I'm perplexed by why the fundies want and pray for the rapture...

[Javaman]

I mean, okay, I'm speaking from a rational point of view so that sort of limits me, but what is gained by living a sheltered life that brings judgment, hypocrisy and blame to others, while all the while hoping for your own death to go to heaven?

Now I'm not religious or believe in organized religion of any sort, but I would think, logically, that a life of peace, giving, understanding and helping the poor would be the sure fire trick to get you a pass into heaven, right?

Call me kooky.

[CornField]

1. My take: They fear death

The rapture is a way for humans to leave the planet to go live with diety without having to undergo death.

[leveymg]

17. My take - they fear life, and all the uncertainty and choices that have

to be made. These are people who are uncomfortable with human existence, so they'd rather do away with it, altogether, in a ball of flame.

This is their Godhead, and and their Salvation. Just leave me out of it.

[calico1]

19. My take..they are losers.

The rapture is the only thing that gives them hope since they are total losers who can't be responsible or take care of themselves.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

2. With the rapture they get to leave all the rest of the world behind.

And fundies just hate the rest of the world, All Those Who Are Different.

Wonder what they'll say when they end up in their Hell??

:evilgrin:

[awoke_in_2003]

32. I just wish...

that they would hurry up and go. Getting tired of hearing these asshats. :)

[KansDem]

34. Really...

RAPTURE DON'T BE LATE
(a.k.a. The Chipmunk Song)

Rapture, Rapture time is near
Time for Fundie-crazed to cheer
They’ve been "good," but they can't last
Hurry Rapture, hurry fast

Want a seat at God’s right hand
The rest of us can wait and stand
They can hardly stand the wait
Please Rapture, don't be late.
They can hardly stand the wait
Please Rapture, don't be late.

[kevinbgoode]

3. They get tired of trying to repeatedly create hell on earth. . .

so they pray for the day they can try to do the same in heaven.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Well, they think after the rapture comes a perfect life.

Although depending on what flavor fundy they are they either get lifted up before the tribulation, get to show off their endurance during the tribulation, or serve Jesus as He reigns in peace over the earth for a thousand years.... and then burns everything up.

[Epiphany4z]

5. I have an Aunt who is

a fundamentalist catholic. She told me she is sometimes so depressed and miserable with her life that she prays for the rapture she wants it to hurry up and come.

It seems to me for her it is a mixture of depression and wanting the get worst over.

[Occulus]

6. I personally think they're the deeceived spoken of in their own Bible

These people never knew Christ to begin with.

[yellowcanine]

7. It is the ultimate "deus ex machina". Doesn't matter how much you screw

up your life and how unhappy you are, you will either die or you will be raptured. Either way you are good to go.

[LuCifer]

8. they have a DEATHWISH

and who wouldn't, given all the sick crap they've pulled lo these many decades.

Lu

[Skidmore]

9. That promise was a promise originally made to slaves who

had no earthly possessions beyond what the master was willing to let them have and no hope of accummulating "treasures" on earth. It was a hope of something better to come to you as payment for the suffering in the coporeal world. Those who teach this now are gluttonous and greedy themselves and feed on the hopes and fears of many who have little hope of upward social mobility.

[hwmnbn]

10. They want to die and have "big daddy" god...

take care of them. They are afraid of life, look forward to death but too scared to step in the self-checkout line.

Only other reason I can think of is they're nuts.

[Bluestar]

11. From Someone Raised in a Fundie Church

These people fear their own death like nothing else. According to the Fundie's interpretation of the Bible, during the rapture those who are left on earth will be ascended into heaven without physically dying. This could be why so many of them want it. Those believers who are already dead (it gets really weird here, like so much of their belief system) have had their "spirits" already ascended when they died, but on rapture day their physical bodies will be restored and lifted out of their graves. Jesus is supposed to appear in the sky to make all this happen. The non-believers who are still alive will be left here to experience the tribulation. Non-believers who have died will already be in hell.

It's been years since I went to this church (stopped going as soon as I could when I was 18) so some of this may have "evolved" but this is what I was taught. It seemed very weird to me at the time and laughable now.

[waiting for hope]

12. Then most of us "sane" ones out there

are kooky. Listen to Jimmy Carter on religion to get a clearer understanding on the fundie way of thinking.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4984885

[ret5hd]

13. Bewcause deep-down, in their heart-of-hearts...

they don't KNOW that there is a god..."maybe those godless creationists are right and i'm wrong and i'm not sure but i sure hope and if the rapture would just happen today i could be sure and everything will be alright but what if those goddamned atheists are right, but i hope they aren't, oh jeebus please let the rapture be today so i can quit worrying..."

[yurbud]

14. they are two payments behind on their mobile home and one of their kids...

is sick and the oldest don't want to join the army for some reason but is talking about COLidGE.

Rather than see these as problems that can be fixed politically or otherwise, they just want Jesus to take them away.

[Silverhair]

15. You are mixing up different aspects of Christian Doctrine.

Entrance to Heaven is NOT gain by good works. No one is able to be good enough to pass the test. Entrance is by faith, and a person of faith will do good works as a natural product of their faith. Work alone, no matter how good, are an attempt to get in by putting God in your debt - doesn't work.

The Rapture is not death as such, but is a direct translation of all living Christians to His Presence. You are alive and then you are even more alive.

The Christian does not bring blame, hypocracy and judgement to anyone. Such a person brings it upon themselves.

[Javaman]

21. Thank you, that was the kind of answer I was looking for...

"Entrance is by faith, and a person of faith will do good works as a natural product of their faith." I think that's what I was getting at, a true person of faith does the various acts of goodness because it is a product of their faith and not a requirement.

Which then leads me, by that logic, people who don't observe a form of piety or helping of their fellow man as a result of their belief in their faith, aren't really faithful to their religion. Is this line of thinking correct in its logic?

I'm not faithful because of my deeds, I do my deeds because of my faith.

[Silverhair]

35. Yes. That is a good paraphrase of the book of James in ...

...the New Testament. "You say you have faith. That is well. I will show you my faith by my works." and "...faith without works is dead." That is close to a quote without looking up the passage.

[Javaman]

36. I guess, I must ask the enteral question then...

Why is it so difficult for people to do that? I think I know the answer: because it's hard to have real faith.

Thank you for your responce, I appreciate it. :)

[Richard D]

16. Hey, I'm praying for the rapture too . . .

. . . just hoping to see all the fundies lifted up into the sky, gone forever.

[pitohui]

18. they hate life

they hate life so they long for death but they are too cowardly to commit suicide, hence the fantasies of ecstatic death in the form of rapture

there is no rapture in the gospels, this is not biblical but a mental illness to be in love w. the death of life on earth

[paparush]

20. Q: Do other religions (Islam, Bhudists, Jewish, ect..)..

Contain an Apocolypse? Or is twisted Christianity the only one?

[RaleighNCDUer]

22. IIRC, in Islam the world ends in fire.

I rather like Ragnorok, with the world ending in ice.

[spunky]

23. I think its selfishness. Not wanting the world to go on after you've

left it.

That and probably a bit of fear of going alone. In the Rapture, all the believers go with you.

Although I don't think it has anything to do with politics. More with psychology.

[C_U_L8R]

24. It's the ultimate irresponsibility clause...

they don't need to be good citizens
on earth cause lil baby jesus is gonna come
down and take me away to heavenland
where all their sins will be forgiven.

yeah right.

[Roland99]

25. They want to be able to say "I told you so!" in the "after life".

morans.

[wtbymark]

26. and I just thought they wanted their quarterback back lol

[WeRQ4U]

27. Because they want so bad to prove to everyone that they're right.

And they'll pray for the rapture to happen so that all of those people who DON'T believe what they do, will suffer.

In every aspect, they are quite Christian.

[Az]

28. Because they love Jesus

The Rapture means they get to go meet him. If it's the beleif set they adhere to it makes perfect sense. Jesus is this really really great guy and he did some really nice things that really put himself to an extreme inconvenience.

Keep in mind that death to them is not the same as it is to you. For them it is just a change of state. Dead doesn't mean the end. It just means the burden of this life is set down and one can enjoy the benefits of heaven. What's not to look forward to? It's everything they ever wanted. And they believe it is going to happen soon.

Just don't mention that the bible claims that Jesus said he would return soon over 2000 years ago. Kinda puts a damper on the word soon.

[info being]

29. When your life sucks, death seems like a good option

[Politicub]

30. The though of all of the potential punishment

of their enemies causes their loins to twitch. It's not about God's love, for the fundies it's all about the punishment that gets meted out by the righteous torturer on high. Witness GWB and his defenders who constantly defend the official US policy condoning torture.

My other theory is that these people are so depressed from their inability to deal with the modern world, that they hold on to a belief in being removed from it as their only hope. It's sad, really.

[Norquist Nemesis]

31. I say bring it on and free the rest of us!

At the very least we'll have 1,000 years of peace, right?

[stevietheman]

33. I have a related question: Why would anyone *want* to have a life after...

death? I don't. When I die, I want to be dead and vanished. Note: I am not wishing for death anytime soon. :)