Ok, so recently at my church, there's be the discussion of tribulation. :P Of course it seen the one thing almost every Christian can agree on is that it's coming soon. But the big discrepancy is whether the Rapture will come before or after it. I guess my real question(s) is/are:
1. How/why do you think the world will end? (If you don't believe in the world ending, I beg of you, please do share.
2. If you believe in Rapture/Tribulation what's you're stand point on it? Which do you think will come first? Why? Where do you feel it states that in Scripture?
3. If you don't believe in R/T, what do you believe? (This can be anything ranging in the sun exploding and the population being wiped out like the dinosaurs, to the zombie apocalypse. Anything goes.) What makes you believe this? Is there any proof?
4. What would be your time gauge of when the world will end? (For Christians, how soon is soon really?)
Thanks in advance for all the interesting answers. :)
1. If by the world you mean when will the physical structure of the Earth no longer exist, then that is when the sun eats it in several million years. Although, as the sun expands, there is theories that the Sun's gravity will be reduced, thereby allowing the orbit of the Earth to slip farther and farther away, perhaps avoiding a fiery death. Life, or more precisely human life, may be gone well before then.
2. Nope. No rapture or tribulation... though I will sell you rapture insurance! Just 50 bucks a month, and you'll be paid comfortably in case you aren't taken immediatley in the event of the rapture. ;D
3. What do I believe as far as what? When human life will end?... Perhaps we'll nuclear war ourselves, but that seems more and more unlikely. Maybe a super plague wipes everyone out. Maybe a climate catastrophe. Probably an asteroid sometime in the future will sterilize the planet except for the smallest of critters and let everything just start over.
4. How soon is soon? Well, it's been the beginning of the end for about 2000 years now. And that's just the beginning. Who knows how many "stages" of the end there is, or if this beginning stage is even over yet? We probably have a while yet.
I'd suggest paying it no more mind.
Quote from: not your typical... on November 11, 2011, 06:53:15 PM
Ok, so recently at my church, there's be the discussion of tribulation. :P Of course it seen the one thing almost every Christian can agree on is that it's coming soon. But the big discrepancy is whether the Rapture will come before or after it. I guess my real question(s) is/are:
1. How/why do you think the world will end? (If you don't believe in the world ending, I beg of you, please do share.
From what I've studied, my bet is on the Sol eating the Earth in a few billion.
Quote from: not your typical...2. If you believe in Rapture/Tribulation what's you're stand point on it? Which do you think will come first? Why? Where do you feel it states that in Scripture?
3. If you don't believe in R/T, what do you believe? (This can be anything ranging in the sun exploding and the population being wiped out like the dinosaurs, to the zombie apocalypse. Anything goes.) What makes you believe this? Is there any proof?
We know that when suns get old, they get fatter, the Earth is pretty close to our sun, so based on gravity and how we think suns work, the Earth will likely be consumed by sol.
Quote from: not your typical...4. What would be your time gauge of when the world will end? (For Christians, how soon is soon really?)
Thanks in advance for all the interesting answers. :)
I'm pretty sure the sun has at least another billion years in it before we have to trade in for a new model.
Quote from: Davin on November 11, 2011, 07:22:24 PM
I'm pretty sure the sun has at least another billion years in it before we have to trade in for a new model.
What about the 2012 theory? I heard that's when the el Sol is supposed to devour our solar system.
Quote from: not your typical... on November 11, 2011, 07:25:26 PM
Quote from: Davin on November 11, 2011, 07:22:24 PM
I'm pretty sure the sun has at least another billion years in it before we have to trade in for a new model.
What about the 2012 theory? I heard that's when the el Sol is supposed to devour our solar system.
lol, which one? My ex was big on getting scurred by that nonsense, so I'm pretty sure I can disprove every one of them.
If you watch TV news over here, you get the impression that it's going to end in about 3 days. But in fact, they're only talking about the EU and the Euro.
In spite of what our liberal élite believe, the planet itself will manage to carry on for a while after the Euro collapses.
Quote from: OldGit on November 11, 2011, 07:43:25 PM
In spite of what our liberal élite believe, the planet itself will manage to carry on for a while after the Euro collapses.
Well that's a new way to think about it. Can't say I've heard that view point before.
Quote from: not your typical... on November 11, 2011, 06:53:15 PMOk, so recently at my church, there's be the discussion of tribulation. :P Of course it seen the one thing almost every Christian can agree on is that it's coming soon. But the big discrepancy is whether the Rapture will come before or after it.
I question the assertion that "almost every Christian" agrees that the "Tribulation" is "coming soon." I was unaware that the Catholics, for instance, or the Episcopalians, or Lutherans, or Methodists, etc. were of that opinion. Are you saying that none of those denominations are Christian?
Quote from: not your typical... on November 11, 2011, 06:53:15 PM1. How/why do you think the world will end? (If you don't believe in the world ending, I beg of you, please do share.
I agree with previous answers which state that the world will most likely end when the sun eventually reaches the red giant stage of development, though there might be some sort of cinder left even then.
Quote from: not your typical... on November 11, 2011, 06:53:15 PM2. If you believe in Rapture/Tribulation what's you're stand point on it? Which do you think will come first? Why? Where do you feel it states that in Scripture?
N/A: I don't believe in any Biblical prophecy, let alone "Rapture," which is considered a non-Biblical doctrine by many Christians. The "Tribulation" is part of a prophecy attributed to Jesus in Matthew 24, but Jesus also supposedly said that "this generation shall not pass" before "all these things be fulfilled." So it would seem that the most charitable interpretation would be that he wasn't speaking clearly, but in a metaphorical sense. If that's the case, then the whole "Tribulation" prophecy may be metaphorical as well. I'm not inclined to a charitable interpretation. The generation he supposedly was speaking to is long dead, and anything he said about his return is invalid, including any prophecy of "tribulation."
Quote from: not your typical... on November 11, 2011, 06:53:15 PM3. If you don't believe in R/T, what do you believe? (This can be anything ranging in the sun exploding and the population being wiped out like the dinosaurs, to the zombie apocalypse. Anything goes.) What makes you believe this? Is there any proof?
The sequence of stellar development is fairly well understood by astro-physicists. There seems little reason to doubt that they are correct in their predictions of how our sun will develop in the future.
Quote from: not your typical... on November 11, 2011, 06:53:15 PM4. What would be your time gauge of when the world will end? (For Christians, how soon is soon really?)
Thanks in advance for all the interesting answers. :)
Billions of years from now. It's possible that human life on the planet will have ended sooner than that, but I make no predictions for how or when.
Quote from: Recusant on November 11, 2011, 08:08:37 PM
I question the assertion that "almost every Christian" agrees that the "Tribulation" is "coming soon." I was unaware that the Catholics, for instance, or the Episcopalians, or Lutherans, or Methodists, etc. were of that opinion. Are you saying that none of those denominations are Christian?
Maybe I should have clarified that a bit better. I'm non-denominational Christian, so when I say Christian, I'm really referring to anyone who shares Christian faith and beliefs.
Quote from: not your typical... on November 11, 2011, 08:18:45 PM
Quote from: Recusant on November 11, 2011, 08:08:37 PM
I question the assertion that "almost every Christian" agrees that the "Tribulation" is "coming soon." I was unaware that the Catholics, for instance, or the Episcopalians, or Lutherans, or Methodists, etc. were of that opinion. Are you saying that none of those denominations are Christian?
Maybe I should have clarified that a bit better. I'm non-denominational Christian, so when I say Christian, I'm really referring to anyone who shares Christian faith and beliefs.
In that case do you have any evidence that "almost every Christian" agrees that the "Tribulation" is "coming soon"? From what I can tell, that is a belief which is associated with Pentecostals and many of the fundamentalist evangelical denominations, and is not something that "almost every Christian" subscribes to.
Quote from: Recusant on November 11, 2011, 09:00:35 PM
In that case do you have any evidence that "almost every Christian" agrees that the "Tribulation" is "coming soon"? From what I can tell, that is a belief which is associated with Pentecostals and many of the fundamentalist evangelical denominations, and is not something that "almost every Christian" subscribes to.
Over the past 3 years, I've been to Baptist, Methodist, Mennonite, Pentecostal, Catholic, non-denom, Evangelical, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Anglican, Congregational, and Calvinist churches an all of which have claimed the same.
Quote from: not your typical... on November 11, 2011, 09:12:41 PM
Quote from: Recusant on November 11, 2011, 09:00:35 PM
In that case do you have any evidence that "almost every Christian" agrees that the "Tribulation" is "coming soon"? From what I can tell, that is a belief which is associated with Pentecostals and many of the fundamentalist evangelical denominations, and is not something that "almost every Christian" subscribes to.
Over the past 3 years, I've been to Baptist, Methodist, Mennonite, Pentecostal, Catholic, non-denom, Evangelical, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Anglican, Congregational, and Calvinist churches an all of which have claimed the same.
I used to be into this stuff, but now find it less than interesting. Nobody knows what is going to happen in the future. Just watch and see.
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on November 11, 2011, 10:06:19 PM
I used to be into this stuff, but now find it less than interesting. Nobody knows what is going to happen in the future. Just watch and see.
Shhh. Don't say that. I need more responses. I have a question that really bugs me about believers who say that tribulation will come before the Rapture...
Quote from: not your typical... on November 11, 2011, 06:53:15 PM
Ok, so recently at my church, there's be the discussion of tribulation. :P Of course it seen the one thing almost every Christian can agree on is that it's coming soon. But the big discrepancy is whether the Rapture will come before or after it. I guess my real question(s) is/are:
1. How/why do you think the world will end? (If you don't believe in the world ending, I beg of you, please do share.
The world will definitely end when the sun enters the red giant phase. On another note, I can't see how humanity will last another 100 years based on population growth rates. Something will have to give somewhere and soon. Does god need to be involved? No.
Quote2. If you believe in Rapture/Tribulation what's you're stand point on it? Which do you think will come first? Why? Where do you feel it states that in Scripture?
No atheists believe in rapture so surely this is a moot point.
Quote3. If you don't believe in R/T, what do you believe? (This can be anything ranging in the sun exploding and the population being wiped out like the dinosaurs, to the zombie apocalypse. Anything goes.) What makes you believe this? Is there any proof?
I don't believe anything. I know what I know, and disbelieve other stuff. I guess we might implode as a species but that's not a belief because I accept we might not.
Quote4. What would be your time gauge of when the world will end? (For Christians, how soon is soon really?)
Thanks in advance for all the interesting answers. :)
For sure, in roughly 900 million years Earth will be too hot to live on as the sun increases luminosity. The sun will then expand over the next couple of billion years and possibly engulf Earth. The death of Earth is utterly certain within a maximum range of 5 billion years.
It is possible we will exterminate ourselves long before the certain end date, you can predict how, why, maybe when, but you cannot believe it as true, only as a possibility.
Quote from: Norfolk And Chance on November 11, 2011, 10:25:25 PM
I don't believe anything. I know what I know, and disbelieve other stuff.
You are very strong in your, err... anti-faith, I guess. Might I ask what caused this, or we're you just born knowing that there is no God.
Quote from: not your typical... on November 11, 2011, 10:37:33 PM
Quote from: Norfolk And Chance on November 11, 2011, 10:25:25 PM
I don't believe anything. I know what I know, and disbelieve other stuff.
You are very strong in your, err... anti-faith, I guess. Might I ask what caused this, or we're you just born knowing that there is no God.
We are all born with no concept of god. Thats a big clue. :)
Quote from: not your typical... on November 11, 2011, 09:12:41 PMOver the past 3 years, I've been to Baptist, Methodist, Mennonite, Pentecostal, Catholic, non-denom, Evangelical, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Anglican, Congregational, and Calvinist churches an all of which have claimed the same.
So I'm supposed to just accept your assertion based on your anecdotal (and to me, highly questionable) evidence? Sorry, but "I say so" doesn't cut it with me. This isn't the topic of your thread though, and to avoid a derail I'm going to drop it.
Quote from: Norfolk And Chance on November 11, 2011, 10:38:58 PM
We are all born with no concept of god. Thats a big clue. :)
haha. Well then, I guess that settles it.
And Recusant, I never said all Christians believed that. Almost every Christian that I've ever know has been very open in believing that "the end times are near." And you're right, it is quite off topic.
Quote from: not your typical... on November 11, 2011, 09:12:41 PM
Quote from: Recusant on November 11, 2011, 09:00:35 PM
In that case do you have any evidence that "almost every Christian" agrees that the "Tribulation" is "coming soon"? From what I can tell, that is a belief which is associated with Pentecostals and many of the fundamentalist evangelical denominations, and is not something that "almost every Christian" subscribes to.
Over the past 3 years, I've been to Baptist, Methodist, Mennonite, Pentecostal, Catholic, non-denom, Evangelical, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Anglican, Congregational, and Calvinist churches an all of which have claimed the same.
I was Catholic for the first two decades of my life and my father and much of my extended family are still devotely Catholic, and I've never even heard of this before, to be honest.
Maybe it's a geographic thing? Where do you live?
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on November 11, 2011, 11:32:18 PM
I was Catholic for the first two decades of my life and my father and much of my extended family are still devotely Catholic, and I've never even heard of this before, to be honest.
Maybe it's a geographic thing? Where do you live?
I traveled a lot along the east coast (USA), which is why there are so many different types of churches. Never got settled long enough in one place to find a solid church home.
Quote from: not your typical... on November 11, 2011, 11:45:57 PM
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on November 11, 2011, 11:32:18 PM
I was Catholic for the first two decades of my life and my father and much of my extended family are still devotely Catholic, and I've never even heard of this before, to be honest.
Maybe it's a geographic thing? Where do you live?
I traveled a lot along the east coast (USA), which is why there are so many different types of churches. Never got settled long enough in one place to find a solid church home.
Interesting. Pretty much all Catholics in Canada have traditionally either been french Catholics or Irish Catholics (my Dad was born in Montreal and is very "french Catholic"). Maybe that has something to do with it? His church gets on with some weird stuff sometime, but I don't think they talk about the end of the world much. They never did when I regularly attended, either
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on November 12, 2011, 12:42:41 AM
Interesting. Pretty much all Catholics in Canada have traditionally either been french Catholics or Irish Catholics (my Dad was born in Montreal and is very "french Catholic"). Maybe that has something to do with it? His church gets on with some weird stuff sometime, but I don't think they talk about the end of the world much. They never did when I regularly attended, either
That's cool. Personally, not a big fan of the Biblical description of the end of the world... Probably has something to do with the thought of all civilization being shot to hell and the flesh eating birds wreaking havoc everywhere... *shudders* I never particularly liked birds. They're always eying me funny.
Quote from: not your typical... on November 12, 2011, 12:54:19 AM
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on November 12, 2011, 12:42:41 AM
Interesting. Pretty much all Catholics in Canada have traditionally either been french Catholics or Irish Catholics (my Dad was born in Montreal and is very "french Catholic"). Maybe that has something to do with it? His church gets on with some weird stuff sometime, but I don't think they talk about the end of the world much. They never did when I regularly attended, either
That's cool. Personally, not a big fan of the Biblical description of the end of the world... Probably has something to do with the thought of all civilization being shot to hell and the flesh eating birds wreaking havoc everywhere... *shudders* I never particularly liked birds. They're always eying me funny.
Yeah, they're shifty little critters. >:(
Aren't there some stories going around about how the whole rapture and tribulation things aren't even in the bible? ???
And I agree with what's been said, if no Earth-shattering event takes place before the sun grows into a red giant, then that's how it'll end. As for the human race, I haven't any idea how that could happen. Could be that we evolve into something else or die out somehow. Chances are life will continue till the planet's demise.
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on November 12, 2011, 12:56:46 AM
Yeah, they're shifty little critters. >:(
I know. Once, I had just gotten an ice cream cone and was on my way to the car when a seagull came and knocked it right out of my hand. :( I swear birds are the purest form of evil.
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on November 12, 2011, 12:57:57 AM
Chances are life will continue till the planet's demise.
You mean life will continue after the human race is destroyed? Or did you really mean life after the planet?
Quote from: not your typical... on November 11, 2011, 06:53:15 PM
Ok, so recently at my church, there's be the discussion of tribulation. :P Of course it seen the one thing almost every Christian can agree on is that it's coming soon.
Actually, the large majority of Christians don't think they can know the time and don't live in real anticipation of it happening anytime soon; it's just those ulta conservative groups (southern baptists, seventh day adventists and whatnot) who are obessed with the end of days. I think you should move to a more liberal area when you turn 18 :) Sounds like even most parts of Texas would be more liberal than where you are.
Quote1. How/why do you think the world will end? (If you don't believe in the world ending, I beg of you, please do share.
If by end you mean gone completely without a trace...then I'll go with being swallowed up a long long time from now when the sun becomes a red giant.
3. If you don't believe in R/T, what do you believe? (This can be anything ranging in the sun exploding and the population being wiped out like the dinosaurs, to the zombie apocalypse. Anything goes.) What makes you believe this? Is there any proof? (http://3.%20if%20you%20don't%20believe%20in%20r/T,%20what%20do%20you%20believe?%20(This%20can%20be%20anything%20ranging%20in%20the%20sun%20exploding%20and%20the%20population%20being%20wiped%20out%20like%20the%20dinosaurs,%20to%20the%20zombie%20apocalypse.%20Anything%20goes.)%20What%20makes%20you%20believe%20this?%20Is%20there%20any%20proof?)
See above. Basis is in 5th grade science books.
Quote4. What would be your time gauge of when the world will end? (For Christians, how soon is soon really?)
Without looking it up...like billions or trillions of years; quite some time from now. However I don't expect the Earth to be in a state where it can support life for that long.
Quote from: Whitney on November 12, 2011, 02:37:15 AM
I think you should move to a more liberal area when you turn 18 :) Sounds like even most parts of Texas would be more liberal than where you are.
They probably are... small town Bible belt Milford is my current position, but I try to get away to home often, home being Philadelphia. Before spending over half my time here, I never really had to give a damn about religion. Then she sent me to Christian school... Still giving her grief over that move.
Quote from: Whitney on November 12, 2011, 02:37:15 AM
Without looking it up...like billions or trillions of years; quite some time from now. However I don't expect the Earth to be in a state where it can support life for that long.
Especially with the population booming like it is now. If we don't slow population growth and convert to renewable energy, we're going to be toast long before the sun turns into a red giant and swallows us. Unless we colonize another planet, that is.
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on November 12, 2011, 02:48:26 AM
Unless we colonize another planet, that is.
If only we knew how to employ the tactics used in the Ender's Game series... Hmmm. Where's Orson Scott Card when you need him?
Quote from: not your typical... on November 11, 2011, 06:53:15 PM
1. How/why do you think the world will end? (If you don't believe in the world ending, I beg of you, please do share.
2. If you believe in Rapture/Tribulation what's you're stand point on it? Which do you think will come first? Why? Where do you feel it states that in Scripture?
3. If you don't believe in R/T, what do you believe? (This can be anything ranging in the sun exploding and the population being wiped out like the dinosaurs, to the zombie apocalypse. Anything goes.) What makes you believe this? Is there any proof?
4. What would be your time gauge of when the world will end? (For Christians, how soon is soon really?)
1. I find that question a little amusing, since some people seem to think that the world ends as soon as last human is gone. But, to give you some of what I consider as possible scenarios for the "end of the world":
a)End of humans: We might blow ourselves to bits with nuclear weapons, we might be wiped out by diseases, we might be outmatched by more a advanced species, either Earth borne or extraterrestial (though this won't be happening anytime soon....)
b)End of planet Earth: The horribly cliché Hollywood "man makes world go 'boom'", meteorites or asteroid strikes on Earth, the sun becomming a red giant (as others have already mentioned), gammaray burst from a nearby supernova (as in the galactic scale which is still considerable ammounts of lightyears)
2. Religions and their scriptures are silly. 'Nuff said :)
3. Well I think I pretty much covered this up in the first point, and they are mostly based on currently well known facts (Supenovas, the current level of our technology, etc), though the "more advanced species"-part is just my hunch. ET might be nice, or he might have enough firepower to f**k us up ;)
4. Well unless the-powers-that-be (read: politicians) don't compleatly lose their sense of reality, Earth might survive pretty much intact untill Sol goes red, and human life, if we get the galactic exploration and proper colonization underway, who knows. We might dissapear tommorrow, or our species might exist for some more millions of years, evolve, or get wiped out for a number of reasosns.
Quote from: history_geek on November 12, 2011, 03:30:25 AM
1. I find that question a little amusing, since some people seem to think that the world ends as soon as last human is gone. But, to give you some of what I consider as possible scenarios for the "end of the world":
a)End of humans: We might blow ourselves to bits with nuclear weapons, we might be wiped out by diseases, we might be outmatched by more a advanced species, either Earth borne or extraterrestrial (though this won't be happening anytime soon....)
b)End of planet Earth: The horribly cliché Hollywood "man makes world go 'boom'", meteorites or asteroid strikes on Earth, the sun becoming a red giant (as others have already mentioned), gamma-ray burst from a nearby supernova (as in the galactic scale which is still considerable amounts of light-years)
2. Religions and their scriptures are silly. 'Nuff said :)
3. Well I think I pretty much covered this up in the first point, and they are mostly based on currently well known facts (Supernovas, the current level of our technology, etc), though the "more advanced species"-part is just my hunch. ET might be nice, or he might have enough firepower to f**k us up ;)
4. Well unless the-powers-that-be (read: politicians) don't completely lose their sense of reality, Earth might survive pretty much intact until Sol goes red, and human life, if we get the galactic exploration and proper colonization underway, who knows. We might disappear tomorrow, or our species might exist for some more millions of years, evolve, or get wiped out for a number of reasons.
I like your answers. (number 3 made me giggle. :)) I'd love to hear more from you on your beliefs in general.
Quote from: not your typical... on November 12, 2011, 01:01:23 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on November 12, 2011, 12:57:57 AM
Chances are life will continue till the planet's demise.
You mean life will continue after the human race is destroyed? Or did you really mean life after the planet?
I meant life on the planet, but not ruling out the possibility that life mght leave the planet. Plenty can happen billions of years into the future, if we or our creations evolve into something else.
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on November 12, 2011, 06:11:41 AM
I meant life on the planet, but not ruling out the possibility that life might leave the planet. Plenty can happen billions of years into the future, if we or our creations evolve into something else.
Ahh. Now I understand. I like your thinking. Most Christians deny the possibility of life ever existing on another planet.
Earth will definitely end as a livable planet.
The maximum date is about 5 billion years from now, as of course our Sun will run out of source material, to burn as it does today.
Human life may end due to climate change, nuclear war, Asteroid collision, pandemic, alien invasion, ...
All life may end due to climate change, nuclear war asteroid collision.
Of course someone might simply turn the simulation off.
If a rapture comes then we should be focused on finding the second coming of Jesus and nail that fucker to a tree. Killing him atones for our sins and hence we will get to start with a clean slate again ;D
Quote from: Stevil on November 12, 2011, 07:52:30 PM
If a rapture comes then we should be focused on finding the second coming of Jesus and nail that fucker to a tree. Killing him atones for our sins and hence we will get to start with a clean slate again ;D
As a Christian, I'm supposed to say that's not funny and to take the end times seriously, soo...
;D Best idea I've heard in a while. hahahaha.
Quote from: StevilIf a rapture comes then we should be focused on finding the second coming of Jesus and nail that fucker to a tree.
It won't do any good - he'll be down again in a couple of days.
Quote from: OldGit on November 12, 2011, 08:55:11 PM
Quote from: StevilIf a rapture comes then we should be focused on finding the second coming of Jesus and nail that fucker to a tree.
It won't do any good - he'll be down again in a couple of days.
And then up and about in no time ;D
Quote from: Stevil on November 12, 2011, 07:52:30 PM
If a rapture comes then we should be focused on finding the second coming of Jesus and nail that fucker to a tree. Killing him atones for our sins and hence we will get to start with a clean slate again ;D
LOL
Quote from: not your typical... on November 12, 2011, 07:37:28 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on November 12, 2011, 06:11:41 AM
I meant life on the planet, but not ruling out the possibility that life might leave the planet. Plenty can happen billions of years into the future, if we or our creations evolve into something else.
Ahh. Now I understand. I like your thinking. Most Christians deny the possibility of life ever existing on another planet.
Which is insane, why they hell do they think they even know? ???
To quote Douglas Adams:
"Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space."
QuoteQuoteOver the past 3 years, I've been to Baptist, Methodist, Mennonite, Pentecostal, Catholic, non-denom, Evangelical, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Anglican, Congregational, and Calvinist churches an all of which have claimed the same.
So I'm supposed to just accept your assertion based on your anecdotal (and to me, highly questionable) evidence? Sorry, but "I say so" doesn't cut it with me. This isn't the topic of your thread though, and to avoid a derail I'm going to drop it
Sorry, I know you said you were going to drop it, but for the record, notyourtypical is right. I'm an atheist of course, but according to a recent survey, 55% of Americans surveyed believed in the rapture and tribulation, which is a little more than 70% of Christians. It is not an isolated, purely sectarian belief. This number is striking, since the whole theory is the product of a long string of Non-Biblical texts, misconceptions, and fictional ideas propagated by popular culture (i.e. the absolutely dreadful Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins books).
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on November 12, 2011, 09:09:11 PM
Which is insane, why they hell do they think they even know? ???
To quote Douglas Adams:
"Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space."
I thought the same thing. The typical justification being, "If there were multiple worlds, Jesus would have had to go to every planet and die for their sins too. Does it mention that anywhere in the Bible?"
My thinking is that maybe he didn't mention it. Maybe he didn't feel the need to explain every little thing to us, because some things simply are none of our business. Is my thinking warped?
And thank you j.woodard24.
Quote from: j.woodard24 on November 13, 2011, 06:35:45 PMSorry, I know you said you were going to drop it, but for the record, notyourtypical is right. I'm an atheist of course, but according to a recent survey, 55% of Americans surveyed believed in the rapture and tribulation, which is a little more than 70% of Christians. It is not an isolated, purely sectarian belief. This number is striking, since the whole theory is the product of a long string of Non-Biblical texts, misconceptions, and fictional ideas propagated by popular culture (i.e. the absolutely dreadful Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins books).
Perhaps if
not your typical... had said "American Christians" I would not have even questioned her assertion. That isn't what she said, however. America ≠ the world, and the majority of American Christians ≠ the majority of Christians. If you would like to do more than
say that "a recent survey" showed this or that, you would cite your source.
Quote from: Recusant on November 13, 2011, 06:48:56 PM
Perhaps if not your typical... had said "American Christians" I would not have even questioned her assertion. That isn't what she said, however. America ≠ the world, and the majority of American Christians ≠ the majority of Christians. If you would like to do more than say that "a recent survey" showed this or that, you would cite your source.
I guess I should have specified that, but at soon as a mentioned east coast and areas in America, don't you think it would have been possible for you to come to that conclusion on your own?
Quote from: not your typical... on November 13, 2011, 07:07:09 PMI guess I should have specified that, but at soon as a mentioned east coast and areas in America, don't you think it would have been possible for you to come to that conclusion on your own?
You might take a look at the thread. As soon as you described your personal experience with a number of
American congregations, I said that I was dropping that particular line of discussion. My reason for questioning your assertion had to do with its very wide-ranging scope, which was unsupported by any evidence whatsoever.
Neither you nor
j.woodward24 has done anything more than bring anecdotal evidence and a reference to "a recent survey" to provide support for your assertion.
Quote from: Recusant on November 13, 2011, 07:16:55 PM
Neither you nor j.woodward24 has done anything more than bring anecdotal evidence and a reference to "a recent survey" to provide support for your assertion, however.
I, for one, never knew of this survey. I just knew from personal experience in a multitude of different types of churches that one thing really stuck with them.
Quote from: not your typical... on November 13, 2011, 07:19:48 PM
Quote from: Recusant on November 13, 2011, 07:16:55 PM
Neither you nor j.woodward24 has done anything more than bring anecdotal evidence and a reference to "a recent survey" to provide support for your assertion, however.
I, for one, never knew of this survey. I just knew from personal experience in a multitude of different types of churches that one thing really stuck with them.
nyt...
If Recusant says something PAY ATTENTION to it. I say this as I have come to respect him as one of the most careful, evenhanded, accurate and intuitive people I have ever come across on any forum. He raises points that are always worth paying attenion to :)
Quote from: Tank on November 13, 2011, 07:46:43 PM
nyt...
If Recusant says something PAY ATTENTION to it. I say this as I have come to respect him as one of the most careful, evenhanded, accurate and intuitive people I have ever come across on any forum. He raises points that are always worth paying attenion to :)
Sir yes Sir! *salutes*
Quote from: not your typical... on November 13, 2011, 07:49:48 PM
Quote from: Tank on November 13, 2011, 07:46:43 PM
nyt...
If Recusant says something PAY ATTENTION to it. I say this as I have come to respect him as one of the most careful, evenhanded, accurate and intuitive people I have ever come across on any forum. He raises points that are always worth paying attenion to :)
Sir yes Sir! *salutes*
At ease soldier!
And clean your room and do your homework.
Quote from: Tank on November 13, 2011, 07:52:22 PM
At ease soldier!
And clean your room and do your homework.
.... How'd you know I need to do that? *looks around the room* Are you somewhere in the barracks sir?
Quote from: not your typical... on November 13, 2011, 07:54:07 PM
Quote from: Tank on November 13, 2011, 07:52:22 PM
At ease soldier!
And clean your room and do your homework.
.... How'd you know I need to do that? *looks around the room* Are you somewhere in the barracks sir?
You're 15, I may be 51 but I remember 15 and the state my room was in and the fact I had to do homework. Some things don't change!
Quote from: Tank on November 13, 2011, 07:57:10 PM
You're 15, I may be 51 but I remember 15 and the state my room was in and the fact I had to do homework. Some things don't change!
Haha. And as for the porn stash, I swear it's not mine. I'm just holding it for a friend.
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rationalskepticism.org%2Fimages%2Fsmilies%2Ficon_hide.gif&hash=425a1f118340336ab851ae73d52edca2e66d28ec) Thank you for your kind words, Tank. (https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg830.imageshack.us%2Fimg830%2F860%2Fsmilew.gif&hash=8238eab24d16418eb1c8cd60d971239ab1363c74)