Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Interesting Post from Francis Philips of The Catholic Herald...

...about death-bed conversions, and how (she says) they are not a cop-out but rather a sign of humility and courage. (I agree.)

I am absolutely fascinated by religious conversion, especially conversion to Catholicism. One of my abiding fantasies is to write a book on the subject of Catholic conversion stories-- to try to make it as comprehensive as possible. I would call it The Road to Damascus, even though that is the most predictable and unoriginal title possible. It's also, in my opinion, one of the most evocative phrases of all time, so I don't care so much about the lack of originality.

2 comments:

  1. I don't mean to be a stick in the mud here, but I'm not sure all death-bed conversions really do take courage. Whenever I am worried about something, for example, that usually tends to be the time when I'm praying harder and seeking protection more than ever. I'm not saying death-bed conversions are all made in fear or are not genuine conversions, but I imagine that there are those made in fear because the thought of facing the end is too much for a person.

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  2. Well, it's hard to tell for sure, of course. I think the reason they can take courage is because the dying person is entirely conscious that their last act will be perceived as fickle, or hedging their bets, or whatever. And one might not think that would even matter to someone who is dying but it realy does seem to matter a lot of the time.

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