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From: markrose@spss.com (Mark Rosenfelder)
Subject: Re: Question
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Date: Thu, 27 Oct 1994 22:51:29 GMT
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In article <Cy3pBw.MB1@murdoch.acc.virginia.edu>,
David Christopher Swanson <dcs2e@darwin.clas.Virginia.EDU> wrote:
>Imagine being terrified of responsibility for your life, and
>terrified of death.  I mean really goddamn terrified!
>Wouldn't you tell yourself a helpful little lie or two?

A nice hypothesis, till one tries to apply it to some actual data.  
Take Judaism, for instance, which generally believes in free will
(that is, you're quite responsible for your life) and disbelieves in
immortality (which leaves you as terrified of death as you were).

You might also try applying this little idea to atheism.  If there's no
God, that's awfully helpful-- no eternal consequences for our sins, for
instance, no need to listen to popes, no need to fear ghosts.  A clear
case of wish fulfillment, eh?
