Believers in God are always looking at the world around them and telling us that God is warning us with signs of his impending judgment. Without the least qualm or concern about appearing idiotic they confidently tell us such things as:
Thus, even at its very commencement, birth hastens to its close; thus, whatever is now born degenerates with the old age of the world itself; so that no
one ought to wonder that everything begins to fail in the world, when the whole world itself is already in process of failing, and in its end.Moreover, that wars continue frequently to prevail, that death and famine accumulate anxiety, that health is shattered by raging diseases, that the human race is wasted by the desolation of pestilence, know that this was foretold; that evils should be multiplied in the last times, and that misfortunes should be varied; and that as the day of judgment is now drawing near, the censure of an indignant God should be more and more aroused for the scourging of the human race.
No, those aren't the words of radio preacher Harold Camping warning us yet again about the arrival of Judgment Day on Saturday.
In fact, these words were written nearly eighteen hundred years ago by Cyprian, bishop of Carthage and Christian martyr (in his Treatise 5).
Yes, human nature has always sucked and the world has always been a less than totally friendly place for humans. Oh, and God evidently has always been long-sufferingly sick of us and ready to pull the plug.
The New Testament writers constantly made the claim that they were writing in the last times and last days. Maybe it is understandable that Cyprian - coming along some century and a half later - might think the end was at hand.
But what it does it say about the modern apocalypticists?
At what point will it finally be admitted that Jesus and his apostles were just wrong?
Answer: Never - so long as there is a profit to be turned in keeping these failed prophecies alive.
5 comments:
Yes. Wars, plagues, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other destructive forces have existed since the beginning of time. In the days when man knew little about history, science and the forces of nature one can easily see how fundamentalist believers could be fooled. However, in today's world only the easily duped can fall for the hucksters, who predict the end.
CREPE! All about $$ again. See ya tomorrow, Bro!
@ Georgia Mountain Man - And sadly there are so many who are easily (and willingly) duped.
@ Diane - I'm here, sis!
I think it says that the modern apocalypticists do not want to deal with this world. Maybe they are overwhelmed by the suffering they see all around the world. Maybe they are disgusted by what they consider to be the degradation of society. Maybe they want all of their enemies to be severely punished. Maybe they are just tired of this life and want something new. Maybe they are just freaking nuts.
Most cases I've seen are some combination of the above, but they all boil down to pretty much the same thing- they feel that this world is completely screwed-up and there is no way to fix things other than starting all over with a clean slate. They want to get rid of all the "bad" people (which, coincidentally, happen to be all the people who disagree with them) and start a new world solely with those who share their beliefs and ideas.
Honestly, I think it's both lazy and pathetic. Too many religious believers spend their life either preparing for the afterlife or preparing for this end of this world because they simply don't want to deal with the problems of this life.
Yes, I believe in God, but I don't think our purpose in life is to live and/or believe a certain way so we can get into heaven or prepare for the end of the world. To be blunt, I think that is freaking selfish. Whether you believe in God or not, we should concentrate on helping those less fortunate than ourselves and making this world a better place. Just because we will never succeed in making it perfect doesn't mean we should just give up and ignore it.
Part of me feels sorry for Camping and his followers, since I am sure Saturday will be a confusing and disappointing day for them. But part of me is also irritated. How many hundreds of thousands of dollars did they spend on advertising their little theory? Think of how much good that money could have done if it was used to help the sick or the poor!
Maybe the world will end one day. Honestly, I don't care. If it does, there is nothing I can do to stop it. In the meantime, I have better things to worry about.
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