This thread has to be one of the most interesting threads on Piggington. Much better than discussing whether Jeff Bridges has sold out. LOL.
On the topic of faith at the time of death, I’ll share my observations of my Dad and brother. Dad was basically an agnostic. My brother was born again. My brother had much more fear of death than my dead. He would talk about joining God in heaven. He was not at peace with his terminal illness and went through horrific “heroic” measures to try and extend his life. He was constantly praying in what sounded like bargaining terms with God.
Dad was at peace with it all – choosing quality of life over quantity. Knowing he was going to die – he wanted to lead a good life while he could.
Kind of the opposite of CARs parents.
As far as theological discussions with those around me. I have them. I’m an agnostic. The only thing I’m certain of is that I do NOT know the answers. My personality type leans far more towards trusting scientific data than mythology. My sister is very devout. She and I have had long long long talks on this. She prays that I’ll be “blessed with the gift of faith”. Through our talks she acknowledges that you have to suspend belief in things provable and trust/have faith. She knows I don’t have that. We get along just fine and have respect for each other.
In general, I’m more likely to decide about a person not on their religion – but by whether they lead a good, ethical life. I don’t want to say moral – because that implies religion… but there are plenty of people who are non-religious and lead very moral/ethical lives. There are also plenty of people who are highly religous but are driven by greed and selfishness at the expense of others. I don’t care if a person is religious – but I do care if they are “good” people.
