Deathism

Religions may be the purest offspring of deathism. Most religions promise rewards in heaven or punishments in hell […]

There is no joy of any kind in what I describe as the deathism paradigm they follow, other than whatever feelings of effectiveness may be derived from killing the infidel and in fulfilling the personal death wish of religious martyrdom.

For this growing set, the idea that we might have a fixed, natural lifespan is pure defeatism—“deathism” even, a spell from which we must awaken to realise our full potential.