I think there’s more people who are highly anxious about climate change bringing about our doom than people worrying about rapture. |
| Nope not one little bit |
Right. Only ONE second coming. What are the odds it will be in my lifetime??? |
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Wish I could remember the name of the Bible scholar who had a radio show where people would call in and ask him about particular passages and debate them or ask questions about them. He knew the bible from front to back. He seemed fairly sensible until he suddenly started saying he had calculated when the world was coming to an end. He said there would be earthquakes, and flooding, etc. It was quite something to hear. The day came and went with no sign of the end of the world. Then he had a stroke, and died shortly after. So I guess he was sort of right -- the end of the world had come, but it had only come for him.
True story. A shiny quarter for anyone who can google him and post a link. |
I don’t know about English, American churches but this is extremely common with Hispanic churches. In my experience with a few of those churches is that they are very much fear-based teachings. It is fear of heaven and hell, the rapture and tithing. Those were the main and frequent preachings. Most every Sunday even after a feel good preaching, there would be a good 20 minutes about accepting Jesus or going to hell. Every week. Mini buddies preachers never went to seminary school. They were just men who felt “the calling” To preach. There was a main pastor but our church had a lot of guest preachers who would take up an offering on top of the tithes. In the 80s I remember a guest preacher, who was there for a few months, who claimed to know the exact date of the second coming. He had mathematical Equations and dates based off random passages in the Bible. He convinced many people to turn over their savings to him to so that the people who were left behind had money to live off. Of course it was a con and I don’t remember what happened to him after the supposed date. Of course, now we would call the police and report these people but back then a lot of the parishioners were scared to call the police because of immigration status and they didn’t realize that the police could help. There was a lot of blind faith, there was a lot of fear and trust. |
Harold Camping. .25, please. |
Oops, forgot the link. https://religionunplugged.com/news/2021/5/21/the-legacy-of-harold-camping-who-falsely-predicted-the-worlds-end-lives-on |
A nearby church had one of those message signs out front. The week that Camping's Rapture prediction was supposed to occur, the sign read, "If Jesus doesn't return on Saturday, come worship him here on Sunday!" |
Zero. |
And a lot of cons. There still are, but many are not so flagrant about it. |
It was definitely going on (fear mongering etc) in white American suburban churches in the 1970s/80s. Every week there was a sermon like that, scared teens going to rededicate their lives just to be on the safe side. The PP who said they don't know anyone scarred by that doesn't know many former Evangelicals! (and I'm not even a former Evangelical - just a happier Presbyterian now).
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This is just sad. The whole point of Jesus’s teachings - “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” - was not that the end is nigh, it’s that we can have heaven right here on earth if we’re willing to create it.
Of course instead these numpties are trying to bring on the end times by destroying the earth. There’s a religious fervor in the way some families have 5, 6, 7 kids, driving SUVs, living in big houses, just abusing as many resources as possible. They’re trying to end the earth so Jesus comes back. All they’re going to do is destroy life for their children and grandchildren. |
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The Rapture is NOT about religion. It's about uncovering truths. And it will happen soon. Some truths are already out.
It's going to hurt but we will survive. |
Lol wut. |
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Yes.
I abated completely while watching the despicable behavior of christians over the Trump years and pandemic. As a whole, they are willing to stand up only for unborn fetuses and nothing or no one else. Nothing Godly about them and lest anyone suggest I'm lumping them all together, you're darn right. Show me a single one with the courage to stand up publicly and denounce the evil the larger group has embraced. Christians have destroyed christianity. Even if there was to be a Rapture, God would not be in any hurry to come get this crop of believers. |