They like the idea of a catastrophic event out of their control, or caused by sinners. They don't like to be the cause because of their own greed and indifference.
this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2023
915 points (95.7% liked)
Showerthoughts
29666 readers
1368 users here now
A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.
Rules
- All posts must be showerthoughts
- The entire showerthought must be in the title
- Avoid politics
- NEW RULE as of 5 Nov 2024, trying it out
- Political posts often end up being circle jerks (not offering unique perspective) or enflaming (too much work for mods).
- Try c/politicaldiscussion, volunteer as a mod here, or start your own community.
- Posts must be original/unique
- Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct-----
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
I mean there is plenty theocratic terrorists in the US, that support Israeli expansionism and want war with Iran because they hope it to cause the apocalypse.
They are very much fine, with bringing on the end times, and how they didn't get the memo, that according to their own scripture they'll all rot in hell for it, is truly mind boggling.
There were also some of the Trump worshippers acknowledging how unchristian he is, but that they should support him, because he could be the Antichrist, starting the apocalypse. So people claiming to be christian say it is a good thing to support the Antichrist....
load more comments
(1 replies)
Plus while there are signs of the end-times, the actual end is supposed to be Magic Jesus riding back on a majestic sled, smiting evildoers, not just some sciencey crap about warm weather and melting ice and droughts.
load more comments
(2 replies)
their handlers have changed the narrative
To be fair, so has science. Which also to be fair is because of real life evidence, not whatever passes for evidence to the religious.
i spose youre right... we all have to choose our information proxies.. they just choose poorly.
Also it depends on the conspiracy
"Climate issues won't end humanity, X will instead"
I don't think there are many people who are simply content with the world. Being content might actually be better
X will instead
Goddammit, Elon
load more comments
(2 replies)
For a certain portion, it's because some have become outright theocratic accelerationists. They actively want the situation to get worse, because that means Jesus comes back!
I believe they're called Dominionists. These are the people that want a major war in Israel because it means Jesus is coming back.
load more comments
(1 replies)
load more comments
(5 replies)
They’ve believed the end is near for 2000 years.
Shit, the Bible says that the rapture would happen before a particular apostle would die. Yet, here we are without a 2000 year old apostle.
The gymnastics to make it make sense are that he had a vision of the end when he ‘wrote’ Revelations.
Shit, the Bible says that the rapture would happen before a particular apostle would die. Yet, here we are without a 2000 year old apostle.
Wait what, really?
Matthew 16:28
I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.
Mark 9:1
And he said to them, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.
Luke 9:27
I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God
Re saying John wouldn’t die, that’s actually an inference but a not uncommon theological belief among evangelicals. John 21:20-23
“20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”” .
I believe OP is referring to Matthew 24:34 (Jesus is speaking answering the question of when he will return): "Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place."
load more comments
(1 replies)
load more comments
(2 replies)
load more comments
(1 replies)
They're still saying the end is nigh. I've legit heard Christians argue that we shouldn't care about climate change because the rapture is coming any day now.
Also, science was warning us about this in the 80s and 90s too. Society didn't care then like it doesn't care now (though it now pretends to).
Science warned us about the possibility of climate change over a hundred years ago. We've been passing the buck for generations.
edit: Citation1 (1902): https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/article-warns-of-burning-coal/
Citation2 (1912): https://theconversation.com/for-110-years-climate-change-has-been-in-the-news-are-we-finally-ready-to-listen-188646
Both these projections were based on steady state consumption rates. Our religion of perpetual growth throws that out the window.
Also, it's infinitely frustrating and heartbreaking for the more senior climate scientists that went from saying "look, if we act now and put our heads together to clean up our act, we can still stop this in its tracks and save the world" early in their career to decades later where basically all that's left for them to do is try to predict exactly how bad it will get, what regions will be decimated the most and how many billions of people will die from this, while begging everyone to at least mitigate it so humanity as a species might still have a chance, and everyone still don't give a shit.
The USDA has released a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map for 2023. These were things that use to stay static for decades at least. We can now expect them to be updated every few years at the least now.
Bold of you to assume they believe the end isn't still right around the corner.
Most of the stereotypical religious nutjobs I know just use climate change as an example of the end times.
A lot of those types believe in climate change, but not because of fossil fuels or any of that fake news science stuff, but because it's punishment from their god for allowing the gays to exist.
load more comments
(1 replies)
Well they can't be stupid idiots if they're actually right, so they had to switch gears.
Now that I think more of it outside the shower, it's probably "stereotypical religious nutjobs of the 20th century".
Read the book The Demon Haunted World, or at least the parts about satanic panic and charlatans. I really miss Carl Sagan.
I'm curious to hear what other media people recommend on this topic.
My favorite part of the satanic panic was when sometime in the eighties, our local preacher dropped by our house (we were not church goers) and saw a mangled, black candle on our kitchen table. We'd had a power outage recently, and Internet-less, kid-me loved to heat up paper clips over the flames and use them to etch the wax. Totally innocent of any dastardly doings aside from slightly mischievous me. He left in a bit of a hurry and sent along some hilarious VHS tapes decrying the evils of this and that. Particularly Dungeons and Dragons. Which was how I discovered Dungeons and Dragons and how awesome it is.
That's hilarious! I remember people saying that D&D led to kids stealing stoplights, and wondering how on earth that had anything to do with satan. I also remember Frank Peretti books (This Present Darkness), and Screwtape Letters.
Edit: also Hell's Bells https://youtu.be/Eu4UWhzwRiI
I did spend some of my childhood stealing traffic lights and street signs. It wasn't Satan that made me do it, it was the boy scouts.
If that's the worst thing that happened to you because of the boy scouts you got off pretty lucky
load more comments
(5 replies)
Honestly the end is not near
Actually, this is part of the horror. Is gonna be a long, drawn out, and painful several generations long apocalypse.
load more comments
(2 replies)
The universe will still exist.... But the end of the human animal is most certainly nigh.
We're literally the most successful animal in the planet. Even a global catastrophe won't take us out when we're incredibly adaptable.
It may kill a lot of people but it's gonna be like hand sanitizer on bacteria. Even a 0.1% or even 0.01% who survive is still a whole lot of people left.
How do you define success in this logic?
What do you mean by incredible adaptable? We have only existed for a short period of time as species and have been plentiful only for a fraction of that period during, so far, climate conditions that have have worked to our favour.
load more comments
(1 replies)
load more comments
(2 replies)
Why not both?
Schrodinger's the-end-is-nigh is saying as soon as donations come in, everything is a-ok!
Prophecies and fortune-tellings are so vague and general that a seemingly fitting event could be associated to a given prophecy and fortune-telling.
Civilisations come and go, and many societies in ancient times face upheavals on a more regular basis. My theory is that these prophecies about apocalypse came about based on these past experiences. In our pattern-searching mind, we think that the end of the world will definitely come, because humans are simply repeating the same mistakes over and over. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy because, according to the lovable man-killing machine about humans, "it is on your nature to destroy yourselves."
Ehhhh, some of them. Last year around Christmas, a coworker of mine went on a huge rant about how evil has seeped into everything and that the antichrist is actually everyone. Everyone everyone. YMMV.
It's fun to think of them as the same people. But the reality is that they're two different people, and it's just changed who is considered right.
"The end is nigh, but not for the reasons you say. "
Example, and this encapsulates MUCH of US politics:
“The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood–idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.” Revelation 9:20-21
Then, they wanted more people to join their death cults before the end came. Now, I just think they're less interested.
load more comments
(1 replies)
Tbf geopolitics used to support them instead of science. Don't think they were pro nuclear disarmament, though.
Wait a minute, does science say the end is nigh? Is this about climate change, or general humanity destroying ourselves, or both?
Severe climate events, insects going extinct, impeding rough and water wars, micro plastics and forever chems in the water and in our bodies, possibility of total annihilation of all satelites due to space debris. Honestly it could be any number of things that finally end our civilization as we know it at this point.
Sometimes it really feels like these doomsday fellows are working to ensure the end comes this time around, since god failed so many times already
load more comments
(1 replies)
load more comments
(1 replies)
view more: next ›