Freethought & Rationalism Archive

lpetrich · 07-27-2006, 01:50 PM

In PZ's blog Rapture Insanity Watch is a link to something truly bizarre in the mainstream news media: CNN or CBN? Phillips asks apocalypse authors: "[A]re we living in the last days?":

Quote:

Summary: With Kyra Phillips's discussion of the Apocalypse and the Middle East conflict with Christian authors Jerry Jenkins and Joel C. Rosenberg -- who share the view that the Rapture is nigh -- CNN has, for the second time in three days, featured a segment on the potential coming of the Apocalypse, as indicated by current conflicts in the Middle East.

Jerry Jenkins and Joel C. Rosenberg are two authors of Left Behind books, and in their CNN appearance, they explained their contention that the recent Middle Eastern strife is yet more fulfillment of Biblical prophecies. And what's worse,

Quote:

…Rosenberg is just one of several conservative media figures who have identified and expounded upon the purported signs of the Apocalypse to be found in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. During his appearance on Live From…, Rosenberg claimed that he had been invited to the White House, Capitol Hill, and the CIA to discuss the Rapture and the Middle East, and noted—several times—that the apocalyptic events described in his novels keep coming true.

One of PZ's repliers posted that

Quote:

You'll also notice that when CNN did this piece, they spent approx 3/4 of it interviewing the apocolyptic nuts and 1/4 interviewing a Catholic priest who rightly called this interpretation of the Revelation "rubbish".

JustBlazed · 07-27-2006, 02:32 PM

CNN hasn't been relevant to me since the first Gulf war. It hasn't been relevant to my S.O. since she found out Anderson Cooper is gay. :Cheeky:

CNN is trying to become FoxNews-lite, IMHO. Randi Rhodes played a clip of this on her Air America radio show the other day....I LOL'ed. Paula Zahn needs to mocked big time for this.

OripahsTrebor · 07-27-2006, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lpetrich

In PZ's blog Rapture Insanity Watch is a link to something truly bizarre in the mainstream news media: CNN or CBN? Phillips asks apocalypse authors: "[A]re we living in the last days?":

Jerry Jenkins and Joel C. Rosenberg are two authors of Left Behind books, and in their CNN appearance, they explained their contention that the recent Middle Eastern strife is yet more fulfillment of Biblical prophecies. And what's worse,

One of PZ's repliers posted that

Joel C. Rosenberg did not write the Left Behind books. It was Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

lpetrich · 07-28-2006, 09:04 AM

Joel C. Rosenberg has written his own Left-Behind-related books and articles, so that's why I counted him as a Left Behind author, though he has not contributed to any of the series proper.

Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins have built a publishing mini-empire around their series. Along with the 12-book series proper, they have written three prequels, and they will release a sequel next year, at least according to their Product Release Schedule. Not only that, they have released a kids' series, audiobooks, graphic novels, a military series, a political series, a Bible-study series, a "Soon" series, and Joel C. Rosenberg's series.

That aside, one wonders why they are taking fundie Rapturists so seriously. Are they trying to attract some of Fox News's viewers?

OripahsTrebor · 07-28-2006, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lpetrich

That aside, one wonders why they are taking fundie Rapturists so seriously. Are they trying to attract some of Fox News's viewers?

Maybe they are sick and tired of their lives on earth, but their religions forbids suicide. So, it would seem the raptures provides a way out for them. Maybe Joel C. Rosenberg does not believe in the rapture, but he adopted the mentality of the fundamentalists Christians, who are able to interpret any event in the Middle East into their dispensationalist framework, so he could move into a bigger house at the expense of many deluded fundamentalists.

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07-27-2006, 02:32 PM	#2
JustBlazed Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: New England Posts: 2,673	CNN hasn't been relevant to me since the first Gulf war. It hasn't been relevant to my S.O. since she found out Anderson Cooper is gay. :Cheeky: CNN is trying to become FoxNews-lite, IMHO. Randi Rhodes played a clip of this on her Air America radio show the other day....I LOL'ed. Paula Zahn needs to mocked big time for this.

07-28-2006, 09:04 AM	#4
lpetrich Contributor Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Lebanon, OR, USA Posts: 16,829	Joel C. Rosenberg has written his own Left-Behind-related books and articles, so that's why I counted him as a Left Behind author, though he has not contributed to any of the series proper. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins have built a publishing mini-empire around their series. Along with the 12-book series proper, they have written three prequels, and they will release a sequel next year, at least according to their Product Release Schedule. Not only that, they have released a kids' series, audiobooks, graphic novels, a military series, a political series, a Bible-study series, a "Soon" series, and Joel C. Rosenberg's series. That aside, one wonders why they are taking fundie Rapturists so seriously. Are they trying to attract some of Fox News's viewers?

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