Do you think armaggeddonites are sane?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(F8L @ Nov 10 2007, 06:48 PM) [snapback]537850[/snapback]</div>

This is turning the claim on its head; I do not have to prove a negative.

There is a claim on the table that a particular sect of Christian thought is influencing our policies, and a question about the sanity of those that hold the view. The claim is an extraordinary claim, and requires proof. I do not have to prove that no one holds the views, it is the duty of those making the extraordinary claim to back it up with proof.

As to opinions about the sanity of a particular thought, every one is free to have their own opinion. Some opinions reveal people to be uninformed, but that's the beauty of freedom of expression: sunshine is indeed the best disinfectant.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(airportkid @ Nov 10 2007, 07:25 PM) [snapback]537857[/snapback]</div>

PC removes the embedded quote, so for the benefit of other readers, it was my quip that there was no torture conducted at Quantanamo after a poster indicated our military personnel were repeatedly sodomizing a prisoner, other than throwing the Quran in the toilet, where it belongs. I'll stand by that statement in the context of the original posting.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fshagan @ Nov 11 2007, 12:11 AM) [snapback]537934[/snapback]</div>

Too bad most Americans cannot see the delusion of god in this light. IE, the extraordinary claim requires extraordinary proof or it should not be believed. Fortunately, the claim made by the OP is not nearly as outlandish.

I claimed that there is a very high probability that some in power hold the view expressed by the OP. I have also given an example of a President who indeed is acredited with such views and I have also listed how our current administration holds fast to the antiquated and uneducated principles of the bible or christian religion. Until one of us can provide evidence that proves the other wrong I guess we are at an impasse.

 

I have real trouble believing armaggedonnites for a simple reason. The date of the end times keeps changing. I recall that at one time, it was supposed to have happened in 1971. Therefore, most of us on this forum should not have grown to adulthood, some of us not even born or conceived.

That said, I know someone who fits this description. I once discussed the fact that he was okay with the idea of armaggedon with him, it was approximately like talking to a brick wall. Politically, this person has often shown a strong tendency towards authoritarianism. To sum this up, he's the sort that we've been worrying about having in government. I wouldn't worry too much, though. I doubt he'd get anywhere in that direction.

On the other hand, whatever you think about John Hagee, there are perfectly good reasons for not wanting people like Ahmadinejad or the Syrians to get their way. Is it a good thing that Syria tries to control Lebanon by assassinating people in Lebanon? Would you want a world around us that is more like Iran? There are people on this forum who would likely be executed if they were Iranian citizens for minor things, like their sexual preferences. Many governments in the world are evil, the ones we've considered an axis of evil are only the biggest offenders. Sometimes it seems to me that America's relationship with the rest of the world improves or worsens on how much in the way of violation of human rights we let slip without notice.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MaxLegroom @ Nov 11 2007, 08:20 PM) [snapback]538202[/snapback]</div>

Christians have been predicting the imminent end of the world since Jesus himself. Jesus said the "Son of Man" (a term his followers later applied to him) would come within the lifetime of some of the people listening to him at that moment. His followers expected him to return in their lifetime. When that generation was all dead and gone, their successors figured out ways to explain away his failure to return, and they made new end of the world predictions, always just a few years away. Some have set specific dates. Others have said (quoting the Bible) that the exact date cannot be known, but that their own time was clearly intended and that the end was close.

And generation upon generation of Christians has predicted with certainty that their own generation was the last. And if we finally decide to have an all-out nuclear war and obliterate ourselves from the face of the Earth, Christians everywhere will say, "I told you so!"

 

I thought we were already on a spaceship. And what's wrong with purple?

 

I like purple. I was born in San Diego. In 1971.

So there...I think my birth was a portent of the end times. I've not yet figured out HOW my birth relates to The End, but I'll let y'all know when I find out.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Nov 12 2007, 08:57 AM) [snapback]538443[/snapback]</div>

That's what's got Sam Harris (and quite rightfully) worried - that a large proportion of the U.S. population would consider a nuclear attack on New York as wonderful since it would signal the end of the world at last. Any outlook that looks forward to global annihilation as an event to be welcomed and celebrated CAN'T be healthy.

Mark Baird
Alameda CA

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(airportkid @ Nov 12 2007, 05:28 PM) [snapback]538637[/snapback]</div>

Agreed. I think what Sam Harris was getting at is that when people believe something so feverishly they will act towards those beliefs subconsiously or at least do little to actually stop actions that may cause them to come true.