Deathbed conversion

[[File:Oscar Wilde on his Deathbed 1900 by Maurice Gilbert.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Oscar Wilde on his deathbed in 1900]]
{{religion}}
A '''deathbed conversion''' is perhaps the most cynical and [[nihilist]]ic aspect of some religions. It basically allows for a person to do whatever the fuck they want for their entire life up until the point where they are facing imminent demise. The person converts to whatever religion they think will send them up to [[Heaven]] and promptly [[Death|croaks]] (or recovers and recants). Some religions implicitly encourage this sort of behavior by having reference to it in [[Bible]], by formal [[Religious leaders|clerical]] ministration of deathbed conversions, or by emphasizing [[faith]] over [[Hypocrisy|deeds]]:
*In Christianity, the reference point is the passages of "The Good Thief" in the [[Gospel of Luke]] ({{bible|Luke|23|39|43}}).<ref>[https://carm.org/deathbed-conversions Are deathbed conversions real?] by Matt Slick, ''Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry''</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190425235301/https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/orthodoxbridge/remembering-the-good-thief/ Remembering the Good Thief] by Robert Arakaki (April 23, 2019) ''Orthodox Reformed Bridge'' (archived from April 25, 2019).</ref> Though the differences between the four canonical [[Gospels]] and their translations have resulted in different interpretations of whether the man was a thief at all, and whether there were one or two men.<ref>{{wpa|Penitent thief}}</ref>
*In [[Catholicism]] and the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], its importance is reflected in the last rites under extreme unction. 
*[[Mormons]] practice a post-deathbed conversion by baptizing Mormons' dead non-Mormon ancestors, as they're thought to remain in a [[purgatory]]-like state if they aren't baptized.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/03/us/jews-take-issue-with-posthumous-mormon-baptisms-beliefs.html A Twist on Posthumous Baptisms Leaves Jews Miffed at Mormon Rite] (March 2, 2012) ''New York Times''.</ref> This is why Mormons have genealogy centers at all of their temples.
*In [[Islam]], reciting the {{wpl|Shahada|''Shahada'' (الشهادة‎)}} in front of Muslim witnesses is sufficient. ''Shahid'' شهيد ([[martyr]]dom) is also a way to whitewash all of one's past deeds.

Some famous possible deathbed conversions: {{wpl|Allan MacNab||,}} [[Oscar Wilde]], {{wpl|Wallace Stevens||,}} {{wpl|Charles II of England||,}} and {{wpl|Jean de La Fontaine||.}}

==Propaganda==
One of the biggest [[propaganda]] victories in the book is being able to claim that someone famous for opposing your position has been ''converted to it''. If you're an unscrupulous person, it's irrelevant whether your opponent <em>actually</em> converts, or if they simply die and thus become unable to expose you as a liar. For this reason, there are numerous examples of famous people being claimed to have converted on their deathbeds.

False rumors were spread that each of [[Thomas Paine]],<ref>[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/40210/40210-h/40210-h.htm ''Thomas Paine: The Apostle of Liberty. An Address Delivered In Chicago, January 29, 1916'' by John E. Remsburg] Project Gutenberg (1917).</ref> [[Charles Darwin]],<ref>''The Darwin Legend'' by James R. Moore (1994) ISBN 0801063183.</ref> [[Carl Sagan]],<ref>''Billions & Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium'' by Carl Sagan (1998). In the epilogue by his widow, Ann Druyan. ISBN 0345379187.</ref> [[Christopher Hitchens]],<ref name=snopes>[https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/stephen-hawking-pope-francis/ Did Stephen Hawking Become a Christian After a Blessing from Pope Francis?]</ref> and [[Stephen Hawking]]<ref name=snopes/> had a deathbed conversion. In [[Voltaire]] case, there were rumors that he had refused to convert.<ref>[https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/08/13/no-enemies/ Deathbed Remark: This Is No Time To Be Making New Enemies] (13 August 2013) ''Quote Investigator''.</ref><ref>[https://catholicexchange.com/when-voltaire-lay-dying/ When Voltaire Lay Dying] by by Joseph Stuart (22 Apr 2022) ''Catholic Exchange''.</ref>

This is an occasional [[Lying for Jesus|lying-for-Jesus]] tactic used by [[evangelical]]s to allege that the person in question didn't really mean all that [[rational]] stuff they did for their entire life. It is not limited to that, however; a famous non-religious example is [[Louis Pasteur]] purportedly renouncing [[germ theory]] on his deathbed, saying that "[Claude] Bernard was right; the microbe is nothing, the terrain [of the body] is everything."  

It's often been observed, in relation to such alleged conversions, that <em>even if</em> the individual really did change their mind on some issue in the last minutes of their life, it's unlikely to actually matter. Darwin and Pasteur, as examples, both amassed significant and convincing bodies of [[evidence]] to support their respective theories during their lifetimes. The [[soundness]] of that evidence is what matters, not who does or does not accept its implications. 

Even within the religions themselves, the quality of these conversions could be considered "doubtful" since the individual has no way of showing if they were genuinely converted or were simply going through the motions of doing so.{{cn}}

==Lee Atwater==
[[File:Lyn Nofziger Talking with Lee Atwater in Nofzigers Office in The White House (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|165px|Atwater in 1982: In Heaven, there is no fire to light [[Tobacco|stogies]].]]
{{main|Lee Atwater}}
As an example of the meaninglessness of deathbed conversions, [[ratfucker]],<ref>[https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a25090/donald-segretti-ratfking-100413/ The Triumph Of The Ratfuckers] by Charles Pierce (Oct 4, 2013) ''Esquire''.</ref> [[racist]] enabler,<ref>[https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/exclusive-lee-atwaters-infamous-1981-interview-southern-strategy/ Exclusive: Lee Atwater’s Infamous 1981 Interview on the Southern Strategy: The forty-two-minute recording, acquired by James Carter IV, confirms Atwater’s incendiary remarks and places them in context.] by Rick Perlstein (November 13, 2012) ''The Nation''.</ref> and [[Fraternity|frat bro]] Lee Atwater {{lived|1951|1991}} had a deathbed conversion of sorts when he publicly apologized to then-presidential candidate Michael Dukakis for devising the plan to take down Dukakis' campaign with erroneous [[advertisement]]s claiming that convicted murderer and [[African American]] [[Willie Horton]] was paroled because of Dukakis. Subsequent to his parole, Horton then was convicted of [[Rape|raping]] a white woman. Atwater used this crime as a [[dogwhistle]] for the racist [[Black brute]] [[stereotype]]. While Atwater was dying from [[brain]] [[cancer]], he issued a public apology and claimed that [[I'm not prejudiced, but...|he wasn't actually racist]].<ref>[https://www.apnews.com/18293c0425af16791a33202ce30a655a GOP Party Chairman, Fighting Brain Tumor, Apologizes to Dukakis] by Donald M. Rotheberg (January 12, 1991) ''AP''.</ref>

In reality, Atwater's apology was just one last [[PR]] scheme. According to Ed Rollins, [[Ronald Reagan]]'s campaign manager from 1984, Atwater had claimed that "the living [[Bible]] was what was giving him [[faith]]." Mary Matalin, Atwater's aide in 1988, told Rollins that Atwater's "Bible was still wrapped in the cellophane" when he died.<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/atwater/etc/script.html Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story. Transcript] ''Frontline'' (PBS).</ref>

When you spend your whole life being a nasty shit, and only apologize when you're at death's door, you're only going to be remembered for being a nasty shit.

==References==
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