Lusting for death

Jason Thibeault,

I need to watch this documentary.

The Rapture Doctrine, the belief that good Christians will be bodily spirited away during the tribulations leading up to the End Times, was invented by John Nelson Darby in roughly 1828 and taught primarily by the Plymouth Bretheren, making its way to American soil in about 1860. Since then it has been thoroughly integrated into fundamentalism such that it provides a convenient escape valve for the good Christians to avoid the pain that their Bible assures them will occur:

These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
-John 16:33

I guess God’s divine plan of catching the good Christians up at the last trumpet-blast post-tribulation isn’t good enough of an insurance policy, and fundies would prefer to be spirited away suddenly and before any of the prophesied bad-stuff happens. And so, since bringing about armageddon would also result in the good Christians being spirited away, there are whole sects of Christianity that make a concerted effort to bring about war in the Middle East over a tiny scrap of land that was “promised” by God to three different religions simultaneously. At least, according to each one’s foundational texts.

I have to wonder how cynical those that preach Rapture doctrine are, given that they recognize pet insurance ventures as scams, without also admitting that they’re scams because the Rapture is a fevered invention of someone who thought the End Times would be scary and painful, and not a good bait for the hook of Christianity. The pet insurance ventures are good in two ways — they separate the credulous and their money, and they force the cynical religious leaders to tip their hands and admit they’re scamming their sheep.

I hope I haven’t frightened you all too much this Tuesday morning.

Hat tip for the video to The Good Atheist.

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Lusting for death

About the author

Hi! I'm a tech guy, skeptic, feminist, gamer and atheist, and love OSS and science of all stripes. I enjoy a good bit of whargarbl now and again, and will occasionally even seek it out. I am also apparently responsible for the death of common sense on the internet. My bad.

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6 thoughts on “Lusting for death”

  2. Steve
    2

    As an atheist who was once a believer, I had honestly never thought much about the doctrine of the rapture when I did believe and, of course, don’t ever think about it now that I’m a non-believer. It’s interesting to learn that the doctrine was not introduced until 1860.

    I’m off to read more about this one. More ammunition, er, I mean resources.

    Thanks.

  3. jthibeault
    3

    To clarify — the doctrine of PRE-tribulation rapture is what’s novel in the Darby theology. That the survivors of the tribulation get bodily spirited up to Heaven, at the same time as Christ returns to Earth and the Christians that fall during the Tribulation get resurrected, is not new, and is well-supported by the Bible.

    (As though that proved any level of its verity…)

  4. Steve
    4

    Thanks for the clarification. Pre- vs post-tribulation rapture was definitely a discussion that took place among believers that I can recall. Most of them did believe in the pre-tribulation rapture however.

    The ones I had experience with actually relished in the idea that sinners would be left to endure the suffering while they spent their time with the zombie child. Thinking back on it, it’s almost stomach churning.

    I remember there also being discussion of the issue of whether or not someone could get into heaven if they became a follower during the tribulation. My biblical knowledge is really rusty so I don’t recall if there was mention of it.

  6. Angel
    6

    One of the best articles I’ve seen on Google about the rapture is titled “Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty.” It is shocking but well documented. Other good articles are “Pretrib Rapture Diehards” and “America’s Pretrib Rapture Traffickers.” The pretrib rapture, it seems is only 179 years old!
    Angel

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