Sarah Palin and the Rapture

Sarah Palin and the Rapture

By RAYMOND J. LAWRENCE

21/09/08 "Counterpunch" -- Is this country ready for a president who is excited about and eagerly looking forward to the Rapture?

The Rapture, as it is called, is the imaginary day when Jesus will come down from the sky and lift up into heaven all those who are saved, leaving behind all unbelievers to destruction and death?

Anyone who believes in the Rapture scenario will likely interpret a catastrophic nuclear exchange as the opening scene of the Rapture. Thus an American president who believes in the Rapture would arguably have at least some ambivalence toward a nuclear holocaust. A believer in the Rapture with his or her fingers on the nuclear trigger might even be tempted to bring on the Rapture. The Rapture, for those who believe in it, is hardly a negative event. Rather it is culmination of everything they hope for, deliverance into the heavenly arms of Jesus.

Presumably Sarah Palin believes in the Rapture. It is one of the doctrines of her religion, and she has nowhere disavowed it. Are Americans ready to sleep at night with a President who longs for the Rapture?

The doctrine of the Rapture is a very recent invention within some of the radical fringe churches of Christianity. The Rapture doctrine is first cousin to millennialism, the belief promoted by various groups who have predicted that “the end is near.” Millennialist groups have popped up and burnt out from time to time throughout Christian history.

The Rapture doctrine has no support in the historic Christianity of any of the main traditions - Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or Protestant. The doctrine of the Rapture is cobbled together from several obscure, unrelated comments drawn from the epistles of Paul the Apostle. No credible biblical scholar in two thousand years of Christian history has taken seriously the Rapture doctrine, millennialism, or anything similar to it.

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itself may be totally BS. However if this quack is elected, the probably of nuclear war is greatly increased.Even the thought of these two frauds scars the crap out of me.

You're screwed too stupid ignorant maniac !

According to the belief: the Rapture is when Jesus comes down from Heaven and takes the "righteous" back with him, correct?

But isn't this also what they believe happens when you die? If you're righteous, you go to Heaven?
Is the appeal of the Rapture that everyone else gets left behind?
Or is it that the Rapture is your last chance to get into Heaven?

As with most matters of faith, I'm confused. :shrug:

you go straight to heaven. You just fly up.

So you escape the pain of death. While the sinners
get a painful death plus eternal torment.

God is love?

Thanks for the explanation.
Still doesn't make any sense to me, but at least now I know why. :hi:

These Rapture oriented wingnuts almost believe Layhaye's books to be a supplement to the bible.

Google "millerites" - an obscure sect in the 1800's
who first thought they were 'elites' and heavenbound,
and everyone else was going to hell.

There've been bits and pieces added to it,
but it boiled down to another movement wrought by
fundamentalist idiocy.

It's a pathetic piece of crap that, because of media
exposure, thousands hold has divine command.

Another nail in the coffin of American rationalism.

Just another sign.. that we are indeed doomed,
but not the way they think.

Has everyone seen THIS one?

A blog post linking to a "movie trailer" for the Palin Presidency, as spun by the "Paliban". They call it Operation Rapture. :wow:

It's . . . something.