Christians & death

The topic of death does not make anyone comfortable or excited. When we ponder on the fact that we will one day die it can almost terrify us. However, religion offers salvation from the fear of death. They claim that every human being has a soul that lives on and that physical death is nothing more than just separation of the body and soul. Once the physical body dies, the soul can either go to heaven or hell depending on whether or not that person believed on Jesus Christ during their life.

If death is nothing more than just a change of location (from earth to heaven) then the topic of death should never bring a Christian any discomfort, unless of course its regarding a nonbeliever going to hell. If a loved one dies, and they were a Christian, then the believer should be filled with overwhelming joy and happiness because that person is now in the presence of God in paradise.

Since day 1 of my change to atheim, I have been completely vexed at how Christians react to the death of loved ones. In the real world, when people die, Christians treat it as a real loss, as if the death is permanent. If two Christian friends were to be separated for 40 years, neither one of them will be significantly affected. But if one of them dies then the reaction is different. Why is it that in death, Christians react with severe depression, anger, hostility, vengance, etc..? If i am a Christian who is of 50 years of age and my other Christian friend dies assuming that I will die in 40 years and meet him in heaven, there is absolutely no difference between that and us just being separated by location for 40 years.

When Christians treat death as if it is a permanent loss, as if death means oblivion, they are presupposing or borrowing from the atheistic worldview. In my worldview, death is the end. It is the cessation of consciousness. This is why people who hold to my worldview have a basis for grieving the death of a loved one whereas the theist who believes in life after death really has no basis for grieving or depression if their loved one is in heaven.