Comforting Thoughts about Death That Have Nothing to Do with God

By: Greta Christina

Narrated by: Greta Christina

If you don't believe in God or an afterlife - how do you cope with death? Accepting death is never easy. But we don't need religion to find peace, comfort, and solace in the face of death. In this mini-audiobook collection of essays, prominent atheist author Greta Christina offers secular ways to handle your own mortality and the death of those you love. Blending intensely personal experience with compassionate, down-to-earth wisdom, Christina (Coming out Atheist and Why Are You Atheists So Angry?) explores a variety of natural philosophies of death. She shows how reality can be more comforting than illusion, shatters the myth that there are no atheists in foxholes - and tells how humanism got her through one of the grimmest times of her life.

©2014 Greta Christina (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Critic reviews

"In this book Greta Christina tackles the subject of death with the insight of a philosopher and the relaxed candor of a friend - that really cool, intelligent friend who understands and cares." (David Niose, author of Fighting Back the Right: Reclaiming America From the Attack on Reason)

“When I was very young, I lost someone close to me in a car accident. Almost more painful than the loss was the way by which those around me attempted to find meaning in the senseless death of a young person. This is the book that seven-year-old me needed instead of the endless religious tracts that assured me that everything happens for a reason.” -Heina Dadabhoy, Heinous Dealings blog

"This is a book about the philosophy of death that actually confronts the practical reality of it, and helps you come to practical terms with it... The best book on the atheist philosophy of death you are likely ever to read." (Richard Carrier, author of On the Historicity of Jesus and Sense and Goodness without God)

Greta, you were preaching to the choir...

As an atheist I already knew most of what you said, but now I know how to better deal with the arguments of others without seeming like a pompous jerk.

Understand more about my atheism

I've been atheist all my life but never had a real guide to grief and death and how I could approach it. I did ok with my grandparents' passings with some of my own research and thinking. My parents are getting close, however, to needing some real preparation on my part. Greta's book has given me a lot to think about and prepare for the inevitable. My own mortality fear is nothing compared to my worries about dealing with the death of my loved ones.

Simply incredible

Fantastic book with great ideas that makes death far less scary for someone with secular beliefs. The use of personal experiences and plain English made this book very enjoyable because it allowed you to really connect with the ideas presented. 5/5 would recommend to anyone who is currently questioning their belief in a deity or for those who have already realized their nontheism and is trying to find ways to comfort themselves about death being inevitable.

Insightful

A brilliant clear and concise exploration about death and meaning. Without god as the focus. I'll re listen again and again.

A wonderful and helpful examination of the topic

Would you consider the audio edition of Comforting Thoughts about Death That Have Nothing to Do with God to be better than the print version?

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What other book might you compare Comforting Thoughts about Death That Have Nothing to Do with God to and why?

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What about Greta Christina’s performance did you like?

Greta, as the author, is connected to the words. She isn't reading to me! She's a dear friend helping me to understand and getting me to explore with her.
She has a gentle voice that is welcoming and helpful for this topic.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

YES! I did laugh and I did cry when listening. (Though I don't find that extreme- simply human.)

I'm an atheist and I've struggled with wondering how to find community and connection in dealing with loss and death and grief. Greta shared stories about how people coped with grieving the loss of their own loved ones, how they felt when the non-religious wishes of their families were or were not respected by the funeral planners, and a number of other real-life situations that happen when families deal with death.

Rather than making me sad or confused, Greta explains how some of my feelings are rational and can be explained. How some feelings may not be rational and those may also be explained. Comfort, and finding that, is a big part of this text, and it's handled carefully and is actually well researched.

Most importantly though is that this isn't a "Go atheists! We're so much smarter than everyone else!" book. It's a book that I will share with my religious loved ones so that they may better understand me. I will share this with my atheist loved ones so that we may better understand ourselves and our religious loved ones.

It's a hard job to write a book for atheists that religious people will get as much out of as non-religious. Greta has done this amazingly well.

Any additional comments?

Every funeral home, grief counselor, hospital chaplain and hospice needs to let their staff read this book and keep a few on hand for families who could really use the information!