I am a mental health counselor specializing in schizophrenia. It seems to me that a case can be made that many Christians today believe in ways that one could and should question their mental health. We underestimate the power and numbers of these poor scared souls who follow cultish, irrational and Anti-American End of Times Christian leaders who do not share core American values and beliefs. For some reason it is taboo to even talk about this subject without being branded as "intolerant" or full of hate. So this subject stays hidden and political policies are pushed on all of us by End of Times true believers
Preface: I posted this diary with a title that was too inflammatory and too insulting. After seeing that most comments were focused on just the title and not the content I made the decision to delete the diary rather than cause a negative ruckus. After a day of reflection, more research and calls to ministers, preachers and religious friends I have made the decision to republish this as it fits with the Daily Kos feeling that "The status quo is untenable." There is nothing more status quo today than politicians that believe in the End of Times, base issues on this overriding theme, and pass laws with their radical religious beliefs never being questioned. The End of Times has been labeled the Hidden End of Times by Vancouver Sun's award-winning spiritual and ethics columnist Doug Todd, who explains why this is an important issue to discuss as this religious view also has huge support in Canada.
Right before the 2003 opening of Congress there were 186 House Members and 45 Senators who supported End of Times dogma. Some notable ones were Tom Delay, Senator James Inhofe from Oklahoma, Bill Frist, Mitt McConnell and George W. Bush. Hence, the purpose of this diary is to inform not simply bash all Christians. Keep this in mind, have you ever heard any politician asked about their stand on this radical belief? We are a tolerant community and I a tolerant man but policy is being made based on End of Times beliefs and we have the right to know where our politicians stand on this. It is tremendously important and relevant.
http://communities.canada.com/...
Now, my thoughts of why End of Times and Rapture beliefs contain signs and symptoms of mental illness, are Anti-American and block progress, especially in environmental areas. Feel free to criticize but note that I am only specifically talking about the millions of dispensationalists not the mainstream Christian community.
Josh was a 21 year old kid who had just entered the world of paranoid schizophrenia. It all started for him at age 18, when he started hearing the coyotes howling at night on his farm his name along with insults and obscenities. He ended up in the hospital for four months, was diagnosed with schizophrenia, prescribed psychotropic medications to help him cope with life and lower his signs and symptoms and released. He stayed med compliant for just a short time and then went off on a common negative odyssey of self-medication, homeless and getting arrested for petty crimes. His high intelligence finally got him to accept his mental illness challenge and he began taking his meds, enrolled in college and maintained his own apartment, personal finances and settled into a fairly stable and productive existence. Then it happened. The dispensationalist End of Times Christians got a hold of him.
One of our psychosocial objectives that we designed together and worked on weekly dealt with decreasing his social isolation and getting involved in weekly community activities and events. We went to college plays, football games, joined a pool league, went out to restaurants and coffee houses, went to the Saturday market each week and took mini-trips to parks and other nearby communities. On his own he started expanding his community activities which was the whole point so I encouraged him. He joined a church and started attending services which I also supported and encouraged. It all seemed to be going well and he seemed happy to be a part of a group. Then he went on a weekend retreat.
I got a call late Sunday night from the sheriff's office who informed me that he was in their custody and they wanted to know if I would ride with them to the state hospital where he had been ordered by the crisis mental health team. I agreed. I pieced the story together after our trip and it appeared that he had returned from the retreat and went into a psychotic blackout, gotten drunk, ended up at the 24-hour Supermarket yelling incoherent things and eventually tasered and thrown in jail.
A month later I met with him and since he was clear eyed and coherent, I asked, "What happened at that retreat?"
He smiled, "Promise you won't laugh?"
"I'll try," was my answer.
"They had this guy who gave a seminar Saturday night who was really focused on the End of Times, gave us all the signs that things were coming to and end and demanded that we all get ready for the Rapture, which he explained in great detail. I thought of you. One voice said this is just catastrophic thinking, I knew you would say but another chorus of voices started screaming in my head to "Get ready!" I went to bed totally scared. He paused and took a sip of pop.
"Oh, boy, keep going," I said.
"I had to get out of there, so I walked to the casino."
"From the lake? My god that has to be at least ten miles."
"I could hardly move and went in there. All the lights, and bells going off set me off. I ran into an old high school buddy who took me out to his truck and gave me a couple of hits off a bottle of Jack Daniels. We stayed around until sunrise and he gave me a ride home. I went into the apartment and puked all over the place and passed out."
"Oh, my goodness, Josh, then what?"
"I had this dream that was so vivid and in color, I remember that. Everyone was getting on these different vehicles, weird spacecraft shiny things and every time I tried to get on the door would slam and the engines would start and off they'd go. "
"So, you missed the Rapture?"
"That's what I thought. I don't remember anything other than that I had to get out of the apartment and away from the knives."
"You were going to cut yourself?"
"Yeah, I started to carve, 'Help Me' into my arm when I threw down the knife and ran and I mean ran to the bar."
"Holy, shit ...
"No, Holy anything, please, I am done with those sick idiots. The are way worse than me. Would you do me a favor?" he said while picking up his bottle of meds.
"Sure, what is it?"
"Take some of these meds and put them into the wine they serve for communion. They need this shit way worse than me," he smiled.
***********************************************************************
We liberals underestimate the power of these End of Times and Rapture believers. First, that while enjoying and savoring our great victory, remember this. John McCain still received more than 57 million votes. How many of those 57 million believe in the Rapture? I would conservatively say at least half, which means perhaps 23.5 million really believe this mentally ill stuff. Here is an article from the website Rapture Ready-(no, I am not kidding) that may be enlightening.
How Would Jesus Vote?
"But as for you who forsake the LORD and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny, I will destine you for the sword, and you will all bend down for the slaughter; for I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me." (Isaiah 65:11-12)
For most of America's history there's been a direct connection between patriotism and faith, probably because the US was founded as a Christian nation. We've always believed that God has watched over us, made us prosperous, and been on our side in the wars we've fought.
That connection began to unravel in the 1960's, but it's surprising the number of people who still believe that if seems to be good for the country, it must be right. This is true even among believers. According to recent Barna polls, 48% of those likely to vote in the coming election are born again Christians. That means they claim to have made a personal commitment to Jesus and believe they will go to heaven because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. These same polls show that nearly half of them will vote for the candidate they think has the best plan for restoring America's reputation in the world and managing the economic battles that lie ahead, rather than the one who they think will best uphold the Biblical principles they believe. So if only half the voters are believers, and half of them plan to use worldly standards in making their choice rather than Biblical ones, it follows that only 1 in every 4 voters will be exercising any spiritual discernment at all in casting their vote.
The other 3 are using standards like peace, financial security, tolerance, choice, and so on as their guidelines. They don't realize that only God can restore peace and security to their lives, and tolerance and choice are just nice sounding words that really stand for rebellion against Him. By not considering His standards in casting their vote, they're guaranteeing that He won't be helping them get what they want.
What's At Stake Here?
In the opinion of expert observers, this election could bring about fundamental change in America. Depending on the victor, we could see the last traces of the Judeo-Christian principles that have guided us in the past disappear. Restraints on behavior that God is clearly against could be removed, and prohibitions against behavior that God desires could be imposed . Parents may no longer have the ultimate say in raising or educating their children. The relationship between effort and reward could become unrecognizable. Those with the greatest ability could wind up supporting those with the greatest need. In the name of peace we could make self defense impossible. The list goes on.
If all this comes to pass, believers will be forgiven for their lack of discernment and whisked away in the rapture before things get too bad. After all, obedience to God's word isn't the basis for our inclusion in the Church, it's our belief that the Lord died to save us from our sins. But the unbelieving majority will come to understand the meaning of the Isaiah passage above more clearly than they ever dreamed possible. Everyone in the Great Tribulation will have it rough, but I think that those who rebel as blatantly as people are being called to do in this election will have it especially bad. After all, look at the blessings they've enjoyed by being part of a Christian nation, and the light they've been shown because of our religious heritage. The Lord called but they didn't answer. He spoke but they didn't listen. They will have done evil in his sight by choosing what displeases them, and He will destine them for the sword.
We know that all these things will eventually come to pass, that it's only a matter of time. There's no Scripture anywhere to persuade us otherwise. But it's quite possible that in this election America will choose a course of action that will accelerate our downfall. We will have forsaken the Lord and His Holy Mountain.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)
Over the past few weeks, I've been encouraging us all to accept a giant paradigm shift, to realize that this is not our home. I've been saying that we need to start thinking more about our real home and getting ready to go there. We need to distinguish between our love for our county and our love for God. As good as this country has been, it's no where near as good as where we're going. Like Abraham we're looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:10) And the bottom line is that regardless of who wins this election, America will soon be a far different country than it has been.
So this could very well be the last presidential election we'll ever vote in. It's time to realize that we really don't belong in any political party. No matter how we've thought of ourselves in the past, the reality is that as Christians we're monarchists and we await our coming King. Since our fondest desire is to please Him, we should vote the way we think He would want us to. And remember, we're not voting for someone, and we're not voting against something, we're voting in a way that pleases our Lord.
So, how would Jesus vote? He would vote for life, He would vote to uphold His Father's Word, and He would make His vote count. Can we do anything less? Selah 11-01-08
How did that grab you? Comforting, huh?
This same website, Rapture Ready, also has a running, Rapture Index that rates 45 items and adds them all together to give their readers an update to go by. Some items listed are homosexuality, earthquakes, the economy, persecution of Christians to name a few. At present the score they give is 170. Here is their explanation:
The Purpose For This Index
The Rapture Index has two functions: one is to factor together a number of related end time components into a cohesive indicator, and the other is to standardize those components to eliminate the wide variance that currently exists with prophecy reporting.
The Rapture Index is by no means meant to predict the rapture, however, the index is designed to measure the type of activity that could act as a precursor to the rapture.
You could say the Rapture index is a Dow Jones Industrial Average of end time activity, but I think it would be better if you viewed it as prophetic speedometer. The higher the number, the faster we're moving towards the occurrence of pre-tribulation rapture.
Rapture Index of 100 and Below: Slow prophetic activity
Rapture Index of 100 to 130: Moderate prophetic activity
Rapture Index of 130 to 160: Heavy prophetic activity
Rapture Index above 160: Fasten your seat belts
Created by Exodus Design Studios
Are you getting the seriousness of this yet? But perhaps a review is in order. These End Timers believe that any earthquake, any wild fire, any act of terrorism, any Katrina type storm, any homosexual marriage, any failed Middle East peace accord are all signs that the Biblical prophecies are coming true. And they don't mean in some distant future. Many believe this will happen in 2012 and the countdown is just beginning. There are many survivor groups storing years supplies of food, water and gasoline to run generators. One of the missed stories was about Simple Sarah Palin's beliefs on this matter. Her church leader is on video tape saying, " Alaska will be a refuge state and we need to prepare for all those who will come here. Palin claimed she thought Jesus would return during her lifetime. Turn on any of the 2000 Christian radio stations or the 250 Christian television stations and you will hear the End of Times and Rapture repeated over and over again.
They believe that Iran will start a war with the help of Russia with Israel that will begin Armageddon. This changed as they also predicted the end of the world during 1967 and 1973 during Middle East conflicts. One of the major reasons that McCain didn't use Rev. Wright was not because of some great honor on his part. I think he was threatened by the Obama camp with comments from the radical Reverend Hegge who has a mass following of his books and sermons on the impending Iran war which they LOOK FORWARD TO as it will be a sign that Jesus is on the way to take them away.
But Christians who believe that they must convert all Jews before the Rapture or they will be left behind, aren't the only ones who believe in this stuff. A small sect of Jews believe in the End Times too but since they think that all others must be convinced of their beliefs or THEY will be left behind there's a problem. Many Muslims also think that a Muslim savior will appear soon and take them all away. It appears to me that the real Armageddon will take place when all these different groups try to get on the spiritual aircraft and fight and argue over who has the REAL reservations from the Lord. Actually, this is misleading as it is a common belief that the Rapture will happen suddenly and graves will fly open, people will be snatched from their cars and kitchen tables and flown to the heavens all at once.
Many Christians believe that Obama is the Anti-Christ and use his speech in Germany as proof. Hence, when they see him on television their view is of an evil man, where we see a kind, compassionate man. This will never be reconciled. We will never get these people to join in any efforts to improve the world for as my own sister said to me: "Why do you Liberals want to create heaven on earth?
That says it all doesn't it? It makes it easy to pass a crippled vet on the street, not worry about child abuse, the economy, health care or especially any environmental concerns. Glenn Scherer from Grist, an environmental publication, explains the grave concerns the environmental community have on these End of Times beliefs in an article I have linked here:http://www.grist.org/...
I have never or will I ever criticize any person for their beliefs on abortion, or stem cell research or even prayer in the schools. These are beliefs I can understand and respect. However, I believe it is folly to tolerate belief in the End of Times as simply a private matter when so much public policy is pushed with this belief in mind. "We are not in the business of fixing up the world, we are just in the business of saving souls until the rapture!" is a common refrain from this group. Yell, at me for being intolerant if you chose but I think I am just being prudent. As evidence I present pastor and writer Bill Barnwell from Michigan.http://www.lewrockwell.com/... Politicians need to be questioned and make their beliefs in this area know to all of us- not keep it hidden from us. Make Inhofe explain the next time he claims global warming to be a hoax.
It is my belief that this End of Times stuff has many signs and symptoms of mental illness. There is narcissistic tendencies,in thinking they are the chosen generation. There is catastrophic thinking, paranoia, a persecution complex and suicide ideation evident. They pick this theme and make everything that happens fit into it. This thinking is simply one of ignoring reality and living in a make believe world. Here are their common signs:
1)Wars and Rumors of War; 2) Famine; 3) Pestilence/Plague; 4)Earthquakes; 5. Fearful and Great signs and sights from the heavens; 6) The Falling Away; 7) False Christs Prophets 8) The birth of the Red Heifer 9)The reuniting of the Roman Empire 10)Outbreak of demonic and occult activity; 11) Persecution of Christians; 12) The Out pouring of the Holy Spirit; 13) The Gospel preached throughout the world; 14) Increase of knowledge; 15) the coming of the Anti-Christ; 16)Homosexuality and last the 17) 9/11 attacks.
Finally, there appears to be more than a bit of revenge hidden in this End of Times belief system. The good go to heaven early the rest are tortured and destroyed. Is that belief consistent with the teaching of the great Jesus Christ? This group was the largest and most vocal group in support of the invasion of Iraq and denounced any who opposed as not only being against the country but against God himself. And why? Because it signaled that the End of Times and the Rapture were on the way. You can all be tolerate of such sickness but not I. The mainstream Christians, the ones who minister to the poor, operate hospitals, volunteer at soup kitchens, run clothing drives and try to spread the love of Jesus agree with me. Google in John Hagee and review some of their reactions if you doubt me. A recent article on him is entitled" Has Reverend Hagee Lost His Mind?
What to do about this? Write your representatives and senators and ask them if they believe in End of Times doctrine. Make them take a stand on this and quit letting them hide their views to the public.
Do you think I am over reacting? Reverend John Hagee, the loudest voice of the dispensationalists will not only speak to his 18,000 member church this week, his words will be broadcast and heard by 99 million people world wide. Tim LaHayes, Left Behind dispensationalist book series sold tens of millions and led to three movies, radio shows, a real time strategy video game where the player gets to lead the Tribulation battle and a music album with song titles like Eve of Destruction and I Wished We'd All Been Ready. Luckily, these series also produced multiple parodies including a 2005 Simpson episode, Thank God it's Doomsday and Earl Lee's book, Kiss My Left Behind. I told my dispensationalist sister that she had one more chance with me. If the world doesn't end in 2012, then I want an apology and a cheesecake.