One week ago (Saturday, May 21, 2011) we should have all been blown to cosmic dust, or raptured up into the Heavens, or put into purgatory, or…what is it about the end times that gets us all in a query of frenzy? What is it about mass death in the name of God that has a lot of religious pious individuals smiling from cheek to cheek and actually being overwhelmed with happiness? A lot of this has to do with the belief in something that is obviously bigger than us and brings us immense self-identity, self-worth, and a false sense of self-righteousness; the same concept happens with, say, health freaks, environmental zealots, and anyone who has found the “Gospel” in a “religious” type context. Sociologist J. Paul Williams depicts this religious process as 1) the secret level—which a person keeps to their self and does not discuss or divulge religiosity which transcends into 2) the private—in which the person divulges information with carefully selected people; then comes 3) the denominational—which the individual shares with many others in a large group and, lastly, 4) the societal—where the “gospel” is shared with all, typically vigorously, and with much passion (J. Paul Williams The Nature Of Religion 1962). It is at this point (The societal) which the person can become zealous and over-energetic to share this newfound “news” with others.
Durkheim (The Elementary Forms of Religion 3 volumes) reminds us that religion is a functional part of society and binds its members more closely together through rituals and symbols. Therefore, it (religion) serves as a revitalizing function and creates hope, vision, and societal “glue” that keep us from plunging into another dark age.
Still, this said, many religious and pious persons who have become over-zealous and filled with “hope” turned dysfunctional, almost welcome a cosmic Godly mass extinction—so long as they and their selected family and friends are spared. Remember Jonah? Yes, many of us do. But what we forget is that the book of Jonah ended on a crappy note; in fact, very crappy. Let’s recap: Jonah’s living a happy little life, God calls him to Nineveh—a known city of “bad” people, “villains,” sinners, and lost souls, Jonah refuses and runs away, on the boat, there is a big storm and Jonah knows it is for him, he’s tossed over right into the belly of some giant leviathan, spit-up after 3 days, goes to the city, the people repent, and all is good…right? Well in a Disney Pixar film this would have been the end; but the Bible has a lot of stories that end like this: Jonah is pissed. Pissed that he had to endure such hardship, he finally listens to God, but then God doesn’t kill the “evil-doers” as God had stated. Moreover, Jonah is angry with God for what seemingly he feels as God not living up to his end of the agreement. What is this attitude? What is it that makes him feel that others should perish? Compassion is lost—which is also a word used in this passage; both Jonah and God use it. However, Jonah misses the point of the word; it would seem, Jonah almost wishes the people would have perished. What the hell is that about? Remind you of some churches?
I cannot tell you how many Jonah’s I have met in my lifetime: no compassion, zealous, and awaiting hell/ damnation upon anyone who does not fit their ideal religious structure.
Consequently, it should come as no surprise when we see hundreds of people clamoring to await the end of the world. More importantly, they are happy that there would be such destruction of the “wicked” and “evil.” Why is that? Doesn’t God talk about saving people? Didn’t Jesus talk about loving your neighbor? A lot gets lost in that religious process between the private and the societal. It is as if some almost hope that the end comes and kills all those “evil” people—whoever evil people are. Therefore, it is with no amazement that you have a historical timeline of fools attempting to predict the end of the world; the end of civilization; the end of life as we know it.
A film that most people did not like was called Knowing (2009) staring Nicholas Cage as a one John Koester who stumbles upon a code which reveals the end of life on this planet—most people are all up for that: Armageddon, Deep Impact, 2012 all deal with this theme in one way or another. But what most people want is a resolution. You kill us all off, but some survive, right? There is a “new Earth” right? What does that look like? Knowing answers 2 of those 3 questions and leaves the last one unanswered…people hate that, but in our theology, we don’t know. No one we know has died, been dead for a while, then come back to life, wrote a book, went on Oprah, and now can say without a definite doubt what the “next life” will be…Knowing not only embraces this mystery but acknowledges it as a reality for all of us; most people want answers; we want to know, “I’m at least saved, right?” “I did all the ‘right’ things, so I’m going to Heaven, right?”
We don’t know. None of us do. Rapture, pre-millennial, post-millennial, 3rd angels message, time of tribulation; we do not know. None of us. We should be ready in season and out of season.
So I am all in favor of engaging in the societal level of the religious process and using religion as a functional part of our society. However, I am not willing to condemn and wish death upon someone just because they do not live the lifestyle I deem “moral” or “immoral.” I will not take a Jonahian ethos toward humanity nor engage in practices that encourage that worldview. People follow these bullsh*t theologies because they tap into the social identity function and create self-pious mantras within those people to actually want the destruction of the “damned.” Once again, Durkheim asserts that religion also functions as a euphoric function; it aides in establishing a “pleasant feeling” of social well-being; when this becomes maladjusted it is both tragic and dangerous. Harold Camping was able to tap into that dimension and therefore create a vicious line of belief which in turn thrust people from the private and denominational sector right into the societal one to tell people of this imposing doom. Thereby creating this media frenzy which in turn places “all” Christians as religious freaks—I am tired of that perspective because of a few fools like Camping.
We have to be leery of bullsh*t theologies such as this because if Camping was wrong about this, chances are he is wrong about a lot of other stuff too. Regrettably, there are way too many leaders such as Camping who infect their followers seeking that euphoric function and having little to no self-identity thereby creating a legion of ideologically diseased churchgoers wanting to tell everyone the “truth.”
Round two is coming up December 2012…let’s wait to see what happens on January 1, 2013.