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Soapbox Philosophy: Uplifting rapture, anyone?
by Gregory R. Norfleet · Op-Ed · May 25, 2011
It’s Sunday, May 22, when I begin this column. Robin’s driving, and the kids are in the back of the minivan.
There’s traffic on Interstate 80 — both directions — and the sun is shining.
Perhaps the Harold Camping’s May 21 rapture slept in, or missed its bus, or its calculator is on the fritz.
This is not the first time the rapture has been predicted, and we’re all still here.
Well, I am.
And there’s enough people around me to convince me it didn’t happen.
Most people who have some Bible knowledge have been quoting Matthew 24:36, which states that “about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Here’s my perspective of the Bible in a nutshell: I believe it because after hundreds of years of questions — from philosophers, sociologists, historians, scientists and everyday people — nothing — from facts to relational truths to miracles — has been proven wrong. That’s phenomenal, and everyone ought to take that seriously.
Here are some things I saw and heard about the May 21 rapture prediction:
• A friend who knows me as a Christian asked me what I thought of it. When I told her my doubts, she stated that Camping and his followers are “bat---- crazy.”
• I came across a YouTube video, produced before May 21, by a self-described atheist saying that this prediction proves that all of Christianity is absolutely false. (So now we have both extremes.)
• Major media outlets picked up the story as well, talking to Camping followers driving around in pickup trucks and RVs with signs warning people of End Times.
• A Christian radio announcer jokingly told people to stay off Facebook “because people on the East Coast will ruin it for you.”
• On Twitter: How do you console a rapturist? “Come on, it’s not like it’s the end of the world!”
• One of my cousins quipped that, for those at the bars that night, it gave whole new meaning to “last call.” (Put it on my tab.)
I found the whole event fascinating: Why were so many people making fun of it — and to this degree — rather than just ignoring it? Why did major media pick it up? Why were everyday people — me included — talking about it so much?
My guess is that, deep down, we all believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God. Granted, we treat it differently in our day-to-day lives — some follow it as best they can, others argue against some of the finer points, and some try to suppress their fear by ignoring it.
To put it another way, we believe there will be a rapture, and we hate the uncertainty and the fear that the subject stirs up within us. Talking about it and making jokes help calm us down. It works for me.
It’s like the argument for setting a pullout date for NATO troops: If they know when we’re leaving, the terrorists will just wait until the troops are gone. Or better yet, like speeders looking out for cops, we’re waiting until the last minute to get our lives on the straight and narrow because there’s just too much we want to do right now.
It’s human nature to hate uncertainty, especially when it is mixed with fear. But it’s easier to live with the uncertainty when you have nothing to fear.
You can’t know the day or the hour, but you can know peace.
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