I've just finished The God Delusion, and now I feel fully armed against anything the fundamentalists can throw at me. A lot of it I knew already, but some things stood out.
F'rinstance.
Did you know there won't be any women in heaven? According to Revelation, only 144,000 people will be saved, none of whom will have defiled themselves with women. That means they're all male - and virgins! I wonder if they're the ones promised to islamist suicide bombers?
So if you're a girl, you're not going to heaven. The bible says so.
Just imagine what heaven would be like. A large crowd in a celestial Wembley, all clean cut young men in white suits worshipping the band on stage - Father on bass, Jesus on lead guitar and vocals, and Holy Ghost on drums, rocking out Kum-by-yah all over the new heaven and new earth for all eternity. Who wouldn't want to be a part of it?
Me? I've got better things to do.
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7 comments:
Is Frinstance really a word? If it's not,it should be. Love it. The picture you paint of heaven has totally put me off the idea. Not that I was exactly sold on it in the first place. How do you get to hell? Where do you sign up? I,d rather be a bit hot than spend eternity with a lot of fundies in white suits.
Lets face it. If you believe even a fraction of Revalation you need to book yourself in for a reality check. Stat (been watching too many US medical dramas lately). Did they have mind bending drugs in those days? And what's all that lamb stuff about?
They sure did have mind-bending drugs - and there were no laws against taking them.
myeh, Heaven is over-rated.
"I'd rather laugh with the sinners
Than cry with the saints.
The sinners are much more fun..."
;)
Kisses
You poor soul! Didn't your mother ever tell you not to believe everything you read? Whomever wrote that crap is delusional; what a pack of nonsense! I'm what you would consider a "fundamental" Christian; I've NEVER been taught the 144,000 are all that will be saved and that they're all male or even virgins! I don't know of any legitimate Christian church that does.
Jehovah's Witnesses may believe this nonsense but they are NOT Christians. (They don't believe Jesus was the Son of God so altho' they try to pass themselves off as Christian, they're NOT.)
The thought of 144,000 male virgins being the only persons to get to heaven is hilarious, I'll grant you. What a wonderful counter point to Islam's female virgins in paradise. To bad it's a lie! But than who cares about the truth these days; what a great way to mock a faith you know nothing about!
If you truly want to know how most "fundamental Christians" interpret Revelations (ie how they believe the end times will play out and who will get to heaven), read the "Left Behind" series by LaHaye & Jenkins. It's a fictionalized version of what many fundamentalists believe to be the Truth. However, if you just want to believe what makes for a wonderful (and demeaning) joke, contine reading nonsense like The God Delusion.
But I have to tell you I truly pity anyone who'd publish such utter CRAP as truth; it's embarrassing. It's especially pitiful since I've enjoyed reading most of your other posts, finding them insightful and intelligent. As a Pediatric ICU nurse with a Scots granddad, I've found it interesting to read about Scotland from an opthalmic nurse's viewpoint. I just couldn't let you pass on such B.S. without commenting.
Thanks for your comment Ragamuffin, you are right. I've just read the chapter (Seven by the way) and the 144,000 are the servants of God with seals on their foreheads. They're from the 12 tribes. But in verse 9, John beholds a great multitude which no man could number. So I guess that means a bigger population in Heaven after all. I stand corrected.
The problem, of course, is in the interpretation. I'm aware that there are many different varieties of fundamentalist christians who interpret Revelation in different ways, for example, pre-millenialists and post-millenialists.
As you've probably guessed, I am an atheist. I find the culture war in the USA between religion and secularism fascinating. I guess it seems exotic because religion in Britain is so low-profile, and a bit of a minority interest.
Chris, Thank you for your reply to my comments. I want to apologize if anything I said was offensive to you. I wrote what I did when I was feeling pretty angry and probably could have showed more grace than I did.
I really appreciate your perspectives, and it does sound as though you've done a lot of research on this. I am really glad that whatever decisions you've made as to the existence of God is NOT based on the nonsense written in your original post.
When visiting Britain, I've witnessed for myself the secularism prevalent in your culture as compared to the US. I can see where witnessing the antics of a "Christian" nation such as the US would be fascinating from the outside looking in, so to speak.
My faith is something deeply personal and of the greatest importance in my life. I go on quietly doing the best I can and living in the way I believe is right. I do sometimes get frustrated with how Christianity has been politicized in this country. I find myself wishing these persons would talk less and pray more. There is this entire sub-culture in the US where how good a Christian you are depends on how many talk shows you go on, how many abortion clinics you picket, how many homosexuals you condemn and through it all the stridency overwhelms the message Jesus gave us, to LOVE one another. Don't get me wrong, my beliefs are conservative, but I sometimes think the people who are yelling the loudest about all these things have lost sight of the fact we're not called to judge but to love.
Anyway, sorry to get on my soapbox. Just wanted to let you know my feelings about 'politics in America'. Thanks again for your kind and sincere reply to my somewhat hasty comments.
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