Why do other Atheists insist they aren't afraid of death?

1) actually i have been i one and nope your guarantee falls flat

2) it is true

II) no, i do not fear my own death

III) nope.

Fear of death is a natural human reaction, to suppress it is un-natural as it's there for a reason as part of the survival instinct.

I've experienced near-death experiences many times in my life, but that does not mean I do not have a healthy respect for the fragile elements that make human life possible on this peculiar planet.

I know what to expect and I do hold a visceral, (Ufck!) response each time I've avoided a near-death event in my life.

I'm going to assume that I do not match the description you have chosen to articulate as a means of dissecting the human response to a life-threatening situation that provokes a fight or flight response.

Accepting a single human reality does not define who I am or who other people who are capable of thinking similar realities of the human experience, I am much more than just a human, (self-reinforcing) mental construct denier.

You fear pain because it's painful, obviously. All the situations you mention are situations which result in pain.

I have some fear of dying, which means the part of getting to death. I DO NOT fear death, period. To be perfectly blunt, I tried to commit suicide once. What I found is that it's not so easy getting to the point of being dead as you'd like for it to be if that's where you want to get. That's why I wouldn't do it again; not because I fear death, but because getting there involves pain and sometimes involves pain that lasts a long time. My mother died of cancer. I took care of her for a year while she was dying. Long before she got to the end, she WANTED TO DIE TO END THE PAIN.

Believe what you want but it's perfectly possible for someone not to fear being dead but to fear what may precede it.

Because I'm not afraid of death.

1) this "fear response" is a biological function, not a function of thought or reason. The fear response occurs whenever you're threatened, even if "death" is not a possibility. So it's not a "fear of death."

2) I didn't -- I'm not afraid of death. I don't *want* to die, and when I do die I don't want it to be long, drawn-out, and painful...but I'm not afraid of it.

i) no, it's an honest statement.

ii) no, I'm not afraid of death.

iii) no, I'm not afraid of death.

You do realize that we're not "slaves" to our biological instincts, don't you? When I see a sexually attractive woman, I get physically aroused -- that's a biological response. That doesn't mean I MUST grab her and have sex with her, I can use my reasoning abilities to understand the biological response and consciously decide what my thoughts and actions will be. Same goes with the "fear" response -- I'm not a slave to it.

Peace.

When you get to the point where your body is not working properly and you're in constant pain, death seems like a welcome reprieve. When you're 20 you fear death a lot more than you do when you're 90. I'm old enough that I've seen cases when death seemed like the best alternative. Sometimes it's just plain welcome.

Having a gun shoved in your face is hardly the only way one might face death. Sometimes you're elderly, lying in a nursing home bed unable to control your bowels, unable to move on your own and just wishing your suffering would end. Maybe you're a soldier who intentionally courted death trying to save the rest of your unit. Maybe you're a parent who jumped in front of a moving car to push your child out of the way. It's not as black and white as you want to think.

1) There is a difference between not fearing to be dead and not fighting to live. Because I don't fear being dead doesn't mean I wouldn't fight to live, that is preferable...

Which is why I say I don't fear death, only the method...

2) I never did...

i) Nope

ii) See above...

iii) Nope

IMHO

1) Fearing the pain associated with death does not mean they fear death.

2) They're not.

i) No, since I don't want to die.

ii) That depends on the person really.

iii) Generalizing is never a wise idea.

A lack of conscious fear regarding the end of ones life and a desire to continue to live are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

I think it is sort of like your torture analogy-- I do not live every moment of my life in abject fear of being tortured, but that doesn't mean I would want to be tortured. Since death (unlike torture) is ultimately unavoidable, I feel it would be counterproductive to wake each day in fear of my eventual demise. Instead, I try to have the best life I can and save the fear of death for when it presents itself.

I don't think you have understood the subject.

When someone asks "Are you afraid of death" they DON'T mean "Do you piss your pants if you see a rampant bull storming straight at you" or "Do you shriek like a little girl when you bungee-jump"?

That's not 'fear of death', that's the animalistic panic response which all humans have.

They mean, "Are you afraid of being dead", as in, "do you worry about not existing anymore" which is a subject people can calmly and dispassionately discuss.

1) Your guarantee is false. You cannot claim this true at all. You also cannot say that emotionally damaged thing without showing your own ignorance by generalizing.

2) Peloristic Atheist does not fear death. All who do are pathetic.

All other responses to give should be obvious to you.

I like living. I have a lot more of it I want to do. I don't want to lose that. That's not the same as fearing being 'dead.' Which as I mentioned before is silly, because death is nonexistence. There would be no me to fear anything.