What if Christianity’s promise of an afterlife is obstructing our motivation to fully live the one life we know we have? And what if living fully requires navigating obstacles like this and confronting our mortality?

Belief in an afterlife is the most common way I and many others have avoided confronting their mortality. With an afterlife and a loving God on the horizon, death can seem inconsequential, palatable, or even desirable. More recently, the wealthiest among us have been looking toward tech to “solve” death. Entrepreneur and “longevity athlete” Bryan Johnson aims to leverage new technology in order to achieve his mission statement, “Don’t Die.” Technology is hailed as our new savior from death, and this can yield comfort comparable to that of belief in an afterlife.