Agnostic.com

90 9

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?

m16566 7 May 18
Share

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

90 comments

Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.

0

I had biological parents but never a mother or father. My bio mom just passed away recently and it was just another day to me.

2

No she would know I was lying

1

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.

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.

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

[science.howstuffworks.com]

@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...

1

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.

1

Of course, why wouldn’t you.

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

1

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.

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.

1

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.

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.

@m16566 I always do!

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...

2

Hell to the no !!!

3

I would give love and comfort, but I would not convert!

2

Hypothetical questions are a lot of fun, aren't they?

Well, in this one we use a situation that I know something about. Been there, done that. Not my mother, but someone very close.

She asked and I said, "You know me better than that. You know how I feel about you, isn't that enough?"

She responded, "Yes, I do, and I'm sorry for asking. You are my one true and honest friend."

So, the answer is, no, I would not, but one does not have to be cruel about it.

3

Yes, my value system requires me to give Comfort to those I love. Without the dead bed part though oh, I would Stand My Ground.

4

I close friend's mother was on her deathbed and a priest came in to administer the last rites. He did so for the mother but then turned to my friend and told her she was being excommunicated (she was 17 and living with her boyfriend - who she later married and they are still together after some 45 years). The dumbass priest had no idea of what effect that would have on her mother but it was the final straw for my friend to become a staunch atheist.

2

Throughout my life and even in the present I have "supported" the religious acts and traditions of others. Not because I believe or even respect their religious beliefs. But rather express a level of tolerance is so much as I respect myself and how I view others.

There are of course limits, as in if said religious follower (or group, hive minds is there things go down hill) attempts to force their beliefs and customs on myself or others. If those being opposed upon do not agree, that at is then I will object. My objection and the response is directly in intensity to my perception of the offence.

That all being defined, if a loved one where in their death bed and asked for believing in a faith, a story, a fairytale to comfort them in their last moments. Yes I would act in the play so much as to comfort the dying out of love.

However, it would have as much meaning or significance as praising Donald Duck, or espousing the virtues of the Jedi and Sith. None have any hold over me as all are stories, metaphors, and fables.

I would practice in such rituals like I do paying taxes and voting. It has never benefitted me personally. But I would like to think the intent provides some benefit as a whole.

1

Of course.

1

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.

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?

1

My mom wouldn't have asked that of me how ever if she did and was on her death bed I'd have no problem with it .

2

Fake it to bring someone you love comfort?

I bet most of us raised in religion did some of that before arriving at atheist or agnostic.

And I am going with "so glad neither of my believing parents asked that of me". 😊

3

My Mom did ask that of me when she had about a month to live from lung cancer. I told her I couldn't do that. To be fair she knew I had been an atheist since the 1970's and she didn't press the issue after I told her no.

3

No. I would probably pretend, though to give her peace of mind

1

I might pretend to, but my mother is long gone.

Nor48 Level 4 May 19, 2019
1

My mother knows better but if she forgot and asked, saying words doesn't change your beliefs.

4

Absolutely. I would pay homage to Satan if that's what she wanted. Then, after her passing, i'd resume my regularly scheduled program.

6

I look at this question the same way I view funerals. Giving comfort to someone in their last moments by going through the motions is no different than sitting in a religious funeral service. It's not for my comfort but the comfort of others who desperately need it.

2

Fake it. Everyone else does and mom won't know the difference. You do not have to say anything out loud.

Write Comment
You can include a link to this post in your posts and comments by including the text q:349016
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.