Atheist here - I come in peace

[JustSean]

Hi everyone,

A friend of mine suggested I try this site to share some articles with you and get your opinions.

Unfortunately, I found out last night I must have five posts prior to posting a link on this site.

In the meantime, while I get my five posts under my belt, I was wondering how you feel about Harold Camping and his prediction for the Rapture in 23 days.

Cheers, Sean

 

[TomO]

Welcome to TOL. Look around get engaged in some of the discussions. You'll find more of your kind around here.

Regarding Campings silliness:

Matt. 24:36

 

[JustSean]

Regarding Campings silliness:

Matt. 24:36

Thanks!

I'm pretty well versed in scripture - raised Catholic, then Protestant, then decided to give it up for lent and never went back.

Agree with you on the Matthew verse - but was curious how many Christians are actually buying in to the whole thing. Billboards everywhere seem to be advertising the Camping prediction - which means money is coming in from somewhere...???

 

[TomO]

Thanks!

I'm pretty well versed in scripture - raised Catholic, then Protestant, then decided to give it up for lent and never went back.

Agree with you on the Matthew verse - but was curious how many Christians are actually buying in to the whole thing. Billboards everywhere seem to be advertising the Camping prediction - which means money is coming in from somewhere...???

I'm willing to bet you won't find too many on this site.....but

:idunno: Unfortunatelly gullibility and ignorance is not always something which OUR LORD works out in people. Many will take the word of a Pastor they favor over the words of Scripture or the very Spirit which lives (or not) within them.

Tragic really, but an illustration of the difference between Religion and GOD (I know that's not a distinction Atheists make but it is one that Christians often will. :chuckle: )

 

[Gsusis]

It is quite tragic that "the rapture" was ever actually defined. It is a lot like evolution, Darwin didn't mean it to define the beginning of life he simply meant that organisms do evolve. "the rapture" might actually be referring to the grapes that the Lord gleans from the earth, in order to tread and fill His vials of wrath. The rapture that I believe in, that is depicted in Thess. where it says at the trump sound we all shall be caught up together to meet Him in the sky, I believe doesn't happen until just moments before God pours out those grapes of wrath - the vial judgments - but not until after all the seals and trumpets have been fulfilled, at the last trumpet sound. 1 Cor 15:52 talks of the last trump sound and Christ does not come forth from heaven until after the trumps have been blown, Rev. 15:11 Christ appears on the scene.

 

[alwight]

I'm pretty well versed in scripture - raised Catholic, then Protestant, then decided to give it up for lent and never went back.

Hi JustSean :wave:
Despite my best efforts (or because of them :think there are still one or two theists around here and not all of them are loony.

 

[Sherman]

Hi everyone,

In the meantime, while I get my five posts under my belt, I was wondering how you feel about Harold Camping and his prediction for the Rapture in 23 days.

Cheers, Sean

Date setters? I think they are nuts. It like trying to set a date for your first gray hair or when you are going to lose your hair. Take a look at the Scripture TomO put in his post. He's correct.:thumb: You can't predict something like that.

Religious people can be nuts. Faith in Jesus is a whole different matter.

 

[Stripe]

I'm willing to bet you won't find too many on this site.....but

:idunno: Unfortunatelly gullibility and ignorance is not always something which OUR LORD works out in people. Many will take the word of a Pastor they favor over the words of Scripture or the very Spirit which lives (or not) within them.

Tragic really, but an illustration of the difference between Religion and GOD (I know that's not a distinction Atheists make but it is one that Christians often will. :chuckle: )

You'll be laughing on the other side of your face when the world does end in May. And I will be straight onto TOL to post an "I told you so" thread. :ha:

 

[misstoast]

Welcome

 

[TomO]

You'll be laughing on the other side of your face when the world does end in May. And I will be straight onto TOL to post an "I told you so" thread. :ha:

Are you going to use the "mock" smiley? :chuckle:


:mock: People who missed the end of the world.

 

[Dena]

Hello Sean and welcome to TOL. I had never heard the name Harold Camping until I opened your thread. Perhaps I live under a rock. I did hear about something happening on May 21st but I've not been interested in looking into it any further.

 

[GuySmiley]

I've heard the name Harold Camping, but before this thread I couldn't have guessed who he is. About his prediction, I guess we'll see, but I'm a skeptic :chuckle: (we had a recent thread about skeptics)

 

[JustSean]

Hi everyone - Thanks for the welcome.

Like I said, I seriously come in peace in that I'm not looking to start fights, flame, etc. I like to say atheists don't get brownie points in the afterlife for deconverting souls.

I do like to advocate for secularism in government, which I know can be an anethema for some religious folks and I like to pose questions to the conservative (political) religious folks to query them on certain government policies they support that, to me, seem to run counter to what Jesus might have wanted to support. I think with this post I may be able to post a link and get some of your thoughts.

. Thanks again for the warm welcome - Sean

 

[Dena]

I do like to advocate for secularism in government

Good for you!:thumb:

 

[Omega39]

Harold Camping was wrong before. He predicted in 1992 that the Rapture would occur on September 27, 1994. When it didn't happen he said that he "made a mathematical error" (CBS News).

Not only is he now predicting that the Rapture will occur on May 21, 2011, but he is also predicting that the end of the world will occur on October 21, 2011.

I sure would like to know how he interprets Matthew 24:36... lain:

 

[Stripe]

Are you going to use the "mock" smiley?

I'm seriously considering it. But I would never use it lightly on one such as yourself.

 

[InHope]

I don't really understand the obsession with predicting the date of the apocalypse. It seems to serve mostly as a tool to scare people into shaping up (at least for a while). Could it happen? Sure- but I could also die in any number of ways on any given day. Que sera sera...

 

[JustSean]

In the event anyone is interested in a atheists point of view on American politics and life please feel free to visit my blog:

http://centersolid.blogspot.com/

While I express my personal views, I never (or try to never) disrespect faith. I am harsh however on hypocrisy. Just feel if you talk the talk, walk the walk...

My political views are very centrist (or at least were), but I've also come to the realization that political center is almost completely dissolved...

Anyway, feel free to chime in if you find it interesting, educational, or even if you flat out disagree - it's meant to spur thought and debate (not argument...).

Cheers, Sean

 

[MrRadish]

You seem like a thoroughly pleasant fellow. Welcome! :e4e:

 

[Spitfire]

In the meantime, while I get my five posts under my belt, I was wondering how you feel about Harold Camping and his prediction for the Rapture in 23 days.

It is absolutely pointless. There is no genuinely Christian theological basis for predictions like these. Seems there have been quite a few of these in the past few years, though until very recently in the history of Christianity there was no "rapture" and Christians were taught to believe that the second coming could occur at any time and live their lives accordingly (just as, like InHope mentioned, death could potentially strike any of us at any time anyway whether or not it's the end of the world.)