Formspring Question #168--Apocalypse Whenever Edition

What has made you skeptical of Biblical prophecy regarding the end of the world?

Overload, mostly. Crying wolf played a big part, too. It adds up to too many declarations with absolute certainty about identifying the End Times that never panned out, then were completely ignored so more declarations of the end times could be declared with absolute certainty.

Up until about the fourth grade, Emmanuel taught Bible much in the same way as Sunday school. It was bible stories with a moral lesson. Around about the time a student hits nine or ten years old, bible class got much deeper. You started hearing about the end Times and what will bring it about. All the man will behave as he did in the time of Noah, major natural disasters, wars and rumors of wars--that sort of thing. Teachers and school administrators could not help but comment on the likelihood the news of the day reflected biblical prophecy coming true.

My first exposure to End times theology occurred in 1986-87. This is when Quaddafi was doing his thing, Chernobyl was a huge disaster, Iraq and Iran were going at it, the soviet union was in Afghanistan, televangelists were involved in one financial or sex scandal right after another, no one knew quite what to make of AIDS, global warming was an issue, Ethiopia was still starving, etc. There was a new potential antichrist popping up every week destined to conquer a planet reeling under moral collapse and war, famine, and pestilence. What ten year old could argue, knowing what he knew up until that point?

What really blew things out of the water was the period from 1988-1991. The Armenian earthquake, the San Francisco earthquake, and then Hurricane Hugo all came in quick succession. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, the end times adherents at Emanuel declared them precursors to a war with Babylon that was going to spell the beginning of the end. Rumors flew that Saddam Hussein considered himself the reincarnation of king Nebachadnezzar, the Babylonian king for whom the prophet Daniel had interpreted an apocalyptic dream of a statue made of descending quality of building materials which supposedly represent degenerating periods of time until the end of the world. In other words, they freaked. So did we students. It got worse when Iraq attacked Israel with Scuds. It got even worse when bush 41 declared a New World Order. Then…well, it all died off.

The war ended. Israel survived intact. The Soviet Union collapsed. The end times adherents starting looking for other boogey men. Maybe the united nations would gain more power in this New World Order. Perez de Cuellar did not strike me as the Antichrist type. Kurt Waldheim was a much nastier man, and he did have Antichrist written on him, either. Even the more conspiracy minded about bush 41’s role in the End times were relieved at his defeat in 1992. Unfortunately, he was defeated by bill Clinton, who was not the antichrist, either, but darn close as far as they were concerned.

Maybe it is because I was getting older or because I was becoming a big history buff with more perspective on how larger, far more disastrous conflicts had been viewed incorrectly as the beginning of the end by Christians since the days of Rome, but I lost interest in labeling current events as fulfillment of biblical prophecy. It was a pointless endeavor. Post Emanuel, I discovered a whole other theory the book of revelations was a coded message that did not prophecy the end of the world after all. I never consider that before. Consider Revelations has a curse of anyone who misinterprets it, I do not consider it now, either. As the dean of Regent University School of law advised us once, always avoid two things: the Federal Tax Code and the prophetic books of the Bible. I have taken his advise to heart.

I have often mentioned those old days of being inundated by End Times theology because they have left a lingering impression on me some twenty years later. I am still fascinated by stuff like Nostradamus, millennial anxiety, the Mayan calendar, Harold camping’s rapture predictions, and dystopian science fiction, among other related things. U do not take any of it serious as I did in my more impressionable youth. My philosophy now is whatever happens, happens.

Formspring Question #168--Apocalypse Whenever Edition

What has made you skeptical of Biblical prophecy regarding the end of the world?

Overload, mostly. Crying wolf played a big part, too. It adds up to too many declarations with absolute certainty about identifying the End Times that never panned out, then were completely ignored so more declarations of the end times could be declared with absolute certainty.

Up until about the fourth grade, Emmanuel taught Bible much in the same way as Sunday school. It was bible stories with a moral lesson. Around about the time a student hits nine or ten years old, bible class got much deeper. You started hearing about the end Times and what will bring it about. All the man will behave as he did in the time of Noah, major natural disasters, wars and rumors of wars--that sort of thing. Teachers and school administrators could not help but comment on the likelihood the news of the day reflected biblical prophecy coming true.

My first exposure to End times theology occurred in 1986-87. This is when Quaddafi was doing his thing, Chernobyl was a huge disaster, Iraq and Iran were going at it, the soviet union was in Afghanistan, televangelists were involved in one financial or sex scandal right after another, no one knew quite what to make of AIDS, global warming was an issue, Ethiopia was still starving, etc. There was a new potential antichrist popping up every week destined to conquer a planet reeling under moral collapse and war, famine, and pestilence. What ten year old could argue, knowing what he knew up until that point?

What really blew things out of the water was the period from 1988-1991. The Armenian earthquake, the San Francisco earthquake, and then Hurricane Hugo all came in quick succession. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, the end times adherents at Emanuel declared them precursors to a war with Babylon that was going to spell the beginning of the end. Rumors flew that Saddam Hussein considered himself the reincarnation of king Nebachadnezzar, the Babylonian king for whom the prophet Daniel had interpreted an apocalyptic dream of a statue made of descending quality of building materials which supposedly represent degenerating periods of time until the end of the world. In other words, they freaked. So did we students. It got worse when Iraq attacked Israel with Scuds. It got even worse when bush 41 declared a New World Order. Then…well, it all died off.

The war ended. Israel survived intact. The Soviet Union collapsed. The end times adherents starting looking for other boogey men. Maybe the united nations would gain more power in this New World Order. Perez de Cuellar did not strike me as the Antichrist type. Kurt Waldheim was a much nastier man, and he did have Antichrist written on him, either. Even the more conspiracy minded about bush 41’s role in the End times were relieved at his defeat in 1992. Unfortunately, he was defeated by bill Clinton, who was not the antichrist, either, but darn close as far as they were concerned.

Maybe it is because I was getting older or because I was becoming a big history buff with more perspective on how larger, far more disastrous conflicts had been viewed incorrectly as the beginning of the end by Christians since the days of Rome, but I lost interest in labeling current events as fulfillment of biblical prophecy. It was a pointless endeavor. Post Emanuel, I discovered a whole other theory the book of revelations was a coded message that did not prophecy the end of the world after all. I never consider that before. Consider Revelations has a curse of anyone who misinterprets it, I do not consider it now, either. As the dean of Regent University School of law advised us once, always avoid two things: the Federal Tax Code and the prophetic books of the Bible. I have taken his advise to heart.

I have often mentioned those old days of being inundated by End Times theology because they have left a lingering impression on me some twenty years later. I am still fascinated by stuff like Nostradamus, millennial anxiety, the Mayan calendar, Harold camping’s rapture predictions, and dystopian science fiction, among other related things. U do not take any of it serious as I did in my more impressionable youth. My philosophy now is whatever happens, happens.

UK Atheist Group Urges Not to List Religion as Jedi

Because the government might see the need to fund jedi stuff as opposed to getting rid of pesky religious spening in certain districts:

The data gathered is used to inform government policy, and was used by the last government to justify funding of religious community bodies over secular ones. For example, 2001 census data has been used repeatedly to justify an increase in the number of state maintained faith schools and the increasing level of government money spent on faith organisations.

By ticking 'No Religion', you will ensure that the Government receives an unambiguous message about the number of non-religious people in the UK. Any other response may be manipulated into a response in favour of religion and publically funded religious organisations.

Considering some of the things the Church of England passes off as Christianity today, I would be amused to see what kind of manipulations for more money that could pull off. Then again, I am not paying for any of it, so who cares how I feel about the matter?

UK Atheist Group Urges Not to List Religion as Jedi

Because the government might see the need to fund jedi stuff as opposed to getting rid of pesky religious spening in certain districts:

The data gathered is used to inform government policy, and was used by the last government to justify funding of religious community bodies over secular ones. For example, 2001 census data has been used repeatedly to justify an increase in the number of state maintained faith schools and the increasing level of government money spent on faith organisations.

By ticking 'No Religion', you will ensure that the Government receives an unambiguous message about the number of non-religious people in the UK. Any other response may be manipulated into a response in favour of religion and publically funded religious organisations.

Considering some of the things the Church of England passes off as Christianity today, I would be amused to see what kind of manipulations for more money that could pull off. Then again, I am not paying for any of it, so who cares how I feel about the matter?

Mike Huckabee Attacks Famous Unwed Mother; Shows True Colors

I have made no secret I do not like Mike Huckabee. He is a big government Republican with more than a little snake handling Christianity in him. The guy literally thinks he is a rock star by playing guitar and hanging out the increasingly conspiracy minded Chuck Norris. I am quite certain his star in the south will quickly fade. It is my contention is current popularity below the Mason-Dixon is because “he is on teevee just like our favorite wrassfers! Yee haw!” if you catch my drift. Norris’ Walker: Texas Ranger has not exactly faded from memory, either.

But let us get back to more concrete reasons Huckabee is not presidential material. He exercises very poor discernment in who he casts his judgmental eye upon. Namely this time, Natalie Portman, whom he has criticized for glamorizing out of wedlock children. Nearly twenty years ago, Dan Quayle ruined his political career by critiquing the out of wedlock pregnancy of fictional Murphy brown. Not only has Huckabee not learned from Quayle’s actions, he escalated it by attacking an actual person.

To set a few things straight, I do not advocate pre-marital sex. I think it does cheapen the institution of marriage by making sex solely a recreational activity. I also think getting pregnant without being married breaks down the integrity of the family unit. Both effects are a detriment to our culture. Nevertheless, it happens. It is what comes after that is important once it does.

I will be frank. Portman has made a mistake getting pregnant out of wedlock. We all make mistakes. We often make very big ones. But she is making the right choices now. She is not going to abort her baby. She is going to put her baby above her acting career, which is a big risk considering the short shelf life a pretty young actresses in Hollywood. Her child is going to be loved, too. What Huckabee called glamorizing out of wedlock children was a genuine display of happiness. Portman is a woman who thanked the lowest ranking technicians on Black Sawn by name in her Oscar acceptance speech. How rare do you think that is among arrogant Hollywood stars?

There is a more important underlying issue with Huckabee’s attitude beyond anything he said about portman. That is an underlying contempt for women who have made the mistake of getting pregnant outside of marriage. If Christians do not embrace such women, then we are pushing them towards the abortion clinic. Even a woman who keeps her baby can become a pariah. Those things happen not because a star like portman glamorizes her mistake, but judgmental Christians like Huckabee are not willing to forgive and offer help after the deed is done.

UPDATE: Huckabee is backtracking, but has not changed his mind.

UPDATE II: Was Huckabee taking a jab at Sarah Palin over her daughter Bristol, another young lady who has made all the right decisions after a mistake, for her out of wedlock baby?

Mike Huckabee Attacks Famous Unwed Mother; Shows True Colors

I have made no secret I do not like Mike Huckabee. He is a big government Republican with more than a little snake handling Christianity in him. The guy literally thinks he is a rock star by playing guitar and hanging out the increasingly conspiracy minded Chuck Norris. I am quite certain his star in the south will quickly fade. It is my contention is current popularity below the Mason-Dixon is because “he is on teevee just like our favorite wrassfers! Yee haw!” if you catch my drift. Norris’ Walker: Texas Ranger has not exactly faded from memory, either.

But let us get back to more concrete reasons Huckabee is not presidential material. He exercises very poor discernment in who he casts his judgmental eye upon. Namely this time, Natalie Portman, whom he has criticized for glamorizing out of wedlock children. Nearly twenty years ago, Dan Quayle ruined his political career by critiquing the out of wedlock pregnancy of fictional Murphy brown. Not only has Huckabee not learned from Quayle’s actions, he escalated it by attacking an actual person.

To set a few things straight, I do not advocate pre-marital sex. I think it does cheapen the institution of marriage by making sex solely a recreational activity. I also think getting pregnant without being married breaks down the integrity of the family unit. Both effects are a detriment to our culture. Nevertheless, it happens. It is what comes after that is important once it does.

I will be frank. Portman has made a mistake getting pregnant out of wedlock. We all make mistakes. We often make very big ones. But she is making the right choices now. She is not going to abort her baby. She is going to put her baby above her acting career, which is a big risk considering the short shelf life a pretty young actresses in Hollywood. Her child is going to be loved, too. What Huckabee called glamorizing out of wedlock children was a genuine display of happiness. Portman is a woman who thanked the lowest ranking technicians on Black Sawn by name in her Oscar acceptance speech. How rare do you think that is among arrogant Hollywood stars?

There is a more important underlying issue with Huckabee’s attitude beyond anything he said about portman. That is an underlying contempt for women who have made the mistake of getting pregnant outside of marriage. If Christians do not embrace such women, then we are pushing them towards the abortion clinic. Even a woman who keeps her baby can become a pariah. Those things happen not because a star like portman glamorizes her mistake, but judgmental Christians like Huckabee are not willing to forgive and offer help after the deed is done.

UPDATE: Huckabee is backtracking, but has not changed his mind.

UPDATE II: Was Huckabee taking a jab at Sarah Palin over her daughter Bristol, another young lady who has made all the right decisions after a mistake, for her out of wedlock baby?

Formspring Question #86--The Word Edition

What's your favorite Bible verse?

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."--Joshua 1:9.

I wind up quoting this one a lot, too:

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."--Ecclesiastes 9:11

Formspring Question #86--The Word Edition

What's your favorite Bible verse?

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."--Joshua 1:9.

I wind up quoting this one a lot, too:

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."--Ecclesiastes 9:11