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Post by Caitshidhe on Mar 4, 2009 12:53:14 GMT -5
Thel's comic wins. Hands down. It's awesomeness. *cackle*
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Pookie
Junior Member
Posts: 55
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Post by Pookie on Mar 4, 2009 13:27:42 GMT -5
This comic sums up my feelings about rapture-crazy anti-environmentalists quite nicely, as it happens: Win.
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Post by stormwarden on Mar 4, 2009 16:33:02 GMT -5
To me, the Rapture is one big copout.
"We're gonna be raptured soon, so we don't have to worry about the environment/disease/our finances/insert your responsibility here." To me, the Rapture is something that a lot of people cling to when they have given up on the world.
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ModernBunny
New Member
Agnostic Theist and Ex-Christian
Posts: 9
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Post by ModernBunny on Mar 4, 2009 20:01:06 GMT -5
End times retardedness has been around for thousands of years before Jesusites picked up on it. They never give up It really does seem to wax and wane, though. I think we'll see it decline in the next couple of years. It'll never go away, barring an age of enlightenment of unprecedented proportions, but I think we'll see it die off somewhat for a while. And then, it'll become retro and all the kiddies will be into it. Unfortunately you're probably right. I still think that the Rapture may fall by the wayside by and by, as it was not standard doctrine for Christians until relatively recently and fundamentalists love spiritual trends. They get bored easily. Another goofball trend will likely come down the pike any day now, and everyone who's spent the past few years waiting to be whisked away will pretend that never happened. -_- But every now and then people do become convinced it's The End Times and cause a lot of trouble for the rest of us. Hopefully the next doomsday wave won't be for another twenty years or more.
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Post by vojnik on Mar 4, 2009 21:01:37 GMT -5
Most likely and hopefully. Fundamentalism, from my observation is something that is like a tide. It'll rise up, and then sink to the dustbin of history once again.
You could call the doctrine of Sola Fide one big copout as well. They do not have to do anything as long as they believe in God and vote Republican.
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Post by dasfuchs on Mar 4, 2009 21:12:07 GMT -5
To me, the Rapture is one big copout. "We're gonna be raptured soon, so we don't have to worry about the environment/disease/our finances/insert your responsibility here." To me, the Rapture is something that a lot of people cling to when they have given up on the world. Isn't christianity itsself a copout? "Be a total ass all your life, accept Jesus=SAVED" My old boss was really religious and i asked him that, he said "You don't understand how it works, you need to love jesus" You have some serious issues if you can love a fictional person who's part of an abusive childlike god and not love your fellow man just because they don't believe in the bullshit you do
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Post by antichrist on Mar 4, 2009 23:23:04 GMT -5
Isn't christianity itsself a copout? "Be a total ass all your life, accept Jesus=SAVED" My old boss was really religious and i asked him that, he said "You don't understand how it works, you need to love jesus" You have some serious issues if you can love a fictional person who's part of an abusive childlike god and not love your fellow man just because they don't believe in the bullshit you do There are a few Christians out there that believe works count. A couple of friends of mine are very fundamentalist. However they believe in faith through works and that you can only convert someone by being a good Christian. I guess that's why I can call them friends, they don't preach and they do a lot to help the community. They even believe homosexuality is none of their business and that's between you and god. Is there any way that we can get these people to be the "cool" Christians?
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Pookie
Junior Member
Posts: 55
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Post by Pookie on Mar 4, 2009 23:30:04 GMT -5
There are a few Christians out there that believe works count. A couple of friends of mine are very fundamentalist. However they believe in faith through works and that you can only convert someone by being a good Christian. I guess that's why I can call them friends, they don't preach and they do a lot to help the community. They even believe homosexuality is none of their business and that's between you and god. Is there any way that we can get these people to be the "cool" Christians? Sounds like they already are the cool Christians. Maybe with time their numbers will grow. To make sure, I suggest you tell them to have lots of babies.
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Post by ausador on Mar 5, 2009 1:18:48 GMT -5
I hate to burst your bubble but the country will becomeing more fundamentalist rather than less so. Why?...because every time the economy goes down people seek refuge and comfort in religion.
I'm not going to go on a google quest to find the studies...you can yourself easily since they are so prominent. Every time the economy dips in a major way in this country fundamentalism rises, what do you suppose is happening right now amongst those unemployed by this downturn? The rapture is here to stay for our lifetimes and is about to receive (is receiveing) tens of thousands of new converts.
If anything what with the internet and the economy going south things are getting worse not better. At least here in the good old U.S. of A.
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kwenf
Junior Member
Shit Happens
Posts: 59
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Post by kwenf on Mar 5, 2009 2:12:02 GMT -5
I hate to burst your bubble but the country will becomeing more fundamentalist rather than less so. Why?...because every time the economy goes down people seek refuge and comfort in religion. I'm not going to go on a google quest to find the studies...you can yourself easily since they are so prominent. Every time the economy dips in a major way in this country fundamentalism rises, what do you suppose is happening right now amongst those unemployed by this downturn? The rapture is here to stay for our lifetimes and is about to receive (is receiveing) tens of thousands of new converts. If anything what with the internet and the economy going south things are getting worse not better. At least here in the good old U.S. of A. Im pretty sure the Economy Collapse wont last for 10 years, and most people will forget all about that silly rapture when it gets better. And those people seek comfort in religion, not some extremist death cult per se
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Post by headache on Mar 5, 2009 16:00:42 GMT -5
Headache, is that your picture? Where did you find it? That's hilarious. XD No, not mine at all! I once saw it in another forum and found it again using Google's image search. I thought it was brilliant!
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Post by the sandman on Mar 5, 2009 17:38:38 GMT -5
The Rapture is a non-Biblical concept created by people who's lives sucked SO much, that the prospect of the imminent end of the world and subsequent afterlife was a comfort that enabled them to function. Occasionally a fringe sect would take it too far and snuff themselves in fevered anticipation of the event.
But they all miss the point. If life and the world suck so bad that armageddon begins to seem a preferable alternative...wouldn't it make sense to, oh, I dunno, DO something about it? To in some way strive to make life and the world NOT suck so bad?
That's why the concept of the Rapture is so damaging to human beings: it encourages people to do nothing to improve things, but just to lie back, close their eyes, and wait for it all to go away. We have seen posts with people expressing how "tired" they are of this world and how much they want to "go home." Well, THIS is your home, and if you are tired of it, then make a difference.
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Post by Julian on Mar 5, 2009 17:48:10 GMT -5
Headache, is that your picture? Where did you find it? That's hilarious. XD I remember Dave Barry doing a bunch of columns about the crazy religious people being totally convinced that the End of Times was coming soon, and then being forced to change their minds and their theories when it didn't happen. (And I remember reading a quote on the mainpage some time ago about how preserving the environment and trying to save the planet was all a waste of time because, quote, "We won't be here much longer, anyway. Jesus is coming for us soon!" It's not only hard to wrap my mind around, but it's a brain-beatingly stupid thing to think.) Reagan's minister for the interior pretty much said exactly that! (well not the brain beatingly stupid comment, but the rest of it)
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Post by Old Viking on Mar 7, 2009 20:24:48 GMT -5
Dumb never disappears.
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Post by amindfarfaraway on Mar 11, 2009 4:59:13 GMT -5
Since I pretty much consider myself one of the resident xtian theologians, I have an interesting answer to this. Evangelicalism itself, probably won't last another 20-30 years. Even their own leaders have been coming to this realization. They note that most xtians are either, if wanting to stay protestant, going to the more liberal churches, or, if wanting to stay conservative, are going to the traditionalist catholic and eastern orthodox churches. The only remnants we'll see that far down the road are those in the pentecostal and nondenominational megachurches, and even the pentecostals will probably be dying out. There more than likely won't be anymore evangelicalism or fundamentalism. It will be mostly liberalism and traditionalism, with maybe a few disparate remnant churches here and there.
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