Editing Deathbed conversion (section)

===Charles Darwin===
[[File:Charles Darwin by Julia Margaret Cameron, c. 1868.jpg|thumb|upright|After [[Charles Darwin]] died, rumours spread that he had converted to Christianity on his deathbed. His children denied this occurred.]]
One famous example is [[Charles Darwin]]'s deathbed conversion in which it was claimed (in 1915) by [[Elizabeth Cotton, Lady Hope|Lady Hope]] that Darwin said:
"How I wish I had not expressed my theory of [[evolution]] as I have done." He went on to say that he would like her to gather a congregation since he "would like to speak to them of Christ Jesus and His salvation, being in a state where he was eagerly savoring the heavenly anticipation of bliss."<ref name="stephenjaygould1">{{cite web |url=http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/ladyhope.html#Autobiography |title=The Lady Hope Story: A Widespread Falsehood |publisher=Stephenjaygould.org |accessdate=2009-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070428181635/http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/ladyhope.html#Autobiography |archive-date=28 April 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Lady Hope's story was printed in the ''Boston Watchman Examiner''. The story spread, and the claims were republished as late as October 1955 in the ''Reformation Review'' and in the ''Monthly Record'' of the [[Free Church of Scotland (post 1900)|Free Church of Scotland]] in February 1957.

Lady Hope's story is not supported by Darwin's children. Darwin's son [[Francis Darwin]] accused her of lying, saying that "Lady Hope's account of my father's views on religion is quite untrue. I have publicly accused her of falsehood, but have not seen any reply."<ref name="stephenjaygould1"/> Darwin's daughter [[Henrietta Litchfield]] also called the story a fabrication, saying "I was present at his deathbed. Lady Hope was not present during his last illness, or any illness. I believe he never even saw her, but in any case she had no influence over him in any department of thought or belief. He never recanted any of his scientific views, either then or earlier. We think the story of his conversion was fabricated in the U.S.A. The whole story has no foundation whatever."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/hope.html |title=Lady Hope Story |publisher=Talkorigins.org |date=23 February 1922 |accessdate=2009-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012194435/http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/hope.html |archive-date=12 October 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>