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Rapture tastes so sweet

Iio – “Rapture” (lyrics here)

So I’m sure most of you are aware of the whole supposed imminent Rapture thing and have been making jokes about it on Twitter/Tumblr/Facebook/probably-not-myspace-does-that-still-exist?

Anyway, I have the unfortunate habit of taking jokes way too seriously, so I have written something at Global Comment about it!  And you should read it, before you meet your lemony fresh DOOM.

10 Comments

  1. Lorien wrote:

    Nice!

    FYI: This is the second time in as many days that I have seen a feminist blog site made snide comments about MySpace. Is the work of Danah Boyd on social networking and socioeconomic status not well known? Too bad. Will have to start spreading the message:

    Viewing American Class Divisions Through Facebook and MySpace
    http://www.danah.org/papers/essays/ClassDivisions.html

    Really fascinating stuff.

    Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 12:59 pm | Permalink
  2. Nick wrote:

    understand that the SON does not know the exact date on which the following prophesy will occur—”only the FATHER”. so, anyone who claims to know the exact date has been misled.

    yes, HE will come to snatch up all who are “in CHRIST”, but first all who have passed away. “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the LORD in the air. And so we will be with the LORD forever.”(1Th 4:16-17 NIV)

    so that you will not be misled today, study the Bible today.(Mat 24:36; Mar 13:32)

    Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 2:56 pm | Permalink
  3. Emily Manuel wrote:

    @Lorien

    Interesting. I’m not actually American (though I currently live here) so I wonder if that holds true for other countries? I’ll keep it in mind, anyway.

    @Nick

    Indeed.

    Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 4:44 pm | Permalink
  4. marshalbluehat wrote:

    Hey there, just a heads up: there’s a broken tag up at “way too seriously.” In Chrome, at least, it’s making everything after that on the page italicized as well – even different entries. Weird.

    Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 5:45 pm | Permalink
  5. Emily Manuel wrote:

    Ack yes. Fixed now–even though I was half inclined to keep everything italics. Tell all the truth, tell it slant..

    Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 6:23 pm | Permalink
  6. Brigitte wrote:

    I find that people read too much into the way atheists poke fun at religious beliefs. Sometimes it really is just that. I don’t particularly find the rapture concept any more (or less) silly than other religious beliefs. And I also don’t believe that our time is more dangerous than another (middle ages?).

    Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 9:25 pm | Permalink
  7. Catbus wrote:

    That is the best song.

    Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 11:44 am | Permalink
  8. Tomecat wrote:

    @brigitte–at least in the middle ages, one country with a couple of maces and catapults couldn’t destroy most life on the planet.

    Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 5:45 pm | Permalink
  9. samanthab wrote:

    @Brigitte, anything you choose to dedicate your time to means something. When you feel the need to make sweeping statements like all “religious beliefs” are silly, it starts to sound like you’re interested in putting people down without bothering to intellectually engage their ideas. If you find, “Do unto others as you would have unto you,” silly, that makes me sad. You may not want to engage that principal within a religious context- fine!,- but it’s not silly.

    Neither do I find the Rapture stuff silly. At all! It’s really pretty troubling that masses of people are so freaking dissatisfied with their daily lives. What’s *funny* about the fact that people are wishing death upon themselves? And I think it goes straight to the point to trace this stuff back to Frederic Jameson’s analysis. Though I would add it’s not just capitalism as we’ve known it. It’s an increasingly crueler, unchecked capitalism, and also a highly dishonest one, given how much of the corporatocracy is funded with public money.

    So I think that instead of making fun of other people’s beliefs (often in a very classist fashion,) we need to be taking collective responsibility for, and collective action, against the shit that’s resulting in this kind of mass societal malaise. We’re meeting apathy with apathy, and that’s not right.
    Would we be so bothered by them if they weren’t onto something that hits close to the bone, named that contemporary American society is FUCKED UP?

    Sure, that understanding may take them to a place we’re not at all interested in going, but that doesn’t mean it’s not based in something legitimate.

    Monday, May 23, 2011 at 10:54 am | Permalink
  10. Brigitte wrote:

    Re-reading my comment, I see I was too flip. Please allow me the opportunity to elaborate.

    My impression of the article at Global Comment is that it is an attempt to understand why atheists have are making jokes about The Rapture, despite the fact that it is not a mainstream belief among Christians. That is purely what I’m responding to. As an atheist, I have a hard time making it past the contention that atheists making fun of The Rapture = evidence of anxiety about the apocalyptic times we live in.

    I may well be misreading the article. However, if it is talking about atheist motivations, as evidenced in this statement, “What is more astonishing is the degree with which this apocalyptic story has been taken up by atheists, dominating the news for the past few weeks,” then I am responding as an atheist with my own opposing sentiments.

    I am not dissatisfied with my daily life (although I agree with the criticisms of our social structures brought to light on this blog) nor do I personally find our times apocalyptic, yet I still make jokes about The Rapture. Not to the Internet at large, because that’s not my style, but to my husband and very select friends. I personally tire of having others (especially the religious) speak to my motives and feelings when it comes to my response to religion.

    My intent isn’t to argue the benefits/detriments of religion in this forum, and I do apologize for blanket labeling religious beliefs as “silly.” I would say that, in general, I categorize “beliefs” and “values” separately, which is a distinction I certainly failed to define. For instance, a value of “do unto others” is separate in my understanding from a belief that Jesus turned wine into water.

    Also, I would argue the flip-side. We atheists need our humor, especially in the U.S., where (Christian) religion affects our daily lives whether we like it or not. There are many atheist sites that use humor to tackle our particular struggles, just as Tiger Beatdown uses humor in the face of the patriarchy.

    Monday, May 23, 2011 at 2:46 pm | Permalink