Is it true?

[Schutzengel]

Is it true, as is often said "There are no aetheists on a sinking ship".
Or would they call out to God to be saved, at the last minute as the ship was sinking.

[MarzipanQ]

Big smile Willowman as to spreading your bets on a sinking ship scenario. By the time I'd called on Allah, Buddah, Jehovah,God, etc etc I'd not have the breath to swim to a liferaft lol

[Schutzengel]

Maypole,
What a thoughtful answer. Of course it can never be proved or disproved, but the question I asked, has certainly made people think about comments they have heard on the subject, and possibly their own thoughts about if they ever were unfortunate enough to be in a similar situation. I was actually thinking about John Newton, who was a slave-trader. His ship was about to sink in a terrible storm, when he got on his knees and prayed to God to save, not himself, but his crew and cargo of slaves. The storm abated, and the ship and all aboard were saved. This incident changed him forever. He gave up slave trading, and worked with Wilberforce to outlaw slave trading, and later wrote the hymn Amazing Grace.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Actually, after his dramatic conversion, Newton continued to slave trade for many years, and only gave up when incapacitated by a stroke. It was after he'd been forced to give up by ill health that he discovered that trading human beings was wrong.

[keyplus90]

Chakka - Saying "there is no atheist on a sinking ship" is just a saying. If it is difficult for you to understand then it really means that when people see death in front of them then they more than often pray.

Now that pray could be to Allah, Jesus, Budha, Ram, or any one else depending who you believe in. I could have asked you the same question but Everton did that. Can you honestly say that you were in a situation once where you really thought that you were going to die and still did not think about God. May be you were and you did not as not 100% people behave the same way.

Many would Start believing and few would stop when in pain. But over all majority always think about God when in pain.

You asked about my own experience then you depend on experiences and believe or disbelieve in it. For me its enough that Allah says that in Quran that people think about him when in trouble and when out of trouble then many turn around again. End of the day you have a choice to make up your mind until you take your last breath. Lucky ones will avail that chance and unlucky ones would rather disbelieve then after they had believed all their life. That is also known as free will.

[chakka35]

everton, you totally miss the point.

keyplus said that believed the claim to be true. To believe that he must have been on board a sinking ship (indeed every sinking ship!) and have surveyed the passengers just before they were drowned.

I have made no claim in the matter, therefore your challenge to me is misplaced. Do pay attention.

[chakka35]

keyplus, how could anything so very simple and obvious be difficult for me to understand? I know what it means, but we were asked whether it was true.

You said it was. Where is your evidence? Is that request difficult for you to understand?

It's only a flip thing to say anyway with no real significance behind it. Not worth all this debate.

[Schutzengel]

Chakka, So why bother debating it.