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OK, you have lived your whole life as an atheist, and now, you are on your deathbed, moments away from taking a dirt nap.

Will you pray to god and ask for his forgiveness for the way you lived your life, actively rejecting him at every opportunity, or do you stick to your guns?

Will you attempt to hedge your bet just in case you were wrong and god really does exist?

sellinger 7 Aug 21
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63 comments

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13

I am reminded of something found written on the walls of a concentration camp: "If there is a God, He will have to beg my forgiveness."

So that would be a big no to your question.

Absolutely!!!

5

No. I would not change my mind. I am 100% sure that there are no gods, goddesses, demons, or devils, except for the ones man has created in his/her mind.

4

I would not worship the christian god even if convinced it were true.

He is portrayed as a vengeful, spiteful childish deity that routinely murdered millions of people.

The reward for worship is to be a mindless thing singing praises to this thug forever and ever and ever.

Offered a shot at Valhalla?

I might be tempted.

4

No need to hedge my bets on something that dosen’t exist.

4

forgiveness for what? Being a good human and extending compassion to all creatures whilst "Gawd-Awful" murdered humans and animals alike according to his biographers? Forgiveness for trying really hard to be the spectacular human that my dogs believed I was? Forgiveness for doing my best to encourage people to extend love and compassion to all their fellow non-human Earthlings? Forgiveness for having to witness first hand the atrocities that humans foist upon animals and fighting to give a voice to those that cannot speak for themselves? Forgiveness for campaigning to promote human freedoms and equality with no help from Mr. Gawd-Awful himself? Forgiveness for having to live in a world were people hate, torment, and kill other humans based on the idea that there is a Gawd-Awful in the heavens?

I mean, seriously, as has been said by hundreds of thousands of people past, present, and future: "If there IS a Gawd, he/she/it will need to apologize to me".

4

No. My biggest problem at that point would be to keep everyone from praying over me while I was still conscious.

4

No.
Even if I'm wrong and there is a god.
I'd get right up in his face and tell him, "you are horrible, you have some explaining to do'.

3

I think I’ll just die and see what happens. If I’m dragged before the almighty, I’d probably ask him why he made it so hard to talk to him.

3

Regardless of my circumstances, I cannot speak to an invisible, unresponsive spirit. I die, I enter another(very possibly non-existent)phase...come what may.... ... ...

3

Not a chance. I was flipping over in my car and my thought was "I'm going to die". That was all. No panic. And damned sure no praying. LOL

3

Which one? I'm not arrogant enough to believe that if there really were a god it would be the one that my ancestors worshipped. If it were however, I couldn't bring myself to grovel before it in the faint hope that I could spend the remainder of forever praising it.

No. I intend to stand by my guns, remain steadfast in my abhorrence of faith, and die an unrepentant atheist. If I am wrong, I will be the most shocked son-of-a-bitch in Hell.

JimG Level 8 Aug 21, 2018
3

ROFLMAO! Reminds me of another post on here about "if gawd granted you an audience"......he/she/it needs to find a hidey-hole Now or face my wrath!,!

3

I'll probably say to myself, "hope I'm wrong"

3
3

Yes of course..you just hang on till the very last minute...and then call the priest that you had on standby...scream and beg for forgiveness..then asap get the priest to perform last rites....bingo your at heaven's gate....

3

Nothing to forgive from any deity's point of view.

3

I faced death while being trapped between electrically hot plumbing and ground. It took a moment to figure out what was happening and the last thought before I somehow got loose was "I hope it doesn't take long". It fucking hurts to be electrocuted.

Just out of curiosity , did it curl your hair ?

@Cast1es the hair on my head is still mostly straight.

3

In the scheme of things it makes not one whit of difference whether a person says he’s an atheist or whether he says he “believes”. Neither person has the slightest idea of the nature of the proposed god. It’s nothing but a word. Both sides are in the exact same boat IMO.

Forgiveness happens when you realize that your earlier judgement of someone was mistaken. It is a lowly human concept. The proposed God would have no need for forgiveness. There is no such thing as a sin against God. The very idea is ridiculous.

Upon death I think that the self will go out like a light, never to be again. That self was just an illusion. Consciousness will continue—it has to, but it won’t be a private consciousness. Just my opinion.

So the answer is no.

2

But what if I pick the wrong god? Then he/she will be even more pissed off and I'm DOUBLE screwed!
And what do you mean by 'the way you lived your life'? This is a question better directed to people like Franklin Graham. What a stupid question all the way around.

How can you pick the wrong God when God's don't exist? THATS what's stupid, not my question lol.

What do I mean by "the way you live your life?" If you read the second part of the sentence , "actively rejecting him at every opportunity" then you already know what I mean.

From your comments I take it you are not an atheist, and if that's the case, then this question is not for you.

2

I won't pray. I got better things to do. I hope to die in action. If the cancer doesn't do me in first.

Keep fighting...never give up??

2

My grandfather was an atheist who left the Catholic Church during the Great Depression. He had several serious illnesses before the one that finally got him and each time a priest would arrive at his hospital bed and attempt to bring him back to the faith. He would laugh and decline.

I will follow his example.

2

I tried to a dirt nap and but my co-workers decided to keep me awake. While mine was not on a deathbed, my last thoughts were "What the fuck!". I got dizzy, I went down, the next thing I knew it was 45 minutes later, a pen light in my eyes and a paramedic asking questions, evaluating my brain damage from lack of oxygen to the brain during a SCA. When I woke, it was another "what the fuck". Granted it wasn't a deathbed moment with time to think, but my last thoughts weren't asking for forgiveness.

Will a long drawn out death on a death bed be any different? Don't think so. First off, you won't know the moment of your death because chances are you'll go unconscious first, like going to sleep. Unless they resuscitate you, you won't know it happened. Secondly if it's a drawn out death, you will likely not look for forgiveness because having a long drawn out death only solidifies that belief there is no god, no intelligent design. What god would create a long drawn out death?

2

Not a chance!!

2

Never, I don't believe in God while I'm alive, and it certainly won't matter after I'm dead. Besides HELL sounds like so much more fun.

"Go to heaven for the climate, but hell for the company."

Mark Twain

2

Nope, there wouldn't be anyone to pray to. I actually would be looking forward to the "dirt nap". I am a very passionately curious person and I want to know what is on the other side of death. Non of us know the answer to that. Although I compare it to unplugging a running computer, there is only one way to find out. Also, if I'm on my deathbed, I'd want that situation to come to an end as quickly as possible. No point in living if your so close to death anyways.

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