REVELATION-With another empty promise in the books that was assured to everyone by end-of-the-world, Rapture touting premillennialist Harold Camping, a wildly unbecoming characteristic of believers from contending denominations and other religions as well has reared its beastly head. Comments about how "stupid," "idiotic," and "absolutely crazy" the people that follow this guy must be are plentiful throughout headline articles, Facebook, newspapers, internet forums, and daily conversation. Obviously, it's a given that Mr. Camping was wrong about his grand prediction, but I want to bring into light the lip service that so many are delivering while pointing out that anyone who could believe in a claim so ridiculous such as Harold Camping's Biblical-based forecast that May 21, 2011 was the date for the Rapture, must be "idiotic." Many of the same people that shout from their self-righteous, "I would never believe such stupidity," soapbox amazingly (at least to me) believe in the following: Balaam's talking donkey (Numbers 22:30), a virgin birth (Matthew 1:18), resurrections (2 Kings 13:21 plus many others), parting the Red Sea (Exodus 14:26), feeding 5,000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish (Luke 9:16-17), Samson killing 1,000 men with the jawbone of a donkey (Judges 15:16), a talking snake (Genesis 3:4), Noah's Ark (Genesis Chapters 6-8), a man walking on water (John 6:19), stopping the sun in the sky for Joshua (Joshua 10:13, even though Earth revolves around the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:5 also mentions that the sun moves around Earth), and human beings living 900+ years (Genesis 5:27 and many others.)
I just have a few questions: are these things not far more ridiculous than someone predicting the end of the world and getting it wrong? What is different from one religion's claims about God compared to someone else's such as Mahatma Gandhi, and his "experiences" with his Hindu gods? What makes him wrong and you right? What makes _____ (insert any God here) real and Zeus a myth? I urge everyone to take a look in the mirror and examine your own beliefs before calling others crazy because it just may be that you believe in some pretty outrageous stuff yourself. However, if you grant yourself the common "exception" regarding supernatural beliefs, that somehow your "miracles" are different from every other religion's "miracles," I'm sure you won't think so. ;)
Additional Note: I would like to mention that I fully support the freedom to believe anything you want. I am simply utilizing the right to voice my opinion the same as a preacher uses her right to voice hers. To sum up my point, people often get offended when anyone criticizes their religion or beliefs, yet they seem to have little problem throwing their own stones and calling others "crazy."
4 comments:
On Mr. Camping's "prediction": Matthew 24:11 "And many false prophets shall rise, and deceive many." 24:23 "Then if any man say unto you, Lo, here is Christ,or there, believe it not." 24:36 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." 24:42 "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."
Now, you have to understand something. This thing called "Christianity" was not intended by God, or Jesus, in his teachings. He never labeled what he was teaching. What he was teaching was Divinity. Christianity is a Pagan overlay of what Jesus taught. Nearly everything in Christianity is paganism. You can do an independent research on your own to confirm this. I have posted many things about it on FB. You put too much emphasis on the shortcomings of Christianity, and not enough emphasis on Divinity. These people who call themselves Christians, scarcely believe in what Jesus taught. It has been set up that way from the beginning of Christianity. NOT what Jesus actually taught. If you go back and study the COMPLETE scripture, and not a verse here, or there, it begins to make more sense. Camping was merely another false prophet. He was/is a part of the greater Luciferian doctrine. He is one that should not be believed, and quite frankly, I'm amazed that he got as much attention as he did from the mainstream media. I paid no attention to him. As did many other people who are striving for DIVINITY, not to be confused with being "Christian". Some friendly advise: Stop worrying about how messed up people who claim to be Christians are, because, indeed, they are a fucked up lot. Rather, start looking for the Divine nature which resides in yourself, and focus on that field of study. That's what I have done. It has opened up so many new avenues of thought for me, and others like me. I have discovered the reasons for the shortcomings of "Christians", while discovering that Divinity is much greater than the sum of all religions. PEACE!!
I see no problem with you voicing your opinion. I hope you have no problem with me voicing mine. First of all, I rarely see Christians calling the beliefs of others “stupid” or “crazy”, particularly atheists, except in response to first being attacked themselves or when referring to ideas or activities that everyone would agree are “stupid” or “crazy” (such as a prediction for the end of the world). Calling people names and mocking their beliefs seems the common tactic for atheists, however, as you have demonstrated by suggesting God’s Words from the Bible are mere “stupidity” and “ridiculous”. And, by at least one account, perhaps only a thousand people may have believed Camping, whereas you have just denigrated hundreds of millions.
To answer your questions, belief in miracles is not “ridiculous” because God performs them even today and there were thousands of eye-witness accounts of some of the events you describe. On the other hand, predictions for the end of the world are clearly unbiblical and not to be believed as Jesus told us himself that no one knows the day or hour except the Father Himself. What makes the Christian God right and others wrong? That should be pretty obvious. Other god’s were invented by the fallible imaginations of men. However the Christian God invented man himself. Whereas fallible men have revealed their “god” to others, God has revealed Himself to mankind. There is evidence for the Christian God; there is no evidence for others.
@Korgplaya, I’m a little confused by your position and the terms you have used. I would be interested in some clarification. I do not consider Christianity a “religion”. By all accounts, it is simply REALITY. To be a Christian, by definition, is to follow Christ. There are many religions BASED on Christianity (such as Catholicism etc) and they may hold beliefs contradictory to the Bible, but it seems a stretch to call them Satanism. While I obviously have disagreement with Ragzy, we are both searching for REALITY and interestingly have come to diametrically opposed positions. Perhaps you equate reality with divinity? Can you perhaps provide a link that summarizes your beliefs?
Oh, by the way, it’s not surprising at all that he got so much attention by the mainstream media. As you must be aware, they are very liberally biased and will latch onto any story which they feel provides a way to denigrate Christians. I agree that most Christians did not pay much attention to it as neither did I. Nevertheless, I think their overall ministry means well and in the end whatever one believes does not change God’s Truth.
Lastly, I think you’re wrong, at least to some extent, about Ragzy. He doesn’t seem to have much problem with what mainstream “religions” believe. Many of them are rather liberal in their teachings, particularly when it comes to the Bible. Rather, his problem seems to be with what Jesus actually taught. If I recall correctly from other posts, he may not even believe that Jesus existed. Although I will agree that many Christians misrepresent Christianity as well.
LOL! I don’t know what made me think of this today, but why in the world are you claiming that this was a false prophecy? The end of the world DID happen! However it occurred in one of those other multiverses that the beloved preacher Richard Dawkins likes to croon about. If atheists can use multiverses to excuse the impossible odds of life developing in the universe all by itself, then others can certainly use it to excuse their own predictions.
Post a Comment