"When the Rapture comes we'll be able to eat all the ice cream we want and not gain weight."

[arbusto_baboso]

That's an actual quote overheard by a friend of mine.

The story is tjhat my friend works for her father's private business. This friend is herself agnostic, but her father is hard-core fundie christian. To his credit, he doesn't discriminate against non-believers, but since he and so many of his employees ARE fundies, the non-believers tend not to stay for very long.

Yesterday in the lunch room, my friend was seated with several coworkers, all but one of whom are fundies. They started talking about how "all signs point to The End of Days" and dicussed what they were going to do after they were Raptured. My friend piped in with, "How bad must your life be if you're looking for it to end soon?"

Of course, they jumped all over her (verbally) and denied that's what it was about. Besides such theologically brilliant topics as the aforementioned one about ice cream and weight gain, they also discussed whether or not there would be sex in heaven.

Keep in mind, most of these people are also teabaggers, according to my friend.

Reason will not work with them. Facts will not work with them. They are engaged in an active denial and rejection of modernity and the reality of the world around them. That's what the Religous Right specifically, and conservatism in general, are all about.

[valerief]

1. Teh Stupid is like a vice on my skull. It's like trying to talk to a wall. nt

[LiberalLoner]

2. I know one teabagger who is absolutely convinced 100% that Jesus is coming back

within the next year or two. If you try to say maybe not, she flies off the handle. Even thinking that the end of the world might not happen in the next year or so is really threatening to her and her ilk. They HAVE to believe the world is ending. It's the only way they can handle the world and this life.

[abelenkpe]

6. I knew a guy who felt the same way back in 1998.

Wonder if he's disappointed the end hasn't come yet. How f'ed up is it to spend your whole life waiting for the end of the world? I'd feel sorry for these people if they weren't so dangerously stupid and multiplying.

[14thColony]

24. This is how I was raised in the 1970s

That the Rapture would be any day now, but definitely by the end of the year -- year after year. Adults have no idea what effect this has on kids. I remember my parents praising me on how well I was doing one year (4th grade, fundamentalist Christian private school) and I asked "Why does it matter? Once the world ends who's going to care how I did in school?" They had no real response to that. If they truly believed what they said, why would that, or house payments, or credit card bills even matter? And they're still sure it's going to be any day now, but definitely by the end of the year. What a depressing way to live.

[Odin2005]

48. It's mental compartmentalization.

Most people believe in the "God" bullshit, but it does not affect their day-to-day lives. They don't even see the contradictions between their beliefs and their actions.

[Stuart G]

8. Jesus was suppposed to come back a while ago...hmm did he?

[Xipe Totec]

11. He did. And nobody fucks with him

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IONyLZn0pLI

[ejpoeta]

17. my guess would be jesus would come back and they'd call him an illegal

or something and tell him to quit livin off their taxes.

[Beartracks]

3. She might have also asked...

... "What are you going to do if you get left behind?"

Then perhaps added: "Maybe we could hang out!"

---------------------

[arbusto_baboso]

10. Yeah, it's pretty arrogant assuming YOU will be one of the raptured ones.

But then fundie xianity is all about the arrogance.

[abelenkpe]

4. Pretty scary really

People need to do more to counter the rising wave of ignorance and stupidity in this country.

Pretty much why I think it's very important to invest in quality public education for our kids. without that investment in the future the future is just going to be more of the same.

[arbusto_baboso]

21. They've infiltrated most of the school boards across the country.

They have a huge head start on anything or anyone rational.

[vademocrat]

5. Yay! I bet Jesus is really Santa Claus too...n/t

[obxhead]

7. Funny. End times have been upon us for 2000 years now.

They continue to be disappointed still.

[arbusto_baboso]

9. And pointing that out gets you deer-in-the-headlights looks.

Because 'this time it's really different". You know, like tax cuts for the wealthy will create jobs this time, even though it never has before.

[LiberalLoner]

12. OMG that's the perfect description of that look they get! Like they truly never

considered that possibility before. Sheesh. Part of me wishes these modern day Millerites would just move to some remote area and create their own Jesusland world.

[Sapphocrat]

16. Miller's one of my favorite end-timers.

I think his sheep gave him three strikes before they finally abandoned him altogether.

But my very favorite (and this is from memory, so I might miss a detail or two) is a fellow called Hon-ming Chen, head of God Saves The Earth Flying Saucer Foundation, a.k.a. God's Salvation Church, who was expecting God (maybe Jesus, or maybe Big Daddy) to return in March of 1998.

His followers were so convinced, about 150 of them moved to Garland, Texas, to wait for God to send them updates on the TV news.

Why Garland? Because "Garland" sounded kinda like "God-land."

(I wonder if they're still there?)

[GoCubsGo]

28. What do you mean tax cuts for the wealthy never created jobs?

The last round DID create them--in China, in India...

[The Straight Story]

29. Talking about global warming or religious end? Been hearing both for a spell

and people keep pointing to the signs :)

[obxhead]

36. Well on this post I am referring only to the religious end times

I get what your saying about global warming though as well. As far as that end times approach I have 2 things I put into that argument before I walk away and watch the fight ensue. First, even if global warming were a farce, it sure would be nice to clean the pollution out of the air so we can see the sky and stars as they really are. Second, if the sky is falling people are right and we do not do point 1, then we will likely reach a point where it can not be fixed in time and the only reason not to do point 1 is so multinational corporations can produce a greater profit.

For purposes of these posts I was referring to the religious end times. I have a great friend who wants children desperately, but says she can't bring herself to do so because too many things point to end times. I explained to her that if you look for those things you have been able to find them every year since long before Christians even came to be. That always starts a great conversation that always ends up with me ending it by saying "If your god is so grand and heaven is so great why would you be afraid of end times and your family being saved?" It always ends the conversation too as she has no ammo to answer it.

[The Straight Story]

45. And for purposes of this post::

There are some, not of a religious bent, who feel the same way about having kids based on how they see things now. End is near, world is full of iniquity, etc.

The 'End times' are hardly something that the fundies have a monopoly on.

[FSogol]

13. Get my agent on the phone, I call dibs on "The Rapture Diet Plan"

:woohoo:

[Sapphocrat]

14. Not surprising.

Someone I know very well had to go back to work for the first time in decades because her husband was spending all their retirement money on gadgets; his reasoning was that The End was imminent (like, immediate), so what was the point in saving it?

Yes, they're fundies, Teabaggers, and addicted to Faux News -- and, yes, absolutely unreachable. When confronted by such foreign concepts as fact and logic and critical thought, it's like somebody hits a button, and a force field of impenetrable ignorance goes up.

I love your friend's response, btw.

[arbusto_baboso]

19. She actually got it from me.

She has to deal with far more stupid shit than I do, so I usually arm her with some choice comments.

[davidinalameda]

15. will gluttony still be a sin after they're dead?

[arbusto_baboso]

20. Apparently, it's not even a sin now.

Have you seen some of these people?

[davidinalameda]

23. unfortunately I have

makes me feel better about having a belly though

[Buns_of_Fire]

18. "You didn't hear? It happened about five months ago."

I know. Evil.:evilgrin:

[EstimatedProphet]

22. When the rapture comes, we'll have an increase in mean IQ by 75 points

[RandomThoughts]

25. I will have a rational discussion on political topics.

Although what if the two people talking have different base postulations of what existence is. From there they build there world view. So really to have a discussion you have to go back to the base assumptions of reality that build all the other views.


Literally the logic of 'the way it is' or 'the world is not fair' or 'people are mostly evil' is most of the postulations that many of the 'realistic' policies are built from.


Honestly, before having any 'realistic' discussions you have to go to the basic point.

Is it better to help everyone, help people you like most, or help yourself.


And that is much of the teachings of Christianity. Ideas of thinking on concepts of helping even your enemy, not being selfish, and showing love to everyone, even if not a friend.


People argue over some tax policy, or media opinions, when the real discussion is about what is more important, how many people are treated better, or whats in it for me. There are some discussions on how that can be achieved, but most of the discussions are not about that. I would go as far as to say many discussions really aren't even discussions but people talking without realizing their primary motivations.

If a person does not know their empathy circles, and how they distribute whatever resources or talents they have, and for why, then conversations after that have little meaning. And if people are not honest about that after thinking about it, then discussions are just to persuade someone watching, not to learn or teach any truth.

[Catshrink]

30. Yeah, whatever.

[old mark]

26. It is amusing that these people claim to love the bible, but know so little about it.

The "rapture" they claim to be awaiting any day was written as something that was about to happen several thousand years ago, and people have been wasting their lives waiting for it ever since.
O used to work with a lot of these people, too, and they take comfort in this belief because in many cases their personal lives are unhappy and dull. It makes them "special", like belonging to the Mickey Mouse Club.

mark

[old mark]

27. Lots of real information on "The Rapture" from Paul's letter to the dates, starting in the 1700's.

Link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture

Very interesting article and contains more real information that any roomful of fundies can process.

The entire concept hinges on one sentence in one of Paul's letters to the Thesilonians and a lot of "study" based on previous "study"...

It was supposed to happen in 1994, you know...


mark

[WolverineDG]

31. Yeah, well, we'll get all their stuff, so I guess it evens out

Just a note that not all Christians believe in this Rapture shit.

dg

[Catshrink]

32. It's an excuse

... not to live one's life to the fullest now, in this time, on this Earth.

... not to live a healthy life or take care of oneself, i.e., I can eat all I want becaue Jesus is coming soon so I'll never get diabetes or have a heart attack or stroke.

... not to care about the poor, sick, homeless, etc. because after Jesus comes they won't matter anymore. (What about those Beatitudes?)

... not to do something productive but rather piss away one's time watching junk TV.

... not to study or educate oneself because I'll just be throwing away all that hard work becaue Jesus is coming (and besides, that learning is so hard).

:shrug:

[onecent]

33. I thought the rapture already arrived and 2 people are missing n/t

[CanonRay]

34. That's not much different from the 70 virgins

All fundies are alike, IMHO

[COLGATE4]

35. Saw a great bumper sticker the other day: When the Rapture

comes can I have your car? You might ask them a question like that.

[obxhead]

37. That is a great sticker.

Counters the "unmanned car" rapture sticker some are so fond of.

[opihimoimoi]

39. OBAMA IS GOD...they don't get it yet....HE came to save His Creation, Earth....not Humans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18BEYdtBnk0&feature=related

[BolivarianHero]

38. I have a professor from Arkansas...

I asked him if people there really speculated about the Rapture in day-to-day conversation. Unlike their stereotypes of Canadians, it turns out that this ones actually true.

I've had a lot of awesome progressive profs from the U.S. even though I'm in Ottawa.

[tanyev]

40. Heck, eat all the ice cream you want now!

If you're gonna get a perfect, glorified body in a few years anyway, why not live it up?

[Blue Owl]

41. eternal gluttony

The Palin runs deep in them, as Jon Stewart would say...

[TrogL]

42. there is no sex in heaven - no requirement for procreation

[Hugabear]

43. Ah, good old End Time Prophecy

I remember when I was a kid in the early 1980s, preachers talking about the "signs" of the End Times, how they were certain that the Rapture was imminent. They point to stuff like wars, famine, disease, and all sorts of other stuff to "prove" their point. Problem is, the "signs" are so damned vague that they can be applied to any point in time...of course that's deliberate.

[Tsiyu]

44. they believe the phrase "become like little children"

means: become very childish.

Most fundies I've met seem to be stuck in pre-pubescence intellectually, which is why they are so easy to inculcate.

[RedCloud]

46. If it's coming and they are tea baggers, pass on the dessert!

[Odin2005]

47. The average person's conception of "God" and "Heaven" have not changed since the Bronze Age.

Much of our technology is indistinguishable from magic in the minds of most.