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.

Anonymous wrote: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.

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.

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.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe in "the rapture" if that's what you call the events in the Book of Revelation. Most WILL be left behind. But no, I don't experience anxiety about it, and I never knew anyone who did. I think it's a tiny fraction of people.

I don't think so. Most of my peers felt this way. This fear is what drove us to heed the countless altar calls and "re-dedications". These legalistic, fear-based Protestant denominations absolutely pedal this stuff. IDK about anymore, but they definitely did back in the 1970s and 80s when I was growing up.

I never knew anyone in one of those churches. It's not many people. At least not in the DC area.

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.

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).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe in "the rapture" if that's what you call the events in the Book of Revelation. Most WILL be left behind. But no, I don't experience anxiety about it, and I never knew anyone who did. I think it's a tiny fraction of people.

I don't think so. Most of my peers felt this way. This fear is what drove us to heed the countless altar calls and "re-dedications". These legalistic, fear-based Protestant denominations absolutely pedal this stuff. IDK about anymore, but they definitely did back in the 1970s and 80s when I was growing up.

I never knew anyone in one of those churches. It's not many people. At least not in the DC area.

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.

And a lot of cons. There still are, but many are not so flagrant about it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is only one second coming of Christ and nothing in between. Be prepared to withstand the end times because salvation alone, righteous living and a relationship with Christ will be the only thing to save you.

Right. Only ONE second coming. What are the odds it will be in my lifetime???

Zero.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

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!"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

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

Anonymous wrote: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.

Harold Camping.

.25, please.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe in "the rapture" if that's what you call the events in the Book of Revelation. Most WILL be left behind. But no, I don't experience anxiety about it, and I never knew anyone who did. I think it's a tiny fraction of people.

I don't think so. Most of my peers felt this way. This fear is what drove us to heed the countless altar calls and "re-dedications". These legalistic, fear-based Protestant denominations absolutely pedal this stuff. IDK about anymore, but they definitely did back in the 1970s and 80s when I was growing up.

I never knew anyone in one of those churches. It's not many people. At least not in the DC area.

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.

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.

Anonymous wrote:There is only one second coming of Christ and nothing in between. Be prepared to withstand the end times because salvation alone, righteous living and a relationship with Christ will be the only thing to save you.

Right. Only ONE second coming. What are the odds it will be in my lifetime???

Nope not one little bit

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not anxious. I'm Catholic. We don't believe in The Rapture.

+1 Plus I've watched Evangelicals do this to themselves once a decade my whole life. I remember a classmate weeping about why wouldn't I just "be saved" so I could avoid burning in a lake of fire for all eternity when the Rapture was sure to come on . . . Y2K. The world is full of people with this dramatic, fatalistic worldview that thrives on the feeling of impending doom, and it's clear by the way they keep falling for it that it's something they don't care to learn from it.

I think there’s more people who are highly anxious about climate change bringing about our doom than people worrying about rapture.