It Seems I Missed the Rapture

[prolurk]

OK, so there wasn’t a Rapture of Good Souls that Left Behind Rotten Souls like me. Or if there was, very few people were Good Enough to go. Does this really mean anything?

Every day that I tend a death, I see a Rapture. I always tell the family that I am sure that their loved one is in a better place, and they will meet again some day. Most of the

Comments

[jaanquidam]

I can understand the appeal of skipping over all that pesky change that comes with aging and dying and what not. Given the chance, I'd happily skip past the sucky parts of life. But this--and many similar eschatological doctrines--strike me as being more about schadenfreude than anything else. Maybe I'd think differently if it was really happening, but, being "taken up" while every other living thing is "left behind" to suffer? I'm pretty sure I'd rather stay behind.

[prolurk]

OK, so you said in one paragraph what I was trying to say. And said it well.

I agree: if given the choice, I'd rather stay and help where I could. It's kinda my job, you know? And another thing, this short-cut thingy sounds like cheating.

Ever notice how similar "eschatological" and "scatological" are?

[jaanquidam]

No, I didn't! I mean, I didn't think I did. But that's what your post got me thinking about. But it does seem a little, um, pretentious to prepare to be Raptured (enrapturized?) doesn't it? And then the fact that it means life for everyone and everything else is going to be miserable makes it seem downright selfish and greedy and cruel. And I had the impression Jesus was opposed to those things. I mean, I'm neither religious nor an expert, but I thought Jesus was the one who stayed behind to suffer for others? And said something about "what you do to the least of these, you do to me"? And refused to condone vengeance, much less passing judgement