Would you allow a complete stranger to die so he may convert to your religion (very hypothetical question)?

Question

Suppose you are placed in the following hypothetical situation: You are kidnapped by some evil mastermind named Mr. X. Mr. X injects you with a poison that kills you in 1 hour. Nothing can stop you from dying.

Mr. X introduces you to Louie. Louie trusts you and would follow any advice you give him. Mr. X explains that you are to tell Louie not to follow your religion. It doesn't matter what options are open to Louie; you are to tell him that your religion is false and that Louie must never pursue that faith.

If you do that, Mr. X frees Louie to continue life as usual, except that he is convinced your religion is false and will never convert to your religion. If you allow Louie one shred of belief in your religion, then Mr. X tortures Louie for 45 minutes before killing him in front of your eyes. I know it's crazy rhetoric, but try to treat this as serious. Would you dissuade Louie from following your religion?

Please state your religion along with your answer.

Note: This question was posted once before but underwent technical difficulties that caused all the answers to be lost. If you answered this before, I would appreciate hearing your input again.

Note: For purposes of this question, I will consider atheism a religion. I also consider different sects to be the same religion. So, a Presbyterian trying to convert Louie to Episcopalian would still get Louie killed. The important distinction is if you are willing to persuade Louie to follow a path that is very clearly not friendly to yours.

The issue with Yahoo! Answers has been partially resolved. While I lost some answers, I have plenty with these two threads:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AhB_MKNNo5UrpZaIzvMLTizsy6IX?qid=20061106070237AATO7kl
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AsaNFcp2ztuh7mZyI10wv4_sy6IX?qid=20061107202625AafJneA

I crunched some numbers and have some interesting percentages. Of the answers I received (including private responses), I have received these numbers:
0 out of 1 agnostic would let Louie die (0%)
1 out of 6 atheists would let Louie die (17%)
12 out of 13 Christians would let Louie die (92%)
0 out of 1 Jew would let Louie die (0%)
0 out of 1 Muslim would let Louie die (0%)
0 out of 2 pagans would let Louie die (0%)

1 out of 7 nontheists would let Louie die (14%)
12 out of 17 theists would let Louie die (71%)

Answer 1

i am christian, and would not try to convert him so that he would not be tortured.

i am not responsible for Louie's beliefs. He is.

Answer 2

Ok, so let me get this right, I'm a Christian, so for the purposes of your senario, all denominations of Christianity are the same and I couldn't try to enfluence Louie to any form of Christianity? Is that right? Assuming it is, here's my answer.

I would have the following conversation with Louie: I would tell him the choice I have to make. That I can either tell him to NOT follow the faith that has/does mean so much to me and that I believe strongly in, and that he would live a normal life. O R I can tell him to follow the religion that I've chosen and that by so doing it would result in an excruciatingly painful death of him by Mr. X. Then I'd ask Louie what he would like for me to do.

It sounds like Louie could be someone who is mentally "slow". If this is the case then I'd adjust my story, but still leave him with the choice to make.

I can not make that type of decision by myself. I would have to be able to talk with Louie about it, after all, if I'm already dieing, then it's his life we're talking about. He has a choice in the matter. There's a difference between trust and following "any" advice given to you, and taking the ability to choose away from someone.

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Answer 3

ok.. so let me get this straight you are dead but still living? and Mr x has it so that now I am the undead.. I am alive but well living. I am dead my souls is already gone. The choice is really where is my faith.. right? with my own religion it would base what my answer is right? I have no faith. I am not athiest as I believe in god. Being a self inflicted punishment type of person. I wouldn't want to see Louie suffer the same fate as myself. But would have to say its up to Louie if he wants to live or not. I'd tell him the truth as with an evil master mind where can you really trust him for your instincts.. you can't. You go ahead and you convince Louie like Mr wants.. he goes ahead and kills him anyway and gives you an excuse why he did it. Mr X evidentally wants something with me or he wouldn't keep me here.
You are a writing and you have writer's block huh? Let Louie decide this one.

Answer 4

I love these kinds of questions :) Thanks for asking.

Yeah, as an atheist, I would convince Louie to NEVER be an atheist. It's the only life he's got and it's better that he lives it believing a delusion than being killed outright. I'm surrounded by Louie's in my real life and I love them a lot. But I hope he can be a liberal christian and not smash me in the face with his bible.

Answer 5

Personally, I would tell Louie the truth. That he would die if he followed my religion and live if he did not pursue my faith.

Then I would tell him about my faith. I would tell him I do not fear dying as it is only a passing from this life into another.

And I would tell Louie that he had to make the decision for himself as to whether or not to believe what I would say.

Answer 6

As I said the first time, I'm not interested in 'converting' people to my non-believing attitude. And THE most important value for me is a human life. So, I will do whatever I possibly can, to save Louie's life.

Answer 7

I'm an atheist, so of course I'd tell Louie not to follow my beliefs. I believe this is our only life, so he's better off living it under a false belief than not living it at all.
And besides, I could be wrong, couldn't I? It'd be pretty arrogant of me to say that it's worth dying to agree with me.

Answer 8

so I would desire to cajole Louie that my faith heavily isn't worth following, yet does Mr. X comprehend what my faith is. (i visit anticipate that he does for this question.)' i'm a Celtic Pagan. we are approximately existence. and we have faith that there is extra suitable than one direction to a non violent afterlife. so i might communicate Louie out of being a Celtic Pagan and placed him on the line to East Indian Shamanism or Buddhism. this way I easily have fulfilled my prefer to maintain Louie from a painful dying. and placed him on the right song to locate something which will help him attain religious enlightenment.

Answer 9

I would tell him do not follow my path, but an it harm none do what ye will. There are many paths, and many destinations. I would not end his life because of an arrogant belief that mine can be the only way. God has many faces, and just as not all people like the same foods, or speak the same languages, not all people are menat to follow the same path.

I'm pagan

Answer 10

hope Louie and I get to be friends on the next plane of existence as there are certain things I can't do

Answer 11

I would do everything I could to bring Louie to Christ. His suffering in this life is incomparable to the Glory of God he'll experience in Heaven.