Everything we do both personally and collectively is an attempt to deny the overwhelming reality and fact of death. And to de-sensitise ourselves to our hell-deep fear and trembling (which in some sense is fair enough--because to be suddenly stripped of our "self"-armouring would be absolutely terrifying)

Put in another way it, is an attempt to account for the seeming gap between us, each other and everything that is presumed to be not-"self".

The "god of the gaps" being a perennial topic of Christian theology.
But ALL of our philosophies, however grand or mundane, are a desperate effort to deny our mortality.

But what if the Understanding of the meaning and significance of death is the ESSENTIAL key to right life altogether?

And thereby of individual and collective sanity?

http://www.easydeathbook.com/purpose.asp

http://www.aboutadidam.org/dying_death_and_beyond/index.html

Plus I quite like the work of Ernest Becker--particularly his Flight From Death.

http://www.flightfromdeath.com/becker.htm

If you read the biographies of the great saints from any of the traditions, you will find that their turnabout, or conversion, always involved going through the process summed up in the phrase the "dark night of the soul"

who lives on swampy ground best learn to swim

you wrote;Perhaps if religion had just been confined to dealing with these unpleasant events we might not live in a world where religious zealots routinely kill other people,or call for the imposition of their moral code on others..<<

the quran begins with the prayer to the mercyfull
jesus revealed love others as i loved you

you ramble on about blind hope

but it is evil that glories in their powers
HERE AND NOW
that live in blind hope to have no life hereafter

sad for them that chose to reject god
they cast dispersions on all believers

this hardly seems fair
let alone is verifiable by serious study

think how evil has hidden gods good
by death murder rape in war
all of which misses the point god is love

much like israel [means ]wars with god
and islam [meaning to follow gods will]

thus israel decares wrongly it[alone] is gods people
when by their deeds of murder on palistinians
proves they serve death[not the god who created life]

it is not believers who war[but unbelievers]

who not given to live FROM god[light sustaining life]
jesus said even a beast knows its masters voice

this 'voice' we aqre hearing is reflected by that we do
those condeming [or deneying gods gifts are decievetrs as much as decieved, but when you cant reply your own child with the truth and the hope

[based upon YOUR own fears, how can you ever forgive yourself when you are proved wrong[you for eternity know you decieved even your own child, who wrongly thinks you knowitall, you cannot even rightly describe death [let alone the next life]

the full value this life offeres was stolen from you
now you stole it from your own child
great one[duh]

you are so sure
but your surity is based on faith not fact

if you havnt done the research with an open heart
you will never get the real meaning

for who can read a single word
without thirsting for the fact it hides or reveals

Ho Hum, why do you say that 'Everything we do both personally and collectively is an attempt to deny the overwhelming reality and fact of death'? I don't think that is the case for many people - I don't particularly want to die, but I am quite accepting of the fact that sooner or later I will. I have no concerns about being dead (and I do not believe in life after death, or reincarnation, just that my life will cease), although the process of dying worries me.

In relation to the article, I'm not sure I agree with the premise that religion arose from an unwillingness to discuss death. I think it arose out of need to explain the (then) inexplicable, and to give authority to those who wished to impose order under their own rules. It certainly worked and still operates today - just think of the misery of aids and starvation caused by overpopulation, thanks to the Catholics' irrational prohibition on birth control and the use of condoms.

Brett, can’t you see how absurd it is that you and other atheists get annoyed with people who have religious beliefs? It is not as if they can help it after all.

An atheistic, materialistic world leaves no possibility of there being free will. So if you are correct, religious people simply have happened to come to those views because of the nature of the universe and they are unable to choose to believe otherwise.

Equally it is pointless to exhort people to “try and leave a better world behind when you go”. Nobody has any control over what they do; everything just happens.

Of course this is highly unpalatable but if you are going to espouse atheism you have to take the whole package. (But of course this comment and all meaningful discussion is necessarily premised on there actually being free will, and hence atheistic materialism being false.)

GP, i don't get annoyed at people with religious beliefs. i get annoyed at arrogant tools who deliberately and repeatedly misrepresent "the whole package".

for the thousandth time, the problem of consciousness and free will is deep. but atheists do not pretend to solve this problem. and, the suggestion that the problem is solved by reference to a god is logical balderdash.

grow up.

brett wrote 'life is pitifully short, so grasp it and enjoy it as much as you can, and try to leave a better world behind when you go'...

man...you had all the necessary ingredients...mother-life journey over, child- life journey beginning, and you-alive and middle of life journey...and to make the above conclusion...without causing offense...is just lazy...

as first off answer to question your child asked...what dying meant...guess we all/must ask at some point...above good answer...but move on...

to me basically there are 3-stages we must go through...
1. 'who am I'...as in the person I am from assessing one-self from acts/wants/achievement, ending at hopefully, 'when I die, is it all black for ever(in which case this is all there is-so enjoy yourself as death has no consequences) or something survives my body into the afterlife(so you believe in a 'soul' that is with you in you body currently)'...

2. One moves eventually into stage2 'god and I'...when they answer 'yes' to something survives...thought process leads to issue of 'god' and all religious texts available...about god and soul and whats common and different etc...ending usually at 'our soul began as one of gods, proceeded through this 'journey of life'(ofcourse itching to finding out why god started this in the first place...) to eventually becoming part of god again...as end of cycle...

3. then comes this butt kicking stage...'what in this life I do affects me in my afterlife'...yep...where all religions and leaders go to town on with their own interpretations...but fact is when you die...they dont hold your hand and join you...if you know what I mean...so we each need to get this right for ourselves...an absolute requirement that goes with 'life'...irrelevant of what others near and far do...the closer one is to the 'truth to this'...apparently happier and effective we are in the life thats given...

sam
Ps~hopefully your daughter would get a better answer for her stage...so your statement...'enjoy your life-you think this all there is...then 'leave a better place(ie'constructive in acts'....opposed to 'unbalanced-self-interest acts' almost always effecting destructive outcome to others...)...seems you got your feet on both sides...