Secular Death: Meaning Making Without the Theistic Crutch - Co-presented with Nicholas Mac Murray

Nicholas J. Mac MurrayLori L. Fazzino

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Secular Death: Making Meaning Without the Theistic Crutch

Prepared for Nonreligion and Secularity Research Network International Conference, November 20, 2014

“I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of

years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience

from it.” – Mark Twain

Secular Death• Compared to believers, the nonreligious…

– Cope with their own mortality better– Have less fear and anxiety of death – Are less likely to use aggressive means to prevent imminent death

Nonbelievers appear to be better at dying compared to their religious counterparts (Cragun 2013).

• In general, nonbelievers…– Will likely encounter discrimination at end-of-life

– Suffer the disadvantage of having to develop secular mechanisms to manage loss, trauma, and grief

•How do atheists understand and reconcile the problem of death according to their worldview?

•How does religious hegemony impact secular bereavement?

Research Questions

Methods• Participant Observation

– Two members of local atheist group passed away– Passing of a member’s father

• Focus-groups discussions held by atheist groups regarding the topic of death and dying (one we directed and one left open)

• Textual Analysis– News Stories– Atheist Blogs, Literature, Documentaries

• Analytic Strategy: Grounded Theory

• Reason and Reflection– Adoption of Secular Death Discourse

• Symbolic Transformation– Negative appraisals of death become positive affirmations of life

Accepting the ‘True’ Death

Secular Death Narrative • Atheists define death as:

– End of consciousness– A natural process – Simply nonexistence

• End of suffering– Deceased is no longer in pain– Survivors do not have to worry about deceased in the afterlife

• Secular “Afterlife”– Science/Genetics– Legacies

“It’s completely different for us; he’s gone. That’s it. Now we have to move on and be happy that we knew him and

that he’s not suffering and move

on.”

Learn to Die…Learn to LiveNegative appraisals of death become positive affirmations of life

“Put as simply as possible, death makes life worth living. By understanding and

accepting death, we can understand that our time here is finite, and that this is our only chance of being alive and making the most of it. This isn’t just a life you can ruin, and then get a second chance after

you die. This is it. If you don’t want your last moments of existence to be spent

considering your regrets, death should be the inspiration to get out there and live

your life.”

Complicating Atheist BereavementDeath of “Other” Death of “Self”

• Advanced Planning to Avoid Co-option

• Lack of “Crutches”• Emotion work• Invalidation• Religious Co-option• Explicit Discrimination

Disenfranchised Grief: Grief that exists although society does not recognize the bereaved person’s right, need, or capacity to grieve (Doka 2002).

“I felt like my family was just scared that I would do something. They didn’t actually tell me…I mean, I talk to my mom and my sister about my atheism all the time. But…nobody really asked me, ‘Hey, do you want to come?’ It’s like, they didn’t even care…”

“They were pretty surprised that we were even there.”

Disenfranchised Grief

“I felt like I should have been saying the usual things…but that day, as I stood there on the phone struggling to think of the right things to say, I realized I couldn’t say those phrases anymore. I couldn’t tell her I was praying for her because I wasn’t.”

“An atheist can’t lie and utter the immortal words: ‘She/he will be in my prayers.’ It would be untrue and therefore would come across as disingenuous sympathy.”

Lacking Crutches

Disenfranchised Grief and Atheist Bereavement

Atheists indicate an added layer of emotion work through the managing of their stigmatized perspective in a

hegemonic religious social context. Not only must they find meaning for

themselves and their loved ones, they must do so in a context that is often overtly oppressive to their non-belief, all while suffering from the limited

social resources such as “crutches” with which to manage the social interactions surrounding death. This weighs on these

individuals at a time when they need support most. We argue this results in

complicated grief state.

Institutionalizing Secular Death Culture

– Secular “Crutches”– Secular Celebrants – Secular Support Groups

Conclusion: Theism’s Stranglehold on Death