Saturday, May 21, 2011

Rapture

The end of the world is nigh. Or so they say. But who are they? Based on results, they are fools it seems.

Anyone who picks a date is a nut because no one has ever correctly proven a specific date for apocalypse. If someone ever gets it right, it might not really matter.

Seemingly universal belief among at least Christians, is that the end will come and there will be Rapture for the believers.

Who are the believers? Those who fear death now that the end cometh nigh? Those who Believe, now? Those who Repent for Sins, for Regrets?

Who are the real nuts? Everyone knows the difference. The real moon-howlers are they who believe not the end is nigh, but the end is upon us ... NOW!

This will reign true until the end of time!

And even then, those who live their lives true to themselves, true to their own souls ... those who don't need to die when everyone else dies, but who could die alone ... they will surely reap some reward not available to the rest.


Rapture - Blondie

Lyrics to Rapture

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Harold Camping is hilarious. My boyfriend and I have listened to his show once in a while for the past year for laughs. The truth is- the rapture is for uneducated people. No educated man or woman, in my opinion, could believe this- let alone the bible...

The book is a messages to be received not stories to be believed.

But you're absolutely right in your point that the people who are calling this guy nuts actually do believe in a biblical end of days...just not this prediction. hah!

Wait a second...these people are Christians.... Christ followers? Where did Christ say this in their bible? All I saw was- be nice, be kind, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the sick....ANYTHING other than this is pointless dogma.

You pray for my soul. Meanwhile you're the biggest ahole ever- apparently prayer can save you.

Iverson said...

Boy and how, Stef! I can't believe that in 2011, Christians still believe, even fear, that at some point we'll all die together. It's sort of a cop out, I think.

I had a Witness friend of mine call almost in tears a couple years ago because this drunken fool was worried for MY family as the end approacheth. I told him we all die. If you have some preparing to do, get on with it. What does whether we go one by one or all at once have to do with anything?

I was pondering the bumper sticker, "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven." To me that says I can do what I want because no matter what I will be forgiven by God.

What a sorry lot. Messing up all week long then on their knees every Sunday. At least Muslims seem to live their religion rather than just to pay it homage once a week.

Iverson said...

And what's all this about clothing the Naked? Leave them be! They are fine just the way they are ... well most of 'em,anyway ...

:)

Iverson said...

... AND ...

Nothing get's my blood boiling more than "I will pray for you".

What good does that do? It shows the Creator I have friends? It's annoying and offensive. Pray for yourself!

That's what they do anyway. If someone is praying, "Please God, don't let Jimmy die," they are praying for themselves so that they don't lose Jimmy. They aren't praying for Jimmy.

I've done lots of arguing ... I think "please God, let everyone see it my way," is a common underlying theme around here ... Are they praying for 'everyone'. Hell no!

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Will you pray for me?

Iverson said...

I pray you will pray for yourself.

Iverson said...

Hey Free, did you delete some comments? What did I miss?

Its Time to Live said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Iverson said...

I'm not sure why people take the time to make comments then delete them. But here is one I particularly enjoyed posted by "Time to Live".

It is great that you are able to link and lump all Christians together with one offshoot. If I lumped you with all non believers would that be ok with you?
I have a cranky, old neighbor who hates me. Why does he hate me? Because I am a Christian and he does not like that. Should I then be able to lump you into that same group? The answer should be NO, you should judge me for me and I for you. We should help each other become something better and not have to stoop to pulling each other down. From what I know, you are a good man. You have to have your own falts though, right? I know I do.

Oft times your comments in the HJ news are pulling others down and do not need to be said. Your choice as always though.

Iverson said...

My guess is that they mystery is solved with this:

"Oft times your comments in the HJ news are pulling others down and do not need to be said. Your choice as always though."

Interesting opinion with which I do not agree. I play a carefully- calculated tit-for-tat on that site. For instance, I will now point out that your comment is hypocritical as it holds an air of 'pulling others [me] down'.

No biggie. I don't follow your accusation. Maybe you reread the original post and second guessed your comment. Good for you. Nice catch.

Anonymous said...

bluto... were you ever lds?

Iverson said...

Yes Free,

I was baptized when I was 25. I dropped the entire concept about 1 year later. I never had my named removed from their records. I learned so much more about my own 'spirituality' the year after being baptized than ever in my life. For that I am grateful.

I was also baptized Luthern as a baby and Baptist as a 20 year old.

Anonymous said...

I wondered- I hope you dont mind me asking you. It's just... I am about to send the 'remove my name from your records' email and it's on my mind... i dont know any ex mormons. a lot of emotions. ive been out for 3 years... but finally deciding to officially be out. What made you decide to leave? I hope you dont mind me asking

Iverson said...

I don't mind one bit. You can ask me anything anytime. I tend to enjoy your drift and you always come across with the utmost respect not to mention a refreshing intelligence.

I find it tough to believe any certain group of people are privileged to the inner workings of our Creator.

I think it was actually a Mormon who once told me 99% of what the Devil will tell you is Truth ... that 1% will get you though.

At the time, I was exploring my own Christianity and was troubled that Christ wasn't enough for the Mormons. They need to make it to the highest levels of Heaven on their own deeds. It's a contest of hypocrisy.

On one hand you have God delivering His Son as a sacrifice to Human imperfection, then on the other you have the Mormons telling God, 'No thanks. I can do this on my own."

It became a Grace vs. Deeds argument. Am I 'saved' by the Grace of God or by my own deeds?

And being around people who actually lived their religion and TRULY believed in it, I realized the Muslims are just as devout. How could a Creator put that much confusion in the minds of his Children? Is He toying with us?

Then the whole thing simply turned to complete disbelief in any of Man's ritualistic endeavors ... I felt free then.

This is a disjointed stream of consciousness. I'd love to have this conversation with you in depth, though.

Iverson said...

I never felt threatened by having my name in their records. Some of my friends saw fit to send that email you speak of. I personally have little respect for the entire LDS corporation so don't really mind being on their mailing list.

One thing, though. I have found it better around here to simply not mention my Mormon history to Mormons. They judge you harshly for 'falling away'. I don't want their pity or pious evaluations.

Anonymous said...

lol! i agree - i can't fully reply now because I am going to bed - so first thing in the AM I will reply just wanted to let you know that I didn't ditch out on ya... (im on EST time schedule so i go to bed and wake up super early)

-Steph

Iverson said...

Right on ...

Tomorrow it is. One last thought: I've said this before ... Religion is a method by which humans endeavor to claim God as their own.

He's MINE not YOURS and until you convert, you are lost!

Anonymous said...

Haha wait... I just read your comments about my deleted comments! I cannot remember why I deleted them - Please dont' reflect it back onto my character haha. I had no idea you kept writing back - I need to have it email me otherwise - it just took me 4 months to notice more of your comments. ugh!

Anonymous said...

I think i felt like i was being too redundant and was trimming away my fat... sounds like me...

Anonymous said...

Okay now to the religious stuff...

I appreciate you taking the time to discuss with me :)

It seems that "grave vs deeds" is a huge one in the Christian community... Do you remember a letter to the editor about the volunteer place not allowing the person to volunteer because she wasn't the 'right' kind of Christian? - That was me- though I used my middle name as my first. (My dad worked at the paper for most of my life...so I know everyone there- I just like to have a mask on hj)
Anyway... back to the point... I always found it silly growing up having my parents warn me about hanging out with non-lds kids. My best friends weren't LDS and I feel so bad for always thinking - "poor so and so they wont go to heaven." - After the experience at the volunteer place asking me if i accepted Jesus as my savior - i answered... "I grew up lds. But I do not consider myself religious anymore." -Kind of beating around the bush. It is very silly that they felt in order to volunteer you HAD to accept Jesus as your personal savior. It was the "Grace vs Deeds"... In order to do the deed you needed to have the grace I guess...

Anonymous said...

I always thought that too...about being around people who TRULY believed their religion. My brother - served a mission - he is now married with 2 kids - has the 'strongest' testimony I know. He lives and breathes it. But you can go to Oman and meet someone with the SAME conviction! Neither of them are wrong - it's true for them. *This is where absolute truth comes in - drives me mad.

Anonymous said...

So your 'falling away' from the church wasn't because you read the real church history - you just used simple logic. I guess that works better for a convert than for someone like myself who was born into it.

I couldn't use logic - because it was absolutely logical that a man died and arose 3 days later - visited USA and set up the church. Perfectly logical that a boy at 14 saw Jesus and God... Just like it was perfectly logical that Santa flew around the world in one night...

I watched the Zeigest movie... i didn't know it would go into religion. I was watching the 9/11 part... and then BAM - Odysseus, romulus, dionysus, hercales, glycon, Horus... etc... had the SAME stories as Jesus?!!

I studied religion, mythology, history... and realized that the theory of Aliens coming down and breeding with the humans here to make a hybrid species was MORE logical to me than christianity.. or any religion for that matter lol!

Then I started reading deep into church history and the life of Joseph Smith... and it was just more validation... - not that I needed anymore but it was nice to read the truth about mormonism.

Anonymous said...

So it was 4 years ago this month that I watched that movie and my life has been forever changed. I think clearer, actually use critical thinking skills, I do good because I want to - because I love it- because it benefits that person and society as a whole - not because i'm expecting a reward. I enjoy listening to Richard Dawkins - though his atheisism is just as much as a religion than the next - and Robert Ingersoll, Einstein... these great men who didn't believe, who were smart and real... I look up to them. Not a general authority who i'm suppose to look up to - for what? Because god called them to be in that position? Please.

My father works for the LDS church in SLC....He's with them every day... and I know my dad... if he's hanging with them... then they can't all be "OOOOOOOOO"- *angels singing* lol

"Religion is a method by which humans endeavor to claim God as their own. He's MINE not YOURS and until you convert, you are lost!" - Ill go one step further and say - Religion is for the mere sake of having control. no, not in a malicious way... though some could be like that... but I get why it is here.

Anonymous said...

Haha... hmmmph I guess you are commented out. I did kind of take over your site. Sorry. haha

Iverson said...

I am a bit burned out right now, but you haven't taken over at all. I appreciate the posts and comments every time.

You pegged it about 'testimony' abroad in other parts of the world and/or religions.

I remember your letter. It's bogus. It's almost like going through some initiation to the club.

I'll tell you, I really don't think any church ought to enjoy exemption from income taxation. We're talking REAL big business. If they enjoy it, so should fortune tellers at carnivals.

I haven't seen Zeitgeist but have heard of it. I will seek it out. You're the second person I respect who's recommended it. I did see some of the REAL Mormon History stuff, actually more of it before I became Mormon and the warnings stayed with me. I remember one of the first eye-openers for me after being baptized was reading about the Mt Meadows Massacre and the concept of Blood Atonement.

Keep the posts coming.

It is amazing how scriptures and stories out of ancient history seem to line up.

Seems to me 'Scriptures' just resulted from all the tales of old.


Sort of a rambling lot this post ... I'll get back at you this weekend.

Who's your Dad? Can I ask? Is he still at the HJ?

Anonymous said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZgT1SRcrKE - This is part one to the religion part- youll be able to follow though to the end (part 5)

I'm sorry you're all burned out!!! :(

yeah the blood atonement was pretty eye opening. I think joseph smith looking into a hat not even near the "gold plates" to transcribe was shocking.

Joseph also had 9 different versions of the "first vision" it wasn't until the later ones that god or jesus was even mentioned. - THAT was crazy to me. Though i didn't learn that until after I left the church.

The book "view of the hebrews" came out before the BoM... and told tales that were almost identical to some BoM stories. So.... the BoM isn't even an original ;)

Along with the tax exemption.... I dont think it's right that the church claims to be into big humanitarian, charity effort... compared to what they MAKE they only give a tiny fraction away to charity. Most people don't know that. So dont claim it, if you can't back it up with action.

No dad isn't at the paper anymore, he works for the LDS church in SLC now. Rick Wallace - he was the advertising director before Shawn Brady. He worked there from when i was a toddler until I was 19.

Anonymous said...

Im rewatching the video i sent you right now... at the time i watched it - i hadn't heard any of this before. Knowing what I know NOW... I can see that not all of it is truth...a lot just speculation. They're saying that Jesus did not exists. It's is very interesting don't get me wrong but i know you're smart enough to see what they're trying to say - and it's all good. And in my personal opinion - Jesus might have existed. But not as the savior haha. Just as a revolutionist or something. But no one knows. That's the thing.

I'm not much of a T.V watcher unless it's the History Channel or some learning channel. (and even then i feel like they tell American history 'wrong' for instance if there is a show about the Kennedy assassination it will be about Oswald behind it. And i just can't believe that lol)...

I watch the series Ancient Aliens - have you heard of it? I hope you decide to watch a few of the first episodes of the first season if you haven't. I personally believe that the theory (okay there is a lot of evidence) that beings from other planets came to earth and taught the people here, mated with them...and the religions we have now are a result of that. Praying to the gods in the sky...chariots of fire, whatever and so on... the details of the stories just changed over time haha. Interesting to think about. But no one really knows.

Iverson said...

Ancient Aliens is exactly the type of TV I enjoy most.

I have to agree that alien seeding at least makes as much sense as anything else whether it be microscopic life ejected from a meteoric collision or actual aliens landing on Earth and populating. I'm hesitant to believe that one, but had an experience in college with a couple who made this their religion. There are some real funny stories there.

They believed it as deeply as anyone could believe a religion and proof is never attainable. They operated on Faith in it all and I can't find any fault in that.

Ever ponder the longevity of the players in the Old Testament? I mean if these people lived 900 years, maybe they lived on another planet with entirely different chronology or even different sets of biometric advancement. Maybe a year there is like 10 years here. Maybe their DNA breaks down slower for some reason.

If they live 'slower' maybe that explains why they can travel further in the Universe and haven't returned in the time of modern man ...

On the other hand, given they have some method by which to plant a seed of life or otherwise meddle an existing species, why so secretive? Why no method by which to intelligently or even perfectly preserve the history of the Universe as they see it?

I do see room for a creator AND all the laws of physics that we understand and do not.

I tend to cling to an Agnostic view that the Big Bang was the snap of our Creator's finger, and the rest is just motion. Hawking only recently dropped that point of view for a complete disbelief in a Creator.

Ok, I'm getting warmed up. I'd love to revisit this over the weekend.

Iverson said...

And another thing Steph! Don't go thinking that Red Sox hat in your HJ News photo has gone unnoticed!

BOOOO!

Anonymous said...

I HAVE pondered about the ages of Old Testament characters... I have to look at it as stories that were passed down... like the 'telephone game'

I always thought that it was something like "Jesus made water into wine" statement - that wasn't meant to be literal - its statements like, "he could sell flip flops to an Eskimo"

So with the ages... I wondered if all it meant was they were wise. You know the saying "They are wise beyond their years"? And it was just confused to be taken literal...?

Though your theory is much more fun to think about :)

With Jesus raising people from the dead - that is another one that wasn't taken to be literal... i think (if he was real)... that he was a good motivator, and brought people back to life who were 'spiritual, or emotionally dead'... That is another one that I think about...


"I do see room for a creator AND all the laws of physics that we understand and do not." .... I think of it like this... this planet is just a baby, and humans are just a baby... this universe is soooooooo old.... are you saying a creator created the universe and just left it be...? I can see that.

Though.. it's hard to wrap my brain around. There is definitely other beings out there in the universe, and i think because we're so young, that they have helped with some technology and things like that...

Did you see that AA episode "The 3rd Reich" ? Nazi scientists admitted that they had help from other beings.... hmmmm. I don't know... USA eventually recruited those scientists after the war, so that makes sense how we got to the moon faster ;) haha


K- The Redsox hat photo.... haha I don't even watch the Redsox. My step mom is from Boston...so over at dads house they watch. i was visiting and just decided to take a pic with it to a friend who liked the Yankees.

So you can't get upset at it ;) if I don't even follow them...

I played softball all my life - i know the game. I'm just not that into watching or keeping up anymore...I have too much to do. I'll watch a yankees game over any other team if i have time. In fact I have a yankees hat now - maybe i should switch photos ;)

Iverson said...

That would be WORSE! Note the Angel's hat in my pic. I still wear that hat when I wear a hat.

I've played organized ball since I was 8 of one sort or another. Sometimes year round and sometimes on multiple teams. I think this will be my last year. I just can't play like I used to. My knees are breakin' down.

In fact, this Monday we play the HJ team again. We have lost to them once over the years though they do put up a battle. My team was on a 26 -1 run dating back to last season. Now we're on a two game skid.

Go Angels ...

Anonymous said...

My step mom used to play for the HJ team! - Maybe dad did too... Do you know my dad? You never mentioned if you did.

Angels... ahhh...no i didn't notice that was the hat you were wearing...I bet that is hard for you to root for a team that never sees any action ;)

Iverson said...

Buahhahah!

We might edge Texas out for the AL West title.

Best season of all time for me was defeating the Giants and Bonds in the WS.

I might recognize your Dad if I saw him, but the name isn't ringing a bell.

Anonymous said...

Him and Monica

http://i.pbase.com/o2/02/593802/1/130136838.e6bpDEca.IMG_4144rw10x10.jpg