Are you hoping to become a ‘Death Cheater’?

[naomi24]

Reading posts from the religious here, I’ve concluded that the sole reason people cling to faith is because they fear death – and that faith creates unhealthy neurosis. Some have confessed that faced with the undeniable realities of religion, they have succumbed to actual physical malady, manifesting in uncontrollable shaking and weeping, which by any stretch of the imagination surely cannot be beneficial to either body or spirit; others are terrified to speak their mind for fear of ‘divine’ reprisal, and still more harbour what I consider to be a consistent and thoroughly unhealthy obsession with thoughts of sin, death, and eternal punishment. Through these pages, due to my absence of faith, I have recently been accused of possessing a ‘bleak outlook’, but is my outlook ‘bleak’ or is it simply ‘realistic’? I have strong moral principles, I care passionately about the welfare of my fellow man, I have a wonderfully loving family, a lovely home, many good friends, I am successful in my chosen profession, I’m not short of money, I’m healthy and happy – so bleakness has no place in my life. However, I fully accept that when my body is past its sell-by date, I will die. I don’t relish the thought of any pain or distress that might accompany that process, but when that is over and I’m dead, I won’t know anything about it, so in death itself, I have nothing to fear. Love is the most important thing in this world – and death is simply a reality of life. What’s wrong with that?

[naomi24]

SIQ, //However you seem to be generalising on some particulars in blaming religion for unhealthy neuroses. //

I wasn’t generalising. Neurosis can be caused by many things – religion is just one of them.

[chakka35]

batexia - one is quite used to the fact that fanatical religionists like you are irrational, and that's fair enough. Par for the course.

But do you really not realise how utterly arrogant it is to say "Whatever you may say or think..." as if you had some private access to a verification of your views which the thinkers here are not privy to?

If it is true that the meek shall inherent the earth there'll be very few people like you at that will reading.

[solvitquick]

Sorry Naomi but if you read your initial question it could well seem to be concentrating on religion as a (or "the") major causative agent when discussing neuroses even though it can certainly be blamed for causing various neurotic fantasies or irrational fears.
Hope you take the following in the light-hearted way in which I write it. Your mini-autobiography as a happy family mother has destroyed the image I had built-up of you when following your many other excellent contributions. My visualisation of you was that of the icy cold-blooded rationalist very much akin to that of Lilleth, Frasier's wife in "Cheers"! I emphasise the Frasier-only Lilleth image because of my attempts to stir the pot a bit more as follows.
Unbeknown to many christians, the mythical Adam's first wife was not Eve but Lilleth - according to Jewish legend. The fundementalist christians choose to avoid debating this one.
Similar avoidance of complcations is exhibited by Islamists in that Allah was not the only Arabian god, just the boss amongst others. This sole-god theory was propogated by Mohammed.
Comments on the latter religious facts anyone?
Kind Regards,
SIQ.

[naomi24]

SIQ, I’ve never seen ‘Cheers’, but I know what it is – sort of – and I know who Lilleth was. I also know that Mohammed dismissed the other Gods – but remembered them when he felt they might be useful to his agenda – but we won’t mention the Satanic Verses. Oops!

[chakka35]

solvitquick - rational, certainly (with only one or two exceptions), but 'icy cold-blooded'? Our naomi? Preposterous!

[naomi24]

Chakka, ha ha! Not so sure about the 'exceptions' - but thank you. ;o)

[chakka35]

Well, naomi, I mustn't be too gushing or they'll sus out our affair.

Sorry you have never seen 'Cheers'. I was always amazed that we British never produced a sitcom based in a pub. Thank heaven that when the Americans did it it was superb and very funny, set in Boston in something like a real pub, not a boring American bar.

Mustn't hijack any more.

[solvitquick]

Woz just a jokey image Naomi, we all luv you. Sorry about your not seeing Cheers - it spawned "Frasier" if you ever saw that. You just too young to have seeen 'em. But chakka35 is right - musn't get side-tracked from the real debate.

[naomi24]

Chakka, drat! I am undone! Never could trust these fellows that kiss and tell! :o)

SIQ, I’ve never watched Frasier either – but thanks for the compliment. ;o)

[Batexia]

Chakka35
I am not fanatical. I have a belief that has helped me over the last 30 yrs. Prior to that I was a lost, and deluded person who had no cares for anyone, whether it be family or friends.
Having a belief has now helped me to be a better person, I think about the other person rather than myself – and if you think that is being arrogant – then Yes, I am and proud to be so.
Unlike fanatical religionists, my aim is to help people understand. If they don’t want it, so be it, it is their choice, but at no time can they then say they never knew and no one cared.
Before you say it, no I am not a “once saved always saved”. I didn’t have a miraculous vision or hear voices. It was simply a matter of listening and discussing another persons viewpoint and then taking the time to examine what I was being told.
You should try it sometime, it may help you become more humble.

[Batexia]

Birdie://Assuming that no one is attempting to reinterpret the well-defined words in our finest dictionaries I presume that you, like everyone else, accepts that the word 'innocent' is equivalent to the phrase 'free from sin'.//

The Hebrew and Greek verbs commonly translated “to sin” mean “to miss” in the sense of missing a mark or not reaching a goal. So what is the goal we all miss – that of perfection.

No person is born perfect. We are imperfect beings so therefore babies are imperfect beings, (or sinners).

True they have committed no crime so in that sense they are innocent. The dictionary definition of innocent is:

1. Not guilty of a crime
2. Not responsible for or directly involved in an event yet suffering the consequence
3. Free from moral wrong, not corrupted
4. Not involving or intended to cause harm or offence
5. Harmless
6. Pure, guileless or naïve.