A deathbed conversion is the adoption of a particular religious faith immediately before dying. This could be done for a variety of reasons: one could wish to escape the torments of hell, enjoy the paradise of heaven, or for inner peace. Making a conversion on one's deathbed suggests one has believed in the religion's tenets for a long time but did not wish to follow its laws, at least officially. It is sometimes believed spiritual experiences play some role in the decision. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Shortcut: WP:NPOVD Articles that have been linked to this page are the subject of an NPOV dispute (NPOV stands for Neutral Point Of View; see below). ... Religious is a term with both a technical definition and folk use. ... For other uses, see Faith (disambiguation). ... This page deals with the cessation of life. ... This article is about the theological or philosophical afterlife. ... For other uses, see Heaven (disambiguation). ... Inner peace (or peace of mind) is a colloquialism that refers to a state of being mentally or spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress. ... In general, conversion is the transformation of one thing into another. ... Look up deathbed in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Carl Jung once treated an American patient suffering from chronic alcoholism. ...

Most religious leaders disapprove of deathbed conversion^{[citation needed]}, considering it hypocrisy based on fear rather than true belief. Many deathbed converts lived in violation of the tenets of the religion to which they wish to convert. Many consider this a form of "hedging one's bets," similar to Pascal's Wager. Hypocrisy is the act of condemning or calling for the condemnation of another person when the critic is guilty of the act for which he demands that the accused be condemned. ... For other uses, see Fear (disambiguation). ... Pascals Wager (or Pascals Gambit) is the application by the French philosopher Blaise Pascal of decision theory to the belief in God. ...

The statement "There are no atheists in foxholes" is used to imply that atheists really do believe in God deep down, and that in times of extreme stress or fear, such as when participating in warfare, the belief will surface, overwhelming the less substantial affectation of atheism. Atheists In Foxholes Monument, Lake Hypatia Alabama, USA. Image from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ...

A high-profile deathbed conversion appears in the Bible with the criminal who is crucified alongside Jesus. (Luke 24:39-43) Jesus accepts his conversion, saying “Today you shall be with Me in Paradise".[1] This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ...

Another famous example is the conversion of Constantine I, emperor of the Roman Empire. He was baptised only shortly before his death in 337. Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus[2] (27 February c. ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Christian religious act of Baptism. ... September 9 - Constantine II, Constantius II, and Constans succeed their father Constantine I and rule as co-emperors of the Roman Empire. ...

The deathbed conversion has also been a target of humor. Voltaire, on his own deathbed, was asked by a priest to renounce Satan. Voltaire replied, "This is no time to be making new enemies."^[1] For the singer of the same name, see Voltaire (musician). ...

Atheists In Foxholes Monument, Lake Hypatia Alabama, USA. Image from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

Image File history File links Foxholememorial_clr. ...

Debated individual claims

Religious believers throughout history have often claimed famous or respected non-believers (or believers in other religions) have undergone deathbed conversions to their own religion. For example, some well-known and respected Jews would be said to have converted to Christianity, partly to improve their standing and to suggest that all decent people were, at heart, Christians.

Charles Darwin

One famous example is Charles Darwin in the Lady Hope urban legend, in which it was claimed Darwin says: "How I wish I had not expressed my theory of evolution as I have done." Also that he went on, to say that he would like her to gather a congregation since he "would like to speak to them of Christ Jesus and His salvation, being in a state where he was eagerly savouring the heavenly anticipation of bliss."[2] Lady Hope's story was printed in the Boston Watchman Examiner. The story spread, and the claims were republished as late as October 1955 in the Reformation Review and in the Monthly Record of the Free Church of Scotland in February 1957. For other people of the same surname, and places and things named after Charles Darwin, see Darwin. ... Lady Hope in 1887 Lady Elizabeth Reid Hope (née Cotton1; December 9, 1842–8 March 1922) was a British evangelist who is generally believed to be the Lady Hope who claimed in 1915 that she had visited the British naturalist Charles Darwin shortly before his death in 1882. ...

The account of Darwin's son: "Lady Hope's account of my father's views on religion is quite untrue. I have publicly accused her of falsehood, but have not seen any reply."[3]

From Darwin's daughter: "I was present at his deathbed. Lady Hope was not present during his last illness, or any illness. I believe he never even saw her, but in any case she had no influence over him in any department of thought or belief. He never recanted any of his scientific views, either then or earlier. We think the story of his conversion was fabricated in the U.S.A. . . . The whole story has no foundation whatever."[4]

Jean-Paul Sartre

Sartre's atheism was foundational for his style of existentialist philosophy. In March 1980, about a month before his death, he was interviewed by his assistant, Benny Lévy, and within these interviews he expressed his interest in Judaism which was inspired by Levy's renewed interest in the faith. Through Sartre's study of Jewish history he became particularly interested in the messianic idea of the faith. Some people apparently took this to indicate a deathbed conversion; however, the text of the interviews makes it clear that he did not consider himself a Jew, and was interested in the ethical and "metaphysical character" of the Jewish religion, while continuing to reject the idea of an existing God. Jean Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Sartre (June 21, 1905–April 15, 1980) was a French existentialist philosopher, dramatist, novelist and critic. ... “Atheist” redirects here. ... Existentialism is a philosophical movement emphasizing individualism, individual freedom, and subjectivity. ... Professor Benny Lévy (aka Pierre Victor: 28 August 1945 in Egypt – 2003) was, as a young Maoist, an active participant in the May 1968. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Jewish history is the history of the Jewish people, faith, and culture. ...

References

1. ^ Voltaire quoted in Robert E. Lucas, Jr. Nobel speech, 1995