if your mother was on her deathbed and she begged you to pray with her.
would you do it, would you accept Christ as your personal savior so that she could be comforted in her last moments of life?
9
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
88 comments (51 - 75)
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.
Meaningless words/promises, unless you are on Judge Judy, are meaningless.
AnneWimsey
Level 9
May 19, 2019
2
This really happened in James Joyce's situation and he carried guilt with him over it all his life. It wasn't about actually accepting Christ in her presence, it was about whether he should pretend to or not. I think the question is really 'should you hold to your principles no matter what' or are principles general guidelines that are not appropriate, or helpful, in some circumstances.
brentan
Level 8
May 19, 2019
2
in all ethical dilemmas, I think we should always seek to do the least harm.
for myself if I had to be baptized to accept Jesus to keep a job I wouldn't.
if I had hungry children that I was responsible for I might.
Gosh yes, having a family can really change how we think. I guess we're just not thinking for one person anymore.
No. My mother would never ask me to do that for her! Love my mom!
Corvislover
Level 7
May 19, 2019
2
Definitely not, because I believe that soon after death we see the truth. There is not death, just energy.
Backslidden
Level 6
May 19, 2019
2
Why do you believe that, as a skeptic I'm always looking for evidence.
it is logical that energy cannot be created or destroyed.
I have no reason to believe that when the brain dies, everything connected with it dies, and death is in Oblivion
The first question for this would be, why Jesus? Why not Buddha, Allah, Lord Shiva or even Ahura Mazda etc. Because maybe your country is dominated by Christianity making Christ as your God and savior. Well of course, the faith you were raised to, does not mean that particular religion is the correct one. Be rational enough dear.
Albert_Camus
Level 5
May 19, 2019
1
Why not santa claus? Popeye the sailor? Batman? Lassie? Rin tin tin? The wizard of oz?
I lie to my kid about putting butter on her honey sandwiches because she thinks she doesn't like them when she knows they've got honey on them. The exact same sandwich she thinks she doesn't like if she knows there's butter. But of course, if I leave the butter off, she won't touch those dried, crusty things. So I lie to make life easier for the both of us.
I suppose I could lie to my mom too, if I really felt like that's what she needed on her deathbed. I've even considered attending the local church to spare my daughter from being ostracized quite as much. I've considered rejoining the church in order to attend the local University for my Master's degree. I used to think that sort of thing was wrong but now I'm realizing that lies are a two party thing. If the other party won't accept the truth, sometimes it makes life work better to just lie.
UpsideDownAgain
Level 7
May 18, 2019
2
If push came to shove I could fake the praying (like I do with most every organization I belong to when we eat). I could never, with a straight face say I accepted her fantasy friends.
Barnie2years
Level 8
June 3, 2019
1
My mother was atheist and died peacefully with her kids at her side. She spent her last moments just listening to the three of us talking to each other.
My father was Southern Baptist...we talked about religion a few weeks before he died. I told him what I believed and his last words to me were that I was proof he had done a good job raising me and that was his biggest life accomplishment.
Neither of my parents would ever have asked, but, if they had, I would have gone through the motions. The deathbed is not the time nor place...I would not be changed by going through the motions, living another day to continue my own life, but it might haunt me if I could not step out of myself to do a last act of kindness for my parents.
thinktwice
Level 8
May 24, 2019
1
My mother thought that "this was it".....and there was nothing after death. Well that changed.....ON HER DEATH BED. People who think there is nothing after death are in for a big surprise. This whole place is about light frequencies. When our consciousness is attach to our physical bodies, we only see this frequency. However, when you detach, other things happen. It has nothing to do with what you believe. Reincarnation is for real, we are in some kind of evolution......We are multi-dimensional beings. Hey, let me tell you.....it's big, and it's moving fast!!
@FlyingEagle1952 sure...whatever you want to believe..but you should do a little reading on what that light is...brain scientists have explained it quite simply and it is a phenomenon that can also happen when we meditate...I prefer to listen to science rather than some woo-hoo
@thinktwice it was simple, I was just like you. I knew nothing about "Beings of Light".....I asked the Angels to do something for me to prove to me they were real. Well, guess what? They did it. So how does a chemical reaction in your brain create events? Then other things happened after that. When you are NOT in your body , you are a ghost. The Lotus Flower, the astral plane, life after death....it's all about light frequencies. The spiritual world is much larger than this world. CONSCIOUSNESS!!!I was happy for my mother, I know I will see her again in the next world. Get on YOUTUBE and watch Eben Alexander, he tells you the way it is. Happy landing.
@FlyingEagle1952 Glad you have have found a way to explain what you want...just as there are stories like yours, there are just as many that nothing happens...so who knows one way or the other...I already went through my phase of studying esoteric things and have come to the same conclusion...and there are always going to be YouTube videos that try to "expand" our awareness and explain things...might as well be the Bible in my mind...another man telling others what it is all about and yet never offering scientific proof...
I have been in crisis situations that resulted in me joining hands for their prayering. 'Twould have been cruel to object.
"Accepting christ" for her benefit? What harm could it do to do so? I am sure there would be no reprisal for such a comfort. So, prolly would. But not in front of witnesses. Don't want the years of teasing.
JacarC
Level 8
May 20, 2019
1
Of course, why wouldn’t you.
Geoffrey51
Level 8
May 20, 2019
1
Whenever were faced with a moral dilemma it becomes necessary to choose the course that will do the last harm.
of course we do not want to sell out our own values, we don't believe in The Invisible Man controlling everything sometimes our loved ones do and out of love for them we need to feed their delusion
I don’t see why I would need to accept Christ to pray with my Mother. But if she needed me too, then absolutely I would. Whatever it takes to give her comfort and peace during her last days. I don’t believe, so what difference would it make. Silly question.
billhoo
Level 5
May 20, 2019
1
I'm not a Christian anymore, I was raised Lutheran though. I think that the message Jesus had was the golden rule. But if you look at the world today, you don't see a lot of it. The churches are making a lot of money too.....lots of money off of Jesus. They are businesses. It's about controlling you and getting your money.
That’s like bowing my head during prayer at a friends dinner table. It’s polite. My Mom was agnostic/atheist, so it didn’t occur. She liked to study religions but the only one she truly liked was Zen, and that’s a philosophy more than religion.
Hathacat
Level 9
May 20, 2019
1
of course there are limits to our militants there are some situations where we have no choice but to show respect for other people's beliefs. it is true they don't show respect for our beliefs. they offer to take our children to church. they say have a blessed day,
this is the water in which we swim
I am very much interested in discussions about Zen, I practice daily and benefit greatly .
@m16566 She was very open minded and had a very deep curiosity about so many things. Huge IQ, if that matters. She was a artist. I benefited because she always told us about whatever she was studying. Between her and my two older sisters whose books I was always taking off with, I was never bored, lol.
Sounds like you miss your mom quite a bit, I lost my father back in 2006.
I still think about him every day, I would love to pick up the phone, tell him about something new on the History Channel. or just have a beer and talk about life.
@m16566 She was a very warm person. I grew up stepping over people in the living room getting ready for school. All had parents that had kicked them out or something, for whatever reason. I don't know how many times someone would tell me how they wished she was THEIR Mother. You could tell her anything and she would be happy to talk about it. The only person I saw her kick off her porch was a Parson who had been caught YET again for touching children and who had to apologize to the parents involved. My brother had told her that he would pay them a quarter for him to chase them around the church in the dark and "catch" them. ugh. Third time and he was STILL getting moved to a different church! She did not forgive him, and I remember being shocked that she hadn't, as that wasn't like her. Now that I am a adult, I totally get it.
keep in mind that her genes are in your body her soul is in your heart. as you live your life you can strive to be worthy of all the thing she gave you.
You were very lucky, I have to hear that JC bullshit from my daughters. Omg, I wanna puke.
@FlyingEagle1952 I got a brother who is a Republican, church, anti abortion ect.. I still wonder what the hell happened...
My mother and my father were both atheists. I am very glad that this was not an issue for me. Having said that, there are people in my life who are religious and under such circumstances might want religious comfort. I would do my best but I have no poker face.
Bakunin
Level 7
May 19, 2019
1
so unusual to have parents that are atheist, it must have been a unique experience growing up. where they militant with religious people?
did your friends try to recruit you into their religion?
Interesting question. My mother isn't likely to ask such a thing -- she knows where I stand on God -- but, if she did, sure, I'd go through the motions.
Sgt_Spanky
Level 8
May 19, 2019
1
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
Share this post
Categories
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.