Koiyotnik

You know, I'm not gloom-and-doom by nature, but I find that I have an undying intrigue to witness any unlikely apocalypse that might (but in all likelihood, won't) come our way.

Morbid fascination?
Yes.

SharonDee

Exactly! Whenever a plane flys noisily low over my house, my first thought is, "Jesus is coming!" Of course, reason immediately asserts itself and I call myself all kinds of idiot for still succumbing to that irrational fear. It pisses me right off!

When I was twelve, I was hell-scared into becoming a Christian. Once becoming a member of The Body, though, I realized that I still had to fear hell because the smallest (unrepented) screw-up would mean damnation if I died at that moment or if Christ came back right that second.

I was a very shy child and getting right with God required walking up the church aisle in front of a bunch of singing people, then whispering your sins to the preacher in the front pew while the rest of the congregation looked on and waited quietly. It took all the courage I had to make that first walk forward to become a Christian. I never got up the courage again to walk up to get forgiveness for subsequent sins.

So I started looking for loopholes. "No man knoweth the hour" when Christ would come again. So... I made it a habit to be looking for Jesus during every waking moment. Yes today is the day Jesus will come back, I used to tell myself. I'm looking for you, Jesus, so don't show up, okay?

When sudden loud noises occurred, I thought my plan had failed and I was going to hell for sure. I would frantically look around, hoping to find some mundane cause for the sound. I was never disappointed, obviously, but that wasn't reassuring at the time.

Wow, that looks pretty messed up now that I've written it down. Thanks, Mom and Dad.

bonduca

Even when I was religious, I never feared hell half as much as I feared my family.

Mad Kally

I fear my mother's vile fundie mouth more than anything else I can think of.. (even spiders) shiver

Indifference

Absolutely.

If you think about it, what are the consequences of believing and being wrong? A wasted life. Now, what are the consequences of not-believing and being wrong? Eternal Damnation.

Unfortunately, this rather viscious coercion still picks at me sometimes.

Fortunately, I think everyone here knows that the truth is much stronger than even this most horrible mental coercion.

[ April 20, 2002: Message edited by: Indifference ]

[ April 20, 2002: Message edited by: Indifference ]</p>

Eudaimonist

Maybe very early on after becoming an atheist, but not now. The cult programming wore off.

NOGO

The end of times ...

Note that Daniel is asked to wait until the end of the world for his reward.

Notice that Paul also says that the dead will be raised at the end of the world.

Where were these people till then? Sheol?

But why the end of the world?
Why can't the kingdom of God take place elsewhere in the universe or in another universe.

The answer is simple. In those days people believed that the earth was flat. The flat earth was covered by a dome. The dome of heaven. The stars were little lights attached to the dome and so was the sun and moon. The sun entered the dome at one end of the dome, travelled to the other end and exited.

This concept of the world leaves no other place for the kingdom of God but the earth. So the end of the world is necessary before God's kingdom can be established.

It is hard for me to fear the end of the world as much as it is hard for me to believe that dead people are all waiting for that moment and that they have been waiting for thousands of years. It is as hard to believe it as it is hard to believe that the earth is flat.

Seeker196

"I just fear that a clown is going to rape and kill me"

same here!!

Anyone else suffer from bizzare crossover nightmares, Pennywise from It mixed with Insane Clown Posse mixed with vicious prison gang rape?

Koiyotnik

Not... really.

Maleficus

Heh.. Sheol.

Memnoch is a pretty good book, preferred Queen of the Damned though(haven't seen the movie.. I'm afraid to.. if it's as badly converted as Interview, I'll be pissed).