|
Navigation
The Rational Response Squad is a group of atheist activists who impact society by changing the way we view god belief. This site is a haven for those who are pushing back against the norm, and a place for believers of gods to have their beliefs exposed as false should they want to try their hand at confronting us. Buy any item on AMAZON, and we'll use the small commission to help improve critical thinking. Buy a Laptop -- Apple
|
Is fear of the unknown normal?
Posted on: July 19, 2007 - 10:30am
  Offline
Is fear of the unknown normal?
Is this a serious fear that people have? Why do people obsess so much over things like where we came from, what happens when we die, etc? I can understand the curiousity... but to be terrified by it? Is this why people covet religion?
|
|
Copyright Rational Response Squad 2006-2024.
|
I think the root of much religiosity is fear. Fear of feeling insignificant, fear of life ending without an afterlife, fear of the unknown where it all began, fear of the unknown how we got here, and just fear of nature in general.
I lack this fear, I do not know why, I just don't have it. I think that is why I am very secure in my atheism.
Yes. It's perfectly natural to have a fear of the unknown, and it has deep roots in our evolution. Some theorize that certain "daredevils," who get off on thrashing out new paths and performing dangerous stunts are there to serve as scouts. They're in the minority because if we were all like that, we'd probably have died off a long time ago. Their genes have stuck around because they would sometimes benefit the group by finding a new source of food, or whatever.
It's certainly resonable to have a healthy fear of the unknown. Do you run around with your eyes closed? It's hard to avoid danger when you can't see it.
Some things, like what happens when you die, are also unknown, but there's not a whole lot you can do about that (both in terms of never dying, or determining what happens after you die). For me, realizing that being afraid would be useless made me stop worrying about it. (whereas being afraid of bumping into things when you can't see is useful in that it makes you walk more slowly and carefully, thereby reducing your chance of getting injured)
I think many people fear what they do not know or do not understand.
Take, for instance, people that fear people of a difference race, religion or sexual preference. I would suspect that they don't really know people and certainly don't understand people within those groups.
Atheist Books, purchases on Amazon support the Rational Response Squad server.
You hit the nail on the head. I believe it's natural to fear what we do not understand. I'm sure it's a survival instinct or something.
JESUS SAVES!!! .... and takes only half damage!
Yes and no. The unknown is scary; so, we don't jump into deep holes just to see what is at the bottom. Often, however, I end up fearing what I understand much more than what I do not. For instance, people feared becoming ill 300 years ago. Now, science allows us to know that bacteria, etc. make us ill. So, now I am afraid of getting ill AND every surface anyone else has touched. Great, glad to know it.
No, this is not anti-science.
"Tis better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven." -Lucifer
Of course. I think you'll find most logical thinkers fear things that we know of (for example, I have a fear of spiders... particularly poisonious ones)... however, I don't fear what comes after death as it's an experience I won't encounter.
I wonder why some people fear the unknown while others do not. For example, why some people fear what happens to them after they die and some do not.
I'm not afraid of being dead, I'm afraid of dieing.
The simplest (and therefore possibly least well-thought-out) reason I can give for people fearing death/what happens to them after death is because they are afraid that if there IS any kind of afterlife, then they certainly haven't done enough to get into the heaven, or whatever it is that they believe in. This feeling of self-insufficience is most often found in religions and religious people. My whole family, other than myself and maybe my older brother, are devout Catholics, and they ALL suffer from this disorder. I'm still having trouble getting over it, even though I know it's irrational to believe that I'm not sufficient to do anything good (because clearly I am sufficient and can do many good things. And DO!).
However, I do think it's somewhat natural, evolutionarily speaking, just as has been pointed out already. Death is the ultimate, "I don't know what's in that bush over there, rustling its leaves."
"Jesus -- the other white Moses" - Me.