![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Deathbed recantations
Aug. 25th, 2005 07:44 pmHere's an entertaining article from the New Humanist about the history of deathbed-recantation myths about atheists, skeptics and similar folk. Apparently there's now one going around about Anton LaVey.
They mention the popular Darwin "Lady Hope" legend, but since it's off their topic of religious skepticism, they don't mention what may be the most pernicious of these stories in terms of potential lives lost, the one about Louis Pasteur.
Why deathbed recantations are considered so important is unclear to me. The whole thing just makes me want to make up some completely crazy-ass profession of belief to tell people when I'm sure I'm dying.
They mention the popular Darwin "Lady Hope" legend, but since it's off their topic of religious skepticism, they don't mention what may be the most pernicious of these stories in terms of potential lives lost, the one about Louis Pasteur.
Why deathbed recantations are considered so important is unclear to me. The whole thing just makes me want to make up some completely crazy-ass profession of belief to tell people when I'm sure I'm dying.