The other day my sister and I were having a conversation about religion and she mentioned that Carl Sagan had converted to Christianity on his deathbed. I said, oh, come on, now, where did you hear this? Because it seems like any time a prominent atheist dies, these stories start circulating. Well, she couldn't remember where she heard it exactly but she said that if you read his novel "Contact" you could tell that he was "struggling" with the issue of faith and science. I haven't read "Contact" so I don't know if that is true, but there is a big difference between exploring ideas of faith and actually converting to a particular faith. I said, I would have to hear it in his own words to believe it.
So I did a little googling and sure enough, found out that this is a story put out by apparently anonymous Christian fundamentalists. So not only is nobody taking credit for it, but Sagan's widow, Ann Druyan, has gone on the record as saying that it is not true. When I pointed this out to my sister, she said that Ann Druyan has her own agenda and that is why she is saying this. Even so, if Carl Sagan did renounce atheism, who did he tell? Who was there? I cannot believe that someone of the stature of Carl Sagan would keep quiet about something like that. I am sure that if he came to believe that what he had believed all his life was wrong, he would say so. There are others who have converted and have told their stories, why not him?
Because it is not true. And I do not for the life of me understand why people spread these stupid and easily checked lies in the name of truth. Someone once sent me an e-mail claiming something very similar about Einstein. I told this person to not send this sort of thing as it makes her and her religion look bad. I said, "What Einstein said about God is a matter of public record. All you need to do is look it up. And I can assure you he had no such views as you claim."
St. Augustine of Hippo, an early (3rd century) Christian writer, said something about if you are talking with a pagan about a matter in which he is an expert and you tell him that he actually does not know what he is talking about, you are not doing the cause of Christianity any good. All you will end up doing is looking like an idiot in the pagan's eyes.
In my sister's defense, I have to say she is not one of those silly Christians who believe any old story that comes their way if it sounds good. She is, like me, somewhat skeptical about religion in general and doesn't suffer fools gladly. But it is a testament to the power of a lie that even she can be taken in.
And what happens when people like her find out that they have been lied to in the name of Christ? That is one thing the liars never stop to think about.
So I did a little googling and sure enough, found out that this is a story put out by apparently anonymous Christian fundamentalists. So not only is nobody taking credit for it, but Sagan's widow, Ann Druyan, has gone on the record as saying that it is not true. When I pointed this out to my sister, she said that Ann Druyan has her own agenda and that is why she is saying this. Even so, if Carl Sagan did renounce atheism, who did he tell? Who was there? I cannot believe that someone of the stature of Carl Sagan would keep quiet about something like that. I am sure that if he came to believe that what he had believed all his life was wrong, he would say so. There are others who have converted and have told their stories, why not him?
Because it is not true. And I do not for the life of me understand why people spread these stupid and easily checked lies in the name of truth. Someone once sent me an e-mail claiming something very similar about Einstein. I told this person to not send this sort of thing as it makes her and her religion look bad. I said, "What Einstein said about God is a matter of public record. All you need to do is look it up. And I can assure you he had no such views as you claim."
St. Augustine of Hippo, an early (3rd century) Christian writer, said something about if you are talking with a pagan about a matter in which he is an expert and you tell him that he actually does not know what he is talking about, you are not doing the cause of Christianity any good. All you will end up doing is looking like an idiot in the pagan's eyes.
In my sister's defense, I have to say she is not one of those silly Christians who believe any old story that comes their way if it sounds good. She is, like me, somewhat skeptical about religion in general and doesn't suffer fools gladly. But it is a testament to the power of a lie that even she can be taken in.
And what happens when people like her find out that they have been lied to in the name of Christ? That is one thing the liars never stop to think about.
