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Death Anxiety Increases Atheists' Unconscious Belief in God

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Well it should, indeed....

The thoughts of facing inevitable mortality, and losing the "worldview wager".....
....makes holding to atheism ONE HELL OF A BET!

To disparage God, curse His Son, and mock the Holy Spirit and despise the family of believers whom HE dearly loves...

...Then to face The Holy One at the Great White Throne...

... Thence to be separated out to the LEFT of the Son of Man...

To hear the words "Depart from me..."

IT SHOULD SCARE THE HELL OUT OF THEM!!

Donne's last line is priceless ...

A LECTURE UPON THE SHADOW. by John Donne

STAND still, and I will read to thee A lecture, Love, in Love's philosophy. These three hours that we have spent, Walking here, two shadows went Along with us, which we ourselves produced. But, now the sun is just above our head, We do those shadows tread, And to brave clearness all things are reduced. So whilst our infant loves did grow, Disguises did, and shadows, flow From us and our cares ; but now 'tis not so. That love hath not attain'd the highest degree, Which is still diligent lest others see. Except our loves at this noon stay, We shall new shadows make the other way. As the first were made to blind Others, these which come behind Will work upon ourselves, and blind our eyes. If our loves faint, and westerwardly decline, To me thou, falsely, thine And I to thee mine actions shall disguise. The morning shadows wear away, But these grow longer all the day ; But O ! love's day is short, if love decay. Love is a growing, or full constant light, And his short minute, after noon, is night.

The researchers believe the findings help explain why religion is such a durable feature of human society.

This exposes the fact that the underlying assumption of the study is that there is no life after death. So, they are trying to determine why people believe in something that is not true.

This excludes the option that the reason people believe in life after death, because it is true, and that the people that believe in an after life are the rational ones, while the atheists are the irrational people who are denying the evidence.

New University of Otago research suggests that when non-religious people think about their own death they become more consciously skeptical about religion, but unconsciously grow more receptive to religious belief.

I think this unconscious awareness infuriates them; they become more strident and inflexible. They think they're being manipulated by messages from the wider culture, and this makes them more determined to "fight back."

This is the basic problem with doublethink: over the long run it drives you nuts.

What? Consciously skeptical, but unconsciously receptive? How does one interview the "unconscious" to guage is receptivity?