Birth Pangs

[dasmarian]

I'm not some fundamentalist whack job but I like to read their crap so I know where they are coming from (know thy enemy). I have done some reading about the alleged "end of the world" business and thought this was really odd the other day ...

Rice initially referred to the carnage in Lebanon as symbolizing "birthpangs of democracy."

Very similar wording from the Bible is often quoted by the Rapturists:

Matt 24 7-8-"nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are BEGINNING of birth pangs.

Mark 13 8-"...kingdom against kingdom...earthquakes... famines... These things are merely the BEGINNING of birth pangs."

I thought it was very odd wording on her part, especially considering the Matthew verse, because you could read her statement as 'the rising of nation against nation (Israel against Lebanon) is only the birthpangs of democracy'. I wonder if it was a 'signal' to the rapture ready folks that the administration is working hard to bring forth these prophesies and motivate the base.

Just an observation, but I thought I'd throw it out there to see if I'm a whackjob conspiracy theorist myself :-)

[idgiehkt]

1. of course

they get coached on pseudo-christian code. it's part of the game-plan

[izzie]

3. I am with you on that.

--

[Ms. Clio]

2. hmmmm very interesting

I think you may be onto something here, since there have been several discussions lately about the Bushistas speaking in that kind of "code" to their fundy base.

[I_Make_Mistakes]

4. Thanks for the update, the birth pangs really did sound odd, like

where did that come from?

I looked up your first reference to Matthew 24:7-8 and read what preceded it.

Matthew 24: 5 "For many will come in my name, saying "I am the Messiah", and they will lead many astray."

That sounds more like a Robertson, *Bush, etc. type to me, who on the left is preaching any of this crap.

Matthew 24: 6 "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet." It does not state that YOU Should START wars!

I am a Christian, but not one of those kind that:

1). Believes in the rapture (concocted in the 1800's)
2). Believes that Robertson etc, even remotely resembles the characteristics described in the
Gospels of the early Christians .
3). Believes that the Lord needs my help to make His Will be Done, I think God is quite capable of
doing it himself.

These people are so haughty and vain that they cannot see God because their ego surrounds them with deception.

[SeattleVet]

5. Horsey on the "Birth Pangs":

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/horsey/viewbydate.asp?id=1437