A friend of mine died 3 times. The last time was perminant. His pace maker revived him the first two times. He said that when he was "dead" he didn't see any pearly gates, and had no consiousness. He said he just remembered when the pace maker kicked in it woke him up and felt like a mule kicked him in the chest!

I think we are all scared of death. That's why religion is so appealing. You never die. I guess in my almost 36 years of age, I am more scared about how it will happen.

I think everyone is scared at some level. I've been scared since my father passed when I was 11 years old and knew death for the first time.

Read.

As a christian I used to put energy into trying to believe that stuff. As an agnostic I put my energy into being comfortable with not knowing.

Ifyoudogotohell you will be in very good company so don’t worry

there is no evidence whatsoever that there is an afterlife of any sort. however, if this helps, think of it this way: what kind of god would punish you for not believing in him if he had both the power to solve the mystery and reveal himself and to make you believe and prevent you from becoming an agnostic? now, this is neither a comforting nor frightening thought to me, for i am an atheist and i am sure enough there are no gods and is no afterlife that it doesn't impact my daily life one bit. but from the perspective of a former believer, you may find it helpful. i hope so, anyway.

g

Why not just live a good life and take yer chances on the whole worship thing? If, (big if) there`s a god that won't accept that? Then fuck him/her/it, who would want to spend an eternity under an entity that requires constant adoration? It would be akin to living in N. Korea.
"Better to be a freeman in hell than a slave in heaven"

I just try to live NOW, because worrying about what happens after I’m gone is a form of fairytales within itself to me. As far as hell, I don’t buy into the concept for MULTIPLE reasons...my two cents worth of advice...just live a happy life RIGHT NOW.

One thing I can think of, is for a lot of people can't wrap their head around nothingness. But that, I mean having a hard time thinking how it could be to not be alive (in what ever form), or to imaging to never think, ever again.

The best answer to that IMHO, is. Well, what was it like before you were born?
Nothingness.
I think for a good deal of people not wanting, or not able to accept nothingness, it can make the whole idea of an after life more appealing, and or believable.

But, for me. In those very rare times when I contemplate any kind of afterlife. The whole idea of nothingness is rather comforting. for one, that's much better than hell, and knowing that nothingness was all there was before I was born, sure sways in the direction that any kind of afterlife isn't real.

“what if they’re right? what if they’re right?”

They're not. They believe in fairytales and magic. The one thing you can be sure of is that Xians have nothing right.

The thing to remember is one should not be a believer out of fear,this fact should speak for itself .On the other hand a non believer comes to this conclusion of non belief due to logic and common sense

Use logic and your rational mind. How do they know anything? A bunch of unproven stories about people for which no history exists. Stories that have been found in Gilgamesh and they claim exclusively. A book, codified by committees through the 3rd century (and many use the worst translation of said book for their arguments - King James). 7 billion people on earth and only a fraction are to be "saved." Science has continued to prove much of their shit incorrect and what do they do - deny and blame. Why not believe in Zeus? Why did that religion fade? No proof, none, ever. The virgin birth god myth has appeared in a number of religions for centuries prior, including in ancient Egypt.
Fear of death is natural and a biological aid for protection. Use those brain synapses and don't allow them to atrophy like so many anti logic, anti science, anti reason types.

You make your own judgments on life whether good or bad and when you die...you die..

become a christian because you are scared? Seems the safest bet to me.........

Hell gained traction as an idea solely because of its power to scare people into obedience. I have no doubt it's no more real than the man in the moon. My advice? "Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever." -Mohandas Gandhi.

The fear of Hell sounds awful and more terrifying than my existential fear of death.

No advice unfortunately other than the idea that Hell seems so petty and unbelievably childish to me. I’d believe in a god waaaaay before I would believe in Hell. It’s just such a dumb idea.

I'll save ya a seat in the front row.

They are trying to threaten you into believing their way. It is bullying behavior on their behalf. Try to accept that you do not need to know the answer to everything and that it is exciting to have the mystery of death. Death happens to every living thing and it is a completely natural part of life. You don't have to do anything in life to prepare for death. Improve your emotional feelings using Self talk to try and escape the very negative and scary stuff that they have told you about death by reminding yourself that it is natural and that there are endless possibilities to the great things that could happen but try not to dwell on this topic too much, as it is emotionally damaging to get carried away with just one thing. Your goal is to not worry about death.

A very simple equation here, After life = Death, = slow and steady decay and corruption (rotting away into a very smelly stinking heap of disgusting gunk) of the body = little left than the bones that were a vital part of your body.
All of that is a 100% certainty UNLESS of course, you are Cremated then you go from being dead body to ashes.

what if they’re right?
What if the Egyptians were right and you end up in the Osirian realm of the underworld where if your heart is not lighter than a feather you will get fed to Ammit the half hippo half crocodile half lion eater of souls(I know! don't shoot the messenger), or Hades if the Greeks are right, or the Muslim paradise? Or nowhere if the Jews are right?
The after life myth is not exclusively Christian and if the Christians ARE right, it's okay because according to Jesus heaven is only temporary, because after a period in the grave or in paradise we will ALL raise from the dead (Minus our naughty bits) be glorified and live forever on earth (but with no sea) whether we want to or not.

Since you recently left religion, you have doubts. I have ask theist to prove there is an afterlife, god, and Hell. None of them have ever proved objective evidence that any of the three are real. Your going to take baby steps, before you walk away from religion.

It's a very personal thing for me, since both My brother and mother passed away about two years ago during this season. I'll put a copy of what I have decided about it and maybe it will point you toward a solution.

"It's been a couple of weeks since my brother passed and I have not really said anything about it For the rest of my life Christmas will always be the time Jamie left this life. But it will also be the time that he rejoined the greater universe.

I am not a religious man and I don't know what lies beyond this life if anything. I do know a few things. The tiniest particles in our bodies, the atoms of calcium in our bones, the iron in our blood, all of these are born in the heart of a star. When this star reaches the end of its life cycle, it erupts and spreads these atoms into the universe where they join other elements and give birth to another star. Some of these starts have planets and, on our little bit of star stuff, life is born. I like to think that my brother has simply gone back to the universe and the particles that once were him will, one day, be scattered once again.

I like to think that some of him will become part of another world, another living thing, perhaps a brother who loves and is loved.

A writer once said that we all have time machines. Those that take us into the future are our dreams. The ones that take us to the past are called memory. I find Jamie when I use either one."

I don't know if this helps in any way. I hope it gives you some comfort, perhaps some direction as it did for me.

What is the factual evidence concerning an afterlife?

Here is a question, do you remember that time before you were born? The afterlife is exactly like that.

Here is the real hell for a xtian... You think you will be reunited with all your family, get to meet god and float on a cloud with no issues no responsibilities for eternity. Then you die...

And you simply become stardust again!

God, if there was one, wouldn't create such a horrible punishment. Think long and hard about that.
Anybody can say anything.
What makes sense?