Fear
and Religion: The Impact
One thing that Stood out
to me the most is when Asma says, “terror management theory predicts that when
an atheist is presented with a mundane choice between religious beliefs and her
secular world view, she privileges her world view over religion” (168). This is interesting because people who do not
believe in God or a higher power tend to think that their view of the world is the
only correct view, which it is not. When faced with the fear of death, people
who don’t believe in God are forced to face reality and try to comprehend the
what, why, and how of the situation happen using their own perspectives. To atheists,
the idea of heaven or immorality seems ridiculous and silly compared to their
worldview. However, as Asma indicates in his book, those who are “exposed to
morbid priming and then asked directly to give a self-report, will usually
stick firm and even double-down on their secular preferences” (168). From my
point of view, being exposed to death can change a person’s whole life in a way
that challenges their thinking about religion and forces them to face the fear
of death and immorality. Based on how one view or acknowledges fear determines
if they will turn to religion or stick with their secular beliefs. For some
people who experience near-death accidents or trauma, religion can inhibit that
fear by allowing that person to view “God” as the cause or the reason this is
happening. For those who view God as a powerful being, the religion reduces the
fear of death and immorality. I think this is important to acknowledge because all
humans had some type of fear of death, but I think the viewpoints help shaped
how we view death and the fear is based on the preferences of religion. Whether
or not one believes in life after death, or the reasons behind why we fear
death, I think it is important to address how religion not only shapes our view
of death but impacts our management and sense of how we reacted to the idea of “Life
After,” or “Death.”
I find it interesting on the point that you made about how people who don't believe in God or a higher power automatically think that their view of the world is the only correct view. Why do you think atheists think the way they do?
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question, I think it all comes back to Fear. Atheists may believe that religion or a "higher Power" does not exist, or they may have been taught from a young age that religion is something to fear because when you think about a higher power having control over situations that occur such as Death, it is easier to ignore other people's views, and think of their own views as superior than everyone else's views. Death is a subject a lot of people are afraid to talk about just like religion, and i think Atheists prefer to think that their worldview is better to block out thoughts of what happens when they no longer exist on this earth.
Delete