RE: Atheists: What would you say to a dying child who asks you if they'll go to heaven?
October 30, 2018 at 7:11 am
(July 25, 2018 at 1:37 pm)DodosAreDead Wrote: Assume the child is very young, somewhere in the range of 4-8, perhaps? Their parents are religious. They're worried about hell. What will your response be?
I would probably tell them that I believe there will be no more pain or fear and that nothing they've done makes them deserve to be punished in any way. If they are really scared and need a comforting delusion to ease their mind then I'll have no problem lying to them about things being beautiful and peaceful after they die and that they'll be seeing their friends and parents again. Telling a scared, dying child that they will simply cease to be would help nobody and only make their last hours worse and that would be cruel and unnecessary. I also would not be blunt with the family since they'd already be suffering with grief and I' not interested in making that worse; I'd be less willing to lie but wouldn't be confrontational either.
The same would actually be true for anybody that is nearing death and is scared. The best thing I can do for that person is to try to help them stay calm so they can die peacefully. I want to end the nonsense that is religion but truing to take it away from a dying person doesn't help that goal.
