I don't think that religion can "simply" be boiled down to fear of death. There are lots of other, more positive and humanistic, aspects to religion that complicate such a reduction, which I've pointed out before. At the same time, I find it not-at-all-surprising to find two very recent medical studies examining how people of faith handle their imminent demise when diagnosed with advanced cancer.
In both studies, it is observed that people who report strong faith do more to prolong their lives in the form of "end-of-life care" (EOL) via ventilators and other artificial preservation techniques. The same thing holds true in the dearth of living will directives amongst religious patients. They rarely fill out a form asking the doctors not to resuscitate them. A strong correlation is found even after adjusting for all the obvious factors.
Is it fair to say that these people are more afraid of death, or should I just take this as evidence that they believe God will save them, somehow? Honest question here...
References:
Religious Coping and Use of Intensive Life-Prolonging Care Near Death in Patients With Advanced Cancer
JAMA. 2009;301(11):1140-1147.doi:10.1001/jama.2009.341
Supportive Care and Quality of Life: Religiousness and Spiritual Support Among Advanced Cancer Patients and Associations With End-of-Life Treatment Preferences and Quality of Life
JCO Feb 10, 2007:555-560
