Changing of Religion before death

[Ensapa]

Its just confusing when people are dying and you try to feed them informations like that. What if the person passed away confused? I have an aunt who was really sick, in a coma and dying. I went to visit her and there was a lady whispering into her ears. I thought the lady is a friend but she told me that she is from a church and she is praying talking to my aunt. That was really rude because she did not ask for permission to do so. They shouldnt do that.
If only that it is easy.... Change your belief the last minute and hope that everything that we have done is purified...

Wow...thats not a nice thing to do...doing something like that in the name of religion. Even Christians have said before that the person would have to accept Christianity consciously and not out of duress. To convert dying people who cannot even think properly goes against their own religion anyway, so why do people still want to delude themselves into thinking that they are doing something good?

[Jessie Fong]

I have an aunt who was really sick, in a coma and dying. I went to visit her and there was a lady whispering into her ears. I thought the lady is a friend but she told me that she is from a church and she is praying talking to my aunt. That was really rude because she did not ask for permission to do so. They shouldnt do that.

Dear Bambi

You aunt was in a coma and dying. Would it have helped if that lady had tried to convert your aunt? She was not in a position to understand nor to accept any religious conversion.

Yes it was rude of that lady to have taken advantage of a sick person; if she had claimed "converting" your aunt, would it have helped anyone anyways?

Religion is a personal belief not to be imposed on anyone, least of all a person who is dying and not in a position to understand or accept what is happening.

However, if she had offered prayers to your aunt, then it would have been good. Being in a coma does not mean that the patient cannot hear.

[Tammy]

Some religions believe in instant transformation of mind, in Chinese, it is called instant realization ??. This instant realization can be the 'gateway' to enlightenment as the person has attain at flick of the moment. Maybe this is what those people were hoping when they decide to embrace another believe/faith on their deadbed.

I have aunt who were brought up practicing 'daoism', went she married a Christien, she told me she would ask for baptism at her dead-bed so that she could 'join the husband in heaven'. If only heaven is so easily attained..

[Rihanna]

I believe that people who are about to die are the most vulnerable ones. Their minds must be very unstable and would be very abiding to any claims that another religion can help him to prolong his life or send him to heaven to avoid being burned in hell.

The fear of dying and end up in another realm especially hell is so strong that they would succumb to any path that can help them with a quick fix. Hence they become a very easy target for "converting people out of fear" of religion(s).

It is very wrong in this instance for one could not have purify one's negative karma accumulated since the beginingless time in just an instance by converting to another religion that claims a guaranteed ticket to heaven.

[Dondrup Shugden]

The change of religion happen quite often as I have heard.  Sometimes relatives want to change the religion of the dying person to theirs so the the funeral rites are known to them within their religious practices.  Sometimes it is out of fear that the dying recalls having heard that they can be saved from hell dying within the scope of a specific religion. 

However Buddhism teaches that whatever your religion and where you will go on death depends on your Karma ie cause and effects of the actions of your life.

My Guru has taught me that on death there is nothing you can take with you even if you are Ruler of a prosperous kingdom and that your only inheritance is your Karma.

Therefore while alive, practise the virtues of your religion and you will leave this earth without confusion.

[angelica]

Changing religion is a very common thing. Cos many people don't really understand what religion is about. Some people change religion at the point of dying so that after they die, their family members or relatives of the same religion will pray for them.

When a person is about to die, that person will be very afraid, cos don't know where he will end up at. So whichever religion that can guarantee him a safe place, he will just accept and convert to that religion. These are the people that when young, healthy and in comfort zone, they will "enjoy" life to the fully. Religion is never in their mind. When only time to go is near, then only worried about the next destination.

We need to start our spiritual practice now and prepare for our death. We do not know when is our last day. Our futures depend on the present. There is no short cut to be out of samsara.

[RedLantern]

A deathbed conversion is the adoption of a particular religious faith shortly before dying. Making a conversion on one's deathbed may reflect an immediate change of belief.
There is so much ignorance among Buddhists regarding death that people even change  their religion so that they can get a "proper" short -cut to heaven.In Buddhism, death is not
‘being called to eternal rest to he in the bosom of some creator deity' but a continuation of a process in another form. So there is no need to fear death.The Buddha did not prescribe any specific rites regarding the dis[posal of the corpse The body of a dead person should be removed with dignity and
be treated properly out of respect for the memory of what the
deceased person had done when he was alive. His past action ( karma)will determine what his future life will be.



 

[Midakpa]

In Buddhism, it is believed that suffering is created by the individual and only he/she can end it. One's sins cannot be washed away by changing religions. This is pure fantasy.Thus, it is important to educate Buddhists so that they will not become victims of paradise sellers who try to convert them by promising them heaven when they pass away. Buddhists must learn and understand the value of the Buddha's teachings in order not to be misled by mistaken beliefs. In fact, for Buddhists, it is not difficult to go to heaven after death if they really want to. But the goal of a Buddhist is really to achieve enlightenment.