The founder of Italian Communism had deathbed conversion

[Sniffles]

The Vatican has revealed that Antonio Gramsci, the founder of Italian Communism and an icon of the Left, reverted to Roman Catholicism on his deathbed.

Archbishop Luigi De Magistris, former head of the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy See, which deals with confessions, indulgences and the forgiveness of sins, said Gramsci had "died taking the Sacraments". He had asked the nuns attending him in hospital to let him kiss an image of the infant Jesus, Monsignor De Magistris said.

He said rumours that Gramsci had reverted had never until now been confirmed, and the Italian Left had also remained silent on the issue. "But that is how it was" he told Vatican Radio. "Gramsci returned to the faith of his infancy"....

...He is regarded as one of the most important Marxist thinkers of the 20th century. His thought is crystallised in The Prison Notebooks, in which, among other things, he argued that Capitalism was based on a combination of force and consensus, and that Marxism could only supercede religion if it met peoples spiritual as well as material needs.

The founder of Italian Communism had deathbed conversion -Times Online


Well may he rest with Christ.

This was quite common in the 20th century and still is today, when conversions to Catholicism was/is quite common among many influential intellectual and literary figures. This is true even after years of harsh opposition to the faith.

So for all the atheists here, there's still hope for you!

 

[Synarch]

To be fair, communism has little to offer on your deathbed and the risk of converting is outweighed by the potential eternal benefits. So, it is just rather logical to hedge your bets.

 

[Ezion]

To be fair, communism has little to offer on your deathbed and the risk of converting is outweighed by the potential eternal benefits. So, it is just rather logical to hedge your bets.

Yes. The possibility of eternal life becomes much more appealing when you're about to die. Even an infintesimally small chance of it is greater than none.

What is the OP trying to insinuate? I see a possibility, but I can't imagine anyone would try to draw such an inane conclusion from that article.

 

[kyuuei]

To be fair, communism has little to offer on your deathbed and the risk of converting is outweighed by the potential eternal benefits. So, it is just rather logical to hedge your bets.

I think this is a sad way of thinking. Refute it all as false and oppose it.. but then when you realize that your way of thinking doesn't totally provide you with the comfort you need at the end, you take it all back? You're essentially preaching to the world something that not every fiber of your being believes in. Infact, enough of you doesn't believe it to revert back to the very thing you preach against. Essentially, you lie to everyone.

If you're atheist, that's your call. It's just sad to see people SO opposed to something that they can't open their mind long enough to realize they wanted it all along.

 

[Didums]

just

 

[ptgatsby]

What is the OP trying to insinuate? I see a possibility, but I can't imagine anyone would try to draw such an inane conclusion from that article.

I think he was trying to say that we fall to weakness when we approach death. Not quite sure, though.

 

[Sniffles]

What is the OP trying to insinuate? I see a possibility, but I can't imagine anyone would try to draw such an inane conclusion from that article.

I can't for certain what the article itself is trying to say, I can only put it in larger context of how so many people have found their way to the faith. Not all of them were deathbed conversions, in fact most I've read about weren't.

In the early part of the 20th century, converting to Catholicism was actually considered the cool thing to do among certain circles. It's quite amazing the famous names you find in this company; as you can see here.

Some names from the list:

• Tony Blair
• Buffalo Bill
• Gary Cooper
• Faye Dunaway
• René Girard
• Graham Greene
• Sir Alec Guinness
• Bob Hope
• Allen Tate
• J. R. R. Tolkien(converted when little by mother, but a devout Catholic all his life)
• John Wayne
• Oscar Wilde

 

[ajblaise]

Wasn't this guy jailed and in solitary confinement for a good part of his later life? He wasn't thinking right!

 

[Sniffles]

just

Yes there's hope for you too, not least of which because I too was a staunch atheist at your age.

 

[Didums]

Yes there's hope for you too, not least of which because I too was a staunch atheist at your age.

Forgive me Father for I have sinned.... where's my Jesus Skittles?

 

[nozflubber]

If I converted on my deathbed to catholicism, (my) God would send me to hell for being weak in the face of death and despair, and violating my principles Spiritual Integrity is the only saving grace for those without faith.

Also peguy, I think the quote in your signature is very ironic yet appropriate for this thead, hehe

 

[SillySapienne]

Forgive me Father for I have sinned.... where's my Jesus Skittles?

I want Jesus Skittles tooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

My father was an atheist until the very moment he died, and he died a slow death.

Is it so hard to believe that you are *not* going to live forever?!!?!?

That the life you do have is precious, because it is finite!!!

 

[Venom]

I can't for certain what the article itself is trying to say, I can only put it in larger context of how so many people have found their way to the faith. Not all of them were deathbed conversions, in fact most I've read about weren't.

In the early part of the 20th century, converting to Catholicism was actually considered the cool thing to do among certain circles. It's quite amazing the famous names you find in this company; as you can see here.

Some names from the list:

• Tony Blair
• Buffalo Bill
• Gary Cooper
• Faye Dunaway
• René Girard
• Graham Greene
• Sir Alec Guinness
• Bob Hope
• Allen Tate
• J. R. R. Tolkien(converted when little by mother, but a devout Catholic all his life)
• John Wayne
• Oscar Wilde

oscar wilde?! he might of wanted the church, but i doubt they wanted him (with this ridiculous anti-gay religion)

The argument from popularity is hardly a reason to suddenly re-examine the validity of religion. Its validity or lack there of should lie on its own arguments and merits. It doesnt matter how many or how few believe in it (as far as truth).

 

[placebo]

What one does at the doorstep of death is quite interesting. How much does our last moment alive make of us? If in our last moments we die in faith, do we believe that redeems a life of unfaith? If in our last moments we die a hero, does that redeem a life of cowardism?

 

[ptgatsby]

The argument from popularity is hardly a reason to suddenly re-examine the validity of religion. Its validity or lack there of should lie on its own arguments and merits. It doesnt matter how many or how few believe in it (as far as truth).

No no, I'm quite enjoying this thread.

So far we have desperate people on their bed and an implication that conversions have gone down. Seems like atheists do have hope!

 

[nozflubber]

What one does at the doorstep of death is quite interesting. How much does our last moment alive make of us? If in our last moments we die in faith, do we believe that redeems a life of unfaith? If in our last moments we die a hero, does that redeem a life of cowardism?

Actually I contend the opposite here: deathbed conversion IS cowardice.

 

[Sniffles]

oscar wilde?! he might of wanted the church, but i doubt they wanted him (with this ridiculous anti-gay religion)

You can read more here:
The Long Conversion of Oscar Wilde

The argument from popularity is hardly a reason to suddenly re-examine the validity of religion. Its validity or lack there of should lie on its own arguments and merits. It doesnt matter how many or how few believe in it (as far as truth).

Where did I say the validity of Catholicism rests in its popularity? It certainly shows that it cannot be merely dismissed as the refuge of old delusional women or pedophile priests. Plenty of influential people have been drawn to the faith.

Also peguy, I think the quote in your signature is very ironic yet appropriate for this thead, hehe

Interesting, why do you say so? Let's also take into account that Charles Peguy was himself a Catholic convert - or rather revert.

 

[placebo]

Actually I contend the opposite here: deathbed conversion IS cowardice.

Oh, but with that question I wasn't referring to this specific situation. The one about faith was, but the heroism/cowardism question, was just a parallel question about a different matter. Say, imagine if there was a man who died saving hundreds of people from tragic death, and in that moment was a hero, but throughout his entire life before, he was just a cowardly figure who couldn't stand up for anything. Does that final action redeem his life of cowardice?

 

[nozflubber]

"Interesting, why do you say so? Let's also take into account that Charles Peguy was himself a Catholic convert - or rather revert. "

It has nothing to do with peguy himself, just the notion at the last minute when faced with death and the possibility of eternal hell, converting is a cowardly attempt to seem "progressive under God".... as if God wouldn't know your deathbed conversion into Catholicism was only insincerely made when faced with death?

It never ceases to amaze me how many people think they can "trick" God into granting salvation

 

[Blackmail!]

[*]Oscar Wilde
[/list]

There's no direct proof of that, only a dubious letter from his boyfriend Robert Ross, telling he converted a few minutes before dying. But the doctors, who were both present, never acknowledged this story.

Wilde was a fierce atheist during most of intellectual life. And since the Roman catholic Church then condemned any act of homosexuality as one of the most immoral and evil sin, the possibility that Wilde really converted remains quite questionable.

The paper you quoted, Peguy, is extremely unaccurate about Wilde's life and facts, and I fear its author is inventing half of them (I've studied Wilde's diary in the National Library of France, so he can't fool me). It's so deeply biased it's almost ridiculous.