deathbed conversion

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deathbed conversion (countable and uncountable, plural deathbed conversions)

1. (set phrase) Acceptance of religious belief immediately before one dies, typically in a state of anxiety or fear of the insecurity of what will happen to one in and after death.
   • 2011 Dec. 16, William Grimes, "Christopher Hitchens, Polemicist Who Slashed All, Freely, Dies at 62," New York Times (retrieved 28 May 2015):

     Mr. Hitchens discussed the possibility of a deathbed conversion, insisting that the odds were slim that he would admit the existence of God.

2. (idiomatic, usually sarcastic, often politics) An abrupt, last-minute change in one's professed beliefs, principles, or point of view in order to escape a serious threat or to increase one's chances of success.
   • 1996 Nov. 17, "Whatever," Newsweek (retrieved 28 May 2015):

     The dilemma was how to propose a big tax cut and still look credible. Dole knew that the Democrats would mock him for a deathbed conversion.

   • 2002 July 16, Richard A. Oppel Jr. and David E. Sanger, "House Passes Bill to Combat Corporate and Securities Fraud," New York Times (retrieved 28 May 2015):

     "A deathbed conversion" was how Representative John LaFalce of New York State described the House Republicans' change of heart.

   • 2010 Feb. 10, Andrew Grice, "Brown's insurance against defeat," Independent (UK) (retrieved 28 May 2015):

     Gordon Brown's deathbed conversion to electoral reform may look like pure opportunism and widening the goalposts for his team just as the match kicks off.