Pious 'fight death the hardest'

People with strong religious beliefs appear to want doctors to do everything they can to keep them alive as death approaches, a US study suggests.

Researchers followed 345 patients with terminal cancer up until their deaths.

Those who regularly prayed were more than three times more likely to receive intensive life-prolonging care than those who relied least on religion.

The team's report was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

It suggests that such care, including resuscitation, may make death more uncomfortable.

Just over 30% of those asked agreed with the statement that religion was "the most important thing that keeps you going"...

Re: Pious 'fight death the hardest'

You — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 - 18:19

Surprised by that - I would have expected them to accept death more easily as they would have hope in the afterlife?

Re: Pious 'fight death the hardest'

s.b.f — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 - 18:59

Or they are afraid of afterlife and facing God, so desperate to live longer to sort it out?

Re: Pious 'fight death the hardest'

Noor — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 - 02:36

why would Christians be afraid of the afterlife? they believe every Christian goes to heaven.

Re: Pious 'fight death the hardest'

You — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 - 20:58

They believe that the fact that they recognise christ means they will got to heaven. I am, sure good and bad comes into it somewhere, but that is a secondary concern "because Jesus died to absolve them of their sins" or something like that.

I may be simplifying things here to such a degree that its wrong, but the "other" question is why do people who are less religious fight less hard? If they think this is all there is, maybe they would want to exist for longer before turning into nothingness?