torture is also different than death. it is hard to say how a person would feel until a person has experience in facing death. no one just is born with the instinct of being able to automatically face death with no fear. Jesus learned to die to self and follow another's will other than his own will. hdJesus not learned to die to self then i doubt he would of ever stayed sinless.

God bless

 

[Willtor]

I said, Other (please elaborate).

I work pretty hard to avoid dying (or, I do things to try to prolong my life). This is probably fear of a sort.

Additionally, I feel responsible for certain people, and the thought of leaving them stranded produces a more classical fear. I basically never think about it. But if I were, say, diagnosed with inoperable cancer, this fear would probably be foremost on my mind.

My faith gives me some comfort in this, though, inasmuch as I recognize that God gives us all a time and then calls us home, and that He cares for the people for whom I care. Along these lines, whatever happens to my peeps is in His hands, whether I'm with them or not, and although there are no guarantees in life, there is ultimately justice and peace. This is comforting to me.

So, I couldn't say Yes or No. And Sometimes doesn't really quite capture it.

 

[football5680]

Death is inevitable so there is no reason to dwell on it in a fearful manner. I am confident in my beliefs and I believe in the existence Heaven but even if I am wrong there would be nothing to worry about. The majority of our fears stem from something that is harmful to us or unpleasant. Non-existence would simply be neutral because it is neither good or bad and we would not have the ability to care about the state we are in.

 

[Messy]

Christians: Do you have a fear of death? If so, how do you deal with it? If not, why do you suppose you don't?

No, I've been placed in His Kingdom spiritually and made alive in Him, the body is just like a space suit, just needed for here. My sins are done away on the cross by accepting His offer. I can't see death unless I would choose to leave Him and go wilfully live a sinful lifestyle. I used to be afraid of death very much before I was saved, although I never heard about hell, just fear of death.

 

[graceandpeace]

Do you believe if you are resurrected that you will have consciousness as well?

Yes.

We are not in "shells" or "suits" - nor will we become disembodied beings. Rather, the whole being, body & soul, will be resurrected. The perishable will put on the imperishable, the whole being will be made new.

 

[talquin]

yes.
I'm afraid I'm going to be one of the Christians that God says to, "I never knew you." I'm really afraid of going to hell. I know that we are supposed to believe that we are saved through grace, and that no one is perfect, and that it is through faith, not works, but what if I don't have enough faith? I sure as hell don't have enough good deeds to go to heaven. I used to believe I was going to heaven and everyone else had to walk on eggshells, but I was also very arrogant. I'm just not so sure I'm going to make it anymore. I don't deal with it. I either am petrified all of the time, or I try to forget about death altogether. Every time I drive a car (yes I FINALLY got a driver's license) I'm afraid I'm going to die and go to hell that day, therefore, I'm scared to even drive. I know I shouldn't be so scared to die, but I just can't shake the fear of hell. sometimes I try to convince myself that God will accept me despite everything I've done, and that I will see a bunch of Christians I met in this life again, but most of the time I'm just afraid I'm going to hell.

Do you believe you will have any form of awareness or consciousness after death? If so, why, and what physiological processes allow for one with a non-functioning brain to have consciousness? If not, why would you be concerned if you are in heaven or hell?

 

[Willtor]

Do you believe you will have any form of awareness or consciousness after death? If so, why, and what physiological processes allow for one with a non-functioning brain to have consciousness? If not, why would you be concerned if you are in heaven or hell?

Whoa, there. I think you've got Christianity confused with some sort of spiritism. Christians believe we will be raised from the dead, like Jesus -- functioning brain and all. Whether physiology is the same... who can say?

Resurrection aside, we may, within the next 100 years, discover the ability to have consciousness without physiology. By then, it may be as easy as suspending a process on one computer, moving it to another computer, and resuming it. It seems likely, to me, that a brain is not a prerequisite for consciousness.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Whoa, there. I think you've got Christianity confused with some sort of spiritism. Christians believe we will be raised from the dead, like Jesus -- functioning brain and all. Whether physiology is the same... who can say?

This.

While popular religion today has largely embraced this idea of disembodied existence floating somewhere "up there" for eternity this has never been the teaching of the historic Christian faith.

Every Christian creed, confession, and statement of faith from the New Testament up until the present day has emphasized the belief in the resurrection of the body, and that the future life is not "up there", but here. Christianity looks forward to the renewal and restoration of the world, the redemption of all creation, not an escape route to an intangible, ethereal beyond.

The confusion is understandable, given the fact that popular Christianity, at least here in America, is largely all about "going to heaven". Though fascinatingly the Bible itself has almost little to say about that (and arguably nothing at all) and Christian literature from the time of the Apostolic Fathers, through the Middle Ages, the Protestant Reformation, and even into a century or two ago spoke far more about the fact of resurrection than the temporal, intermediate state of life between death and resurrection.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[talquin]

No, I've been placed in His Kingdom spiritually and made alive in Him, the body is just like a space suit, just needed for here. My sins are done away on the cross by accepting His offer. I can't see death unless I would choose to leave Him and go wilfully live a sinful lifestyle. I used to be afraid of death very much before I was saved, although I never heard about hell, just fear of death.

Do you believe you will have consciousness and/or a sense of awareness after you die? If so, why do you believe this when all available evidence says that consciousness and awareness are products of a functioning brain - and the brain ceases to function after death.

 

[talquin]

Whoa, there. I think you've got Christianity confused with some sort of spiritism. Christians believe we will be raised from the dead, like Jesus -- functioning brain and all. Whether physiology is the same... who can say?

Resurrection aside, we may, within the next 100 years, discover the ability to have consciousness without physiology. By then, it may be as easy as suspending a process on one computer, moving it to another computer, and resuming it. It seems likely, to me, that a brain is not a prerequisite for consciousness.

Did you have consciousness and/or awareness before you were conceived?

Do you think if your brain were removed from your body that you would continue to have consciousness and awareness?

 

[talquin]

I do not have fear of death. God has been a part of my life, working in too many ways, for me to feel he'll abandon me.

Do you believe you will have consciousness and/or a sense of awareness after you die? If so, why do you believe this when all available evidence says that consciousness and awareness are products of a functioning brain - and that the brain ceases to function after death.?

 

[Messy]

Do you believe you will have consciousness and/or a sense of awareness after you die? If so, why do you believe this when all available evidence says that consciousness and awareness are products of a functioning brain - and the brain ceases to function after death.

Yes, because my spirit/soul lives eternal. Ian McCormack went to heaven, he was dead for 45 minutes or so and he just was aware of everything, the same as with a body, he was out of his body and saw his body laying there, and he came back to tell. He was an atheist and through that experience he became a christian. Also examples in the Bible, Samuel coming up, could talk to Saul, Moses died and appeared later at the Mount of configuration with Jesus. He said to the Sadducees who don't believe in the raising of the dead that God is not a God of the dead, but of the living when they were talking about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And I've been caught up in heaven once myself and was next to Jesus for a moment.

 

[Willtor]

Did you have consciousness and/or awareness before you were conceived?

Not to my knowledge.

Do you think if your brain were removed from your body that you would continue to have consciousness and awareness?

Awareness is unlikely unless my brain were hooked up to a machine that continued to provide inputs. Consciousness is more likely, if my brain were kept alive. If my brain died, it might be possible to recover me into a computer, so I could retain consciousness.

None of this, of course, is in any way related to what Christians talk about when we say "life after death."

 

[dcalling]

Before I became a Christian I do have fear of death. Now it is almost like I don't care any more, and I don't worry much about anything else either. Not sure why.

But of course the true test will be if I really learn that I am going to die

 

[Devorim]

No, I do not fear actual death, but there are ways of dying that can be traumatic, painful, etc. I lost my first husband in a horrific accident. We were so young, and i had promised him that his would be a closed casket funeral and that people would not be looking at him in the coffin. (He was horrified by people looking at his beloved grandfather, so this was his response.) When the man guarding his casket asked me if I wanted to see him, I said no, and the man said he looked like he was smiling. That was huge comfort to me, so it did influence my attitude toward death.

However, just knowing the L-rd gives me peace about death. I don't want to do it, because life is already so short and there's so much to do, so many people to enjoy, and many prayers to be brought before the Throne, but when He decides it's my time, His will is my will. He knows best.

I have already lived past what the doctors said I would live. I wouldn't be either surprised not to see 2016 or to live to be 100. I believe G-d has been very generous.