If You Were Dying...

Lonewulf said:
surely I would want to ensure safe passage to paradise through much more than simply a last utterance on my lips before I pass away?
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My thoughts exactly. As if a "final moment recant" is some kind of loophole into heaven. This is akin to hedging your bets?
 
clarsct said:
Pray? To whom?
Odin? Zeus? Krishna? Buddha? Allah? Lugh? Ra? Anubis? Jehovah? Christ? Czernobog? Baal?
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You could always adapt the possibly correct death litany or ask someone to speak it for you.

Insofar as I may be heard by anything, which may or may not care what I say, I ask, if it matters, that you be forgiven for anything you may have done or failed to do which requires forgiveness. Conversely, if not forgiveness but something else may be required to ensure any possible benefit for which you may be eligible after the destruction of your body, I ask that this, whatever it may be, be granted or withheld, as the case may be, in such a manner as to insure your receiving said benefit. I ask this in my capacity as your elected intermediary between yourself and that which may not be yourself, but which may have an interest in the matter of your receiving as much as it is possible for you to receive of this thing, and which may in some way be influenced by this ceremony. Amen.

Roger Zelazny (1969): Creatures of Light and Darkness
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My dying thoughts would likely be about my early childhood. I'd probably reminisce about the happy times I had as a kid, riding my sled down the snowy slopes on my aunt's farm. I even had a name for that sled...
 
Um... let me guess... rosebud?

The passengers on the hijacked planes prayed like mad in the phone recordings we have. It appears that God was going by the name "Allah" that day according to whose prayers were answered.
 
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I'm dying as we speak.
Yes, when you're 56 years old, you are already in the death process.
I'm watching that candle burn down and it's not making a Theist of me.
But I am known to rant aloud. I'd like to go into that eternal night like a Lewis Black!
 
Shadow said:
If you were dying would you pray?
Why or Why not?

Seriously consider, if you only had a few seconds before death what you would think about?

I would hope to have a soul, think about people I love and to try my best to survive. Maybe tell a funny joke depending on if anyone is polish.
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I probably wouldn't pray... I'd think about my parents and brothers.. About what the world would be like without me in it. I'd definately be crying, and if there was anyone around I'd be telling them that I love them and to tell others that I love them also (family, friends). Even if it was someone I didn't love I think I'd tell them that I love them. Can't really be sure though.
I could also imagine myself thinking about an afterlife.

I would clutch onto the life I have as long as I could. If it was not certain death I would think about how to save myself.
 
I think just in case I was wrong I probably would say a quick prayer to Thor.
I mean you can't be too sure. And Valhalla looks cool beyond belief ;)
Having said that my last words are very likely to be "watch this!"
 
Nope, Why change a habit of a lifetime. (both slowly dying and Not praying)

in my last few seconds I expect my thoughts to be along the lines of
"Ooooh, so that's what that does"
"Are you sure it's switched off?"
"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGH!"
 
Expand the question from the OP.

Case #1 is Shadow's

1. Mere seconds until you encounter near certain death. e.g. your parachute didn't open, no reserve chute.....you have time for just a few thoughts

2. Minutes and/or hours until certain death e.g. you're securely tied down in a room where a bomb has been placed and will explode in 4 hours.

3. Days and/or months until death e.g. inoperable cancer



1. For me, the survival instinct would kick in instantly and the only thoughts I would have would be around getting out of the situation. I have been in situations of impending doom, e.g. car careening out of control, and I found myself focusing all my attention to righting the wrong. And only after getting the car under semi-control did I then think about my daughter.

2. Here, you've got enough time to consider ALL options. In between thinking about escape and averting death, I am sure that my thoughts would turn to my family, my legacy, my regrets and a life review. Or just nice happy thoughts. Having plenty of time, I would weigh the merits of prayer and more than likely realize there's not a whole lot I can alter at this point, so if you actually do exist and can actually hear me and have been listening my whole life.....what the frick do you want to hear now?

3. In this case, a definite NO. You would have plenty of others who would be "praying" for you. And just like #2 above, after weighing options, there's no point. I imagine the thoughts of all the possible scenarios would cross my mind: worm food, purgatory, limbo, heaven, hell, reincarnation, beer volcanoes and of course strippers. But it would be the same fantastical day-dreaming that I do right now about everything.

I would spend time and effort making sure that my wife and daughter were taken care of and I would attempt to do a "bucket list".

Praying would be a waste of time.
 
Hokulele said:
There was only one point in my life where I was sure I was going to die. I did not pray to any god, but I did really wish my husband were with me. Would that be considered praying?
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^^This.

My husband always makes me feel better when he is around, no matter how bad things are, much like theists claim for their god, with the extra added bonus that he actually exists.
 
"Cheer up Brian, you know what they say.." Would be my last words.

That or "Time well spent" depending on my age.
 
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Patsy said:
^^This.

My husband always makes me feel better when he is around, no matter how bad things are, much like theists claim for their god, with the extra added bonus that he actually exists.
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That is the way I felt about my late husband... I knew he existed... I knew he was real... I knew he was trustworthy... I knew he loved me... I knew that my world was immensely better for having been loved by him. Not so with the assorted invisible entities that people believe in.

My husband lived 28 years and suffered for almost 3 years with cancer... and then he died-- forever.

And I'm supposed to praise some guy who got to live 33 years and then suffer for 3 days (actually a day and a half) only to rise and live eternally and happily and sit in judgment of mankind.

I think the gods of scriptures ought to take lessons from the way my husband lived his life and not vice-versa. I'm thankful for what is real... I have no gratitude left over for the imaginary and fanciful. The best I can manage is a polite "thanks" to the "unaware".
 
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articulett said:
That is the way I felt about my late husband... I knew he existed... I knew he was real... I knew he was trustworthy... I knew he loved me... I knew that my world was immensely better for having been loved by him. Not so with the assorted invisible entities that people believe in.

My husband lived 28 years and suffered for almost 3 years with cancer... and then he died-- forever.

And I'm supposed to praise some guy who got to live 33 years and then suffer for 3 days (actually a day and a half) only to rise and live eternally and happily and sit in judgment of manking.

I think the gods of scriptures ought to take lessons from the way my husband lived his life and not vice-versa. I'm thankful for what is real... I have no gratitude left over for the imaginary and fanciful. The best I can manage is a polite "thanks" to the "unaware".
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Please accept my (belated) condolences on the loss of your beloved husband. How much more valuable one good person is than myths and platitudes.

I don't intentionally offend inoffensive Christians, but I'm not hesitant to repay offensive Christians in kind. My usual answer to their huffy "Jesus suffered and died for your sins" is "No, your imaginary friend had a bad long weekend. I've known many much better humans who've suffered longer, more, and died permenantly, your myth wouldn't impress me even if it were true."

I can be a bitch like that when pestered enough.
 
Sliding along the road, having just been dumped off my motorcycle at 65 mph, my thought at the time was..."Oh S***, I'm in for it now!", watching the Armco barrier approach.
But somewhat comforted by seeing the scooter was -ahead- of me, and not behind me. :)*
Many cockpit voice recorders have the last words of the pilots.. Frequently these are NOT prayers, but the bad words.
.
*The broken collar bones weren't discovered until 27 years later, when x-rayed after falling off my mountain bike. :)
 
I Ratant said:
Sliding along the road, having just been dumped off my motorcycle at 65 mph, my thought at the time was..."Oh S***, I'm in for it now!", watching the Armco barrier approach.
But somewhat comforted by seeing the scooter was -ahead- of me, and not behind me. :)*
Many cockpit voice recorders have the last words of the pilots.. Frequently these are NOT prayers, but the bad words.
.
*The broken collar bones weren't discovered until 27 years later, when x-rayed after falling off my mountain bike. :)
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Exactly. And the ones praying to an invisible guy during crisis are the ones most likely to be crashing the plane at the invisible guy's request from what I can see.
 
Patsy said:
Please accept my (belated) condolences on the loss of your beloved husband. How much more valuable one good person is than myths and platitudes.

I don't intentionally offend inoffensive Christians, but I'm not hesitant to repay offensive Christians in kind. My usual answer to their huffy "Jesus suffered and died for your sins" is "No, your imaginary friend had a bad long weekend. I've known many much better humans who've suffered longer, more, and died permenantly, your myth wouldn't impress me even if it were true."

I can be a bitch like that when pestered enough.
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I think I am way more polite than my critics... it's just that they are blind to how offensive they are, and then become big cry babies when just a piece of it is returned. When my critics use the same insults to decry people I like, I feel proud. If someone who labels Dawkins as arrogant, also labels me as arrogant-- I'm tickled beyond belief. My narcissism kicks in, I guess. :D I'm a very nice person if you can see all the times I kept my claws retracted when I was justified in taking a huge swipe. The endless straw men about atheists being "offending", "strident", and "fuming"-- is enough to make me offended, strident, and fuming.
 
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The only thing any god who may be listening deserves to hear from me is, "Thanks for nothing!" Or was it the other way around?
 
Been there. Didn't do that.

I even accidentally piddled all over a Gideon's bible while in progressive care. Not exactly a dignity moment, but amusing after the fact. Didn't suffer any repercussions that I know of.
 
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