There's lots of names for it: the End Times, the End of Days, the Rapture, the Apocalypse.
The belief system that says we can put our brains on hold, stop waking up everyday, to try and build a better world for our children -- well, because the dear leader says:
The New World will be better than this one -- and soon we will all be leaving this Old Corrupt World behind. Have Faith. Discipline your kids. They'll be OK. We will all be rewarded in Heaven.
Well that's the great thing about America, all creeds, beliefs, religions, and philosophies are welcome. "To each their own", I always say. "Live and let live."
Only one small problem though, when these short-fuse, escapist belief systems, start to impinge upon the efficient operation of our Government -- so that We can ALL keep moving forward -- well then something somewhere, has definitely crossed some sort of line.
Perhaps those End-Time Leaders, need to study up some on those other Teachings that specifically don't focus on the Rapture ... and the "next world" they're headed for ...
Mark 12
Paying Taxes to Caesar
13. Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15. Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16. They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17. Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
And they were amazed at him.
I'm no scholar, but I think Christ just told those hypocritical religious leaders of his day
-- To Pay their Taxes.
Hmmm? Not a hint of escapism there ... If only the same, could be said about "the current age" ...
End of Times escapism, is far more popular than I would have thought. No wonder, our Government can't get anything done -- nearly half of them, don't even want to be there!
Which Politicians are Waiting for the Rapture?
by Tim Murphy, motherjones.com -- May 20, 2011
But for a large percentage of the American population, the Rapture's no laughing matter. According to the Pew Research Center for People and the Press, 41 percent of American believe Jesus will return by 2050. The belief that the Rapture is not only coming, but coming soon has a very real, if subtle impact on the American political scene -- through foreign policy, economics, and social issues like gay marriage. Is your favorite politician bracing for Armageddon?
And who can forget the dear leader, Harold Camping? Strike two!
How many "strikes" does this guy get anyway?
Hurry Up And Wait for the Rapture
by Kate Sheppard, motherjones.com -- May 19, 2011
In case you've been out of the loop because your town isn't plastered with signs foretelling the End of the World, some portion of the population believes that the Rapture is coming this Saturday, May 21, at 6 p.m.
[... and again Oct 21, 2011; the first one was just a "trial run" I guess ...]
But as some of my favorite godless heathens over at the Center for Inquiry pointed out today, most Americans differ with the May 21sters only on the question of when the rapture is going to occur, not if. A total of 41 percent of Americans think Jesus Christ is returning by 2050 -- that's 23 percent who say he is "definitely" on his way back and 18 percent that say he's "probably" coming soon.
Could be, maybe. You never know. Happy days are here again!
There was just an Earthquake in Oklahoma -- didn't you hear? Better pack your bags. "It's a sign."
Yes, and so is our crumbling infrastructure, and our out of work people, and the children going to bed hungry every night -- those are all "signs".
Signs of a Government that has "checked out" on its people. Signs that the Religious Right has finally managed to bridge that Constitutional separation of Church and State. If they had their way -- the whole damn country would be in Sunday School, right about now. And Obama would be demoted to Chief Janitor in a one of our soon-to-be private schools ...
Ring of Fire: Papantonio - The Republican Apocalypse
http://youtu.be/...
uploaded by golefttv on Oct 23, 2009
[partial transcript starting around time mark 2:15]
Mike Papantonio: Let me ask you about [...] this "Left-Behind" mania, 16 novels, it sold tens of millions of copies all over -- It's "Ends of Times" cult, is what it is. In other words, I call it, I guess the nice word is Dominion Christianity, and that is:
The world's gonna End, so what the hell. Let's destroy our environment. Who cares if the Arctic melts? Yeah, who cares if were at war in Iraq? We want that because...
These are people who are waiting, sitting on their hands -- waiting for the World to End!
Frank Schaeffer: Yes they are. [... as I've written about ...]
"Spaceship Jesus will come back and whisk us away."
[...] Bad News, is Good News for these people -- they want the End. They are ready to just go to a hill top, wait for Jesus, and allow the rest of us to burn.
Mike Papantonio: In the meantime Frank, really they're in this small-capsuled world, where they hate the Federal Government -- they're the Enemy.
The End is Near: Secular Society is their Enemy, Art is their Enemy, Learning is their Enemy, Culture is their Enemy, Education is their Enemy.
They're in this capsule, ready to go, aren't they?
Frank Schaeffer: [...] They think that's justified by the fact that God must be judging this country, because it no longer measures up to their idea of what morality is, or what Government should be. So they've rejected the whole thing.
[...] Now what you see is the real party of anti-American fervor -- that just hates this country, as it is, and want to see God destroy it -- is coming from the right! And these are the same people that in other instances wrap themselves in the flag, and claim to be as Sarah Palin kept saying: "the Real America".
[...]
Mike Papantonio: What they've developed is this Apocalyptic Rapture Cult, as you described. And anybody that is in the Republican Party right now, has got to see that -- talk about of "End of Times, it is the "end of times" for the Republican Party, if they don't get this under control.
Frank Schaeffer: Yeah it is. You know, people say this analogy is extreme, but it really isn't -- what we've really got in our country now, with the far right, the religious right that has taken over the Republican Party (and certainly put it in fear of speaking up against it -- egged on cynically of course by the Rush Limbaugh's, the FOX News, the Glenn Beck's of this world); But the fact of the matter is those bedrock foot-soldiers are literally "living on a different planet": They're no longer on the fact-based, reality-based community. In fact to them, "Facts" are suspect. If you talk about the earth maybe being older than 6000 years; or if you talk about the fact that maybe sex education prevents pregnancy; if you talk about the fact that gays aren't trying to take over the world -- you know, that all these ...
Mike Papantonio: Or that we should take care of the "least of our society".
Frank Schaeffer: Right! Or that maybe Health Care is a good thing for children ... and all the rest of it. They have essentially completely bought into an alternative view of reality. I mean it used to be that Republicans and Democrats could sit down and argue about how they could best deal with the "facts" -- but they all agreed on the same facts.
[...]
Reality. Facts. Tolerance. Compassion. Those were the days.
But who needs them, when you got your "ticket punched" for "Spaceship Jesus"?
Reality is for fools. Aka. the other 59% who really don't put much stock in that one-way ticket out-a-here, of its being put to good use, anytime soon. Just ask Harold. (Hmmm, I wonder if he's unpacked yet?)
Just ask that "great teacher", upon who's words, all their Escapist dreams of paradise elsewhere, are based ...
Matthew 24
Signs of the End of the Age
3. As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
[...]
The Day and Hour Unknown
36. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father.
42. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
45. “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46. It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.
Funny, I'm no scholar, but I didn't see any fine print there, that says:
Except for you GOP-Tea Party -- Psst you want to know a secret? ... Except for you Dominionists -- Want to get into Heaven? -- first, just take over the Government.
Funny it says: "No one knows" -- that only God knows (... about that End of Days stuff. So keep busy, in the meanwhile ...)
No one. That seems like a very inclusive list.
Until then, we are supposed to be making sure that "people get fed" and the "trains run on time" (if I'm reading the fine print correctly of what Christ actually said to his worry-wart followers) ...
you know we are supposed to be doing all that "compassionate human stuff" that makes this world, a better place.
Who knew? We are actually supposed to "love other people", and actually help them out.
Not "check out" on them ... as the other 41% of Spaceship America seems to predisposed to do ...
Now, if they only knew how to read; if they only knew how to, think for themselves ... what a "better world" it would already be.
Afterall, there is no shortage of things to fix in this life, is there?
Only a shortage of people, who think, it's their responsibility.