Legions of brain dead christians woke up this morning to find themselves still glued to the earth. Rational people were not surprised, but many of us were disappointed. The world would have become a much better place if hoards of fundamentalists had departed. If the world could be shed of fundamentalist christians, muslims and jews, we might actually have peace break out around the world. Imagine, a world without religious hatred, racism and bigotry.
This is the second time that idiot Harold Camping got his prediction wrong. His 1994 scam was written off as a mathematical error and his simple minded followers continued to enrich the old man. Camping based his timeline on a date that was exactly 7,000 years after the great flood. A flood that every single geologist will tell you never, ever happened in the first place.
That is what happens when you place your faith in a book of fables that was written thousands of years ago by a bunch of ignorant middle eastern goat herders.
ROFLMAO! Great assessment, Juan!
ReplyDeletePRETRIB RAPTURE POLITICS
ReplyDeleteMany are still unaware of the eccentric, 181-year-old British theory underlying the politics of American evangelicals and Christian Zionists - the same craze behind Harold Camping's May 21, 2011 "rapture" fizzle.
Journalist and historian Dave MacPherson has spent more than 40 years focusing on the origin and spread of what is known as the apocalyptic "pretribulation rapture" - the inspiration behind Hal Lindsey's bestsellers of the 1970s and Tim LaHaye's today. (No one else has had the same historical focus for 40 months or even 40 weeks.)
Although promoters of this endtime evacuation from earth constantly repeat their slogan that "it's imminent and always has been" (which critics view more as a sales pitch than a scriptural statement), it was unknown in all official Christian theology and organized religion before 1830.
And MacPherson's research also reveals how hostile the pretrib rapture view has been to other faiths:
It is anti-Islam. TV preacher John Hagee has been advocating "a pre-emptive military strike against Iran." (Yahoo or Google "Roots of Warlike Christian Zionism.")
It is anti-Jewish. MacPherson's bestselling nonfiction book "The Rapture Plot" (see Armageddon Books etc.) exposes hypocritical anti-Jewishness in even the theory's foundation.
It is anti-Catholic. Lindsey and C. I. Scofield are two of many leaders who claim that the final Antichrist will be a Roman Catholic. (Yahoo or Google "Pretrib Hypocrisy.")
It is anti-Protestant. For this reason no major Protestant denomination has ever adopted this escapist view.
It even has some anti-evangelical aspects. The first publication promoting this novel endtime view spoke degradingly of "the name by which the mixed multitude of modern Moabites love to be distinguished, - the Evangelical World." (MacPherson's "Rapture Plot," p. 85)
Despite the above, MacPherson proves that the "glue" that holds constantly in-fighting evangelicals together long enough to be victorious voting blocs in elections is the same "fly away" view. He notes that Jerry Falwell, when giving political speeches just before an election, would unfailingly state: "We believe in the pretribulational rapture!"
In addition to his "Rapture Plot" book, MacPherson's many internet articles include "Famous Rapture Watchers," "Pretrib Rapture Diehards," "X-Raying Margaret," "Edward Irving is Unnerving," "America's Pretrib Rapture Traffickers," "Thomas Ice (Bloopers)," "Pretrib Rapture Secrecy," "Pretrib Rapture - Hidden Facts," "Deceiving and Being Deceived" and "Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty" (massive plagiarism, phony doctorates, changing of early "rapture" documents in order to falsely credit John Darby with this view, etc.!).
Because of his devastating discoveries, MacPherson is now No. 1 on the "hate" list of pretrib rapture leaders!
There's no question that the leading promoters of this bizarre 19th century end-of-the-world doctrine are solidly pro-Israel and necessarily anti-Palestinian. In light of recently uncovered facts about this fringe-British-invented belief which has always been riddled with dishonesty, many are wondering why it should ever have any influence on Middle East affairs.
This Johnny-come-lately view raises millions of dollars for political agendas. Only when scholars of all faiths begin to look deeply at it and widely air its "dirty linen" will it cease to be a power. It is the one theological view no one needs!
With apologies to Winston Churchill - never has so much deception been foisted on so many by so few!
(submitted by Salvador)