Rampant Rapture Rabbits

I sit writing this at 6pm on 22^nd May, 2011. Twenty-four hours ago Christ returned and the Rapture began with the ascension to Heaven of all of god's faithful followers. Those of us who doubted god or who did not follow his teachings have been left behind to face the suffering we deserve, earthquakes and tsunamis are ravaging the planet and people are rioting in the streets.

Did it bollocks! It was a normal Saturday and, actually, quite a nice day here in London.

What we have here is yet another example of the gullible being preyed upon by the exploitative. In this instance we can lay the blame squarely at the door of Harold Camping. Any upset and turmoil caused by Camping serves only to highlight the insidious nature of religion as a means to control and exploit those who, for whatever reason, buy into religion.

This is not the first time Harold Camping has made an end of the world prophecy, he claimed it would happen in 1994. Guess what. It didn't. Camping bases his bullshittery on mathematical calculations of biblical scripture. Didn't Ussher use mathematical calculations based on scripture to calculate the Earth is only around 6,000 years old? Yeah, only a few billion years out so we know that approach works!

Camping's company, and let us not forget it is a business just as everything in religion is at the core, owns over 50 radio stations in the US. Just how much has Camping profited from his propheteering? One thing is for sure, a great many of those donating to this charlatan will ill have been able to afford it. If any have, as was feared may happen, committed suicide at the prospect of his his Rapture I would be delighted to see Camping charged with whatever the US equivalent of culpable manslaughter is.

This manipulative little man is nothing more than a fraud and should be seen as such. If he wants to sue me for calling him that then fine, he'll have to prove the Bible is true in a UK court of law and good luck with that one!

Now a quick word about the moralistic implications of the Rapture.

It's not moralistic. End of story. It depicts a god willing to take a select few who fulfilled his narcissistic desire for unquestioning worship whilst blithely casting the rest of us aside. No chance of appeal, no second chance, just an eternity of suffering without reprieve. How does that sit with a loving, merciful and forgiving deity? It doesn't, obviously. Why can those who buy into the fundamental Christian mindset not recognise this logical contradiction?

Before any Christians claim god takes no pleasure in casting anybody aside, ask yourself this; why is he willing to do it then? If your child speaks back to you do you chastise it for eternity? No, of course not. You forgive that child. God is therefore not forgiving or loving, he is a demanding bully.

What is all too clear from debating such Christians on Facebook is that many see nothing wrong with telling others they will be condemned to Hell by their god come Judgement Day, displaying a level of schadenfreude that would give psychologists a field day. They throw out threats of godly condemnation and when asked to stop they try to pretend it's not a threat, it's a warning. Really? Fine, then stop 'warning' us in that case.

Whilst I am aware that not all Christians believed the Rapture would happen on the 21^st May we must remember they do not disagree that it will happen, they only disagree on the date. Christianity, just like all organised religions, is based on a belief that the followers are somehow special, better than those not a member of their little club because only they know the truth.

If anything good could come of Harold Camping's money-making scheming I hope that at least a few theists now see religion for what it is; a cash cow to be milked by those in a position of power – such as access to their own radio stations. Those of us whom have never been indoctrinated into a faith have been able to see this truth all along, so welcome to the real world.