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Probably. Many of the indigenous ancient religions were ancestral worship. I would imagine that they did not so much as fear death, but saw death as moving into another phase of life.
These religions had elaborate funeral ceremonies and some even kept their ancestors heads as a shrine in their homes.
Think about the more commonly known social norms regarding death of the ancient Egyptians. They had all their belongings buried with them so they would have it on 'the other side'. If you could die and believed you could take it all with you, what's there to fear?
Don't you mean if the fear of not going to hell were to somehow disappear would religion become obsolete?
I can't speak for the OP but not everyone equates the two.
Death is scary enough in a lot of people's minds such that even simple dissolution is an intolerable prospect.
I would regard fear of hell as a bolted on additional consideration that is not really inherent in or necessary to explain the fear of death.
I also don't regard theism or religion as the only way to attempt to cope with the fear of death. There are many kinds of of what Ernst Becker termed "immortality projects".
I can't speak for the OP but not everyone equates the two.
Death is scary enough in a lot of people's minds such that even simple dissolution is an intolerable prospect.
I would regard fear of hell as a bolted on additional consideration that is not really inherent in or necessary to explain the fear of death.
I also don't regard theism or religion as the only way to attempt to cope with the fear of death. There are many kinds of of what Ernst Becker termed "immortality projects".
Good points.
It's probably true that different people fear death for different reasons. Some fear no longer existing, some are afraid of what might happen after death, some fear being cut off from something they wanted to achieve, etc.
For me personally, it was the fear of what might happen after death. Probably because of my religious upbringing.
For the sake of the original topic, I'll assume we are talking about any fear of death for any reason.
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