The Morning After

I had some other plans about what I wanted to post today, but in the face of all of the media hoopla and general laughter about the “rapture” prophesied by wacko preacher Harold Camping, I felt compelled to talk about that instead.

I’ll tell you that I do not necessarily label myself as Christian, although I do try to follow the teachings of Jesus as much as I can and to the extent of my understanding.  Some days I do okay with that, some days not so much. I do not belong to a church.  I personally don’t really believe in the rapture.  I have my own understanding of those passages in the Bible, but as far as I can tell, most church denominations don’t agree with me.  Ah, well, to each their own.  I don’t think any of us has a complete understanding of anything in this life anyway.

Regardless of your thoughts about the rapture, or indeed about Christianity, it is my opinion that Harold Camping has done a great deal of damage in the last couple of weeks.  He’s done damage  simply because he has made the beliefs of a lot of good people the object of ridicule.  This is not true simply for the people who actually follow him.  His words, his actions, and the media attention he has willingly and eagerly pursued, have allowed a broad brush to be swept over an entire community of faith, most of whom don’t have anything to do with Mr. Camping.

I guess what I’m saying is that, in the  midst of the general hilarity over this incident, we must remember several things.

1) There are people who really did believe Mr. Camping.  Those people were hurt by this incident.  Sure, there are some who will put on their blinders and move on. But for some, their entire world was rocked.  They may never recover.  This isn’t a TV show.  Real people were and are involved.

2) We must not paint an entire faith by the actions of one, or several extremists, whether Christian, Muslim, Jew or any other community.  The acts and beliefs of one person or group, do not necessarily reflect the acts and beliefs of the whole. Don’t let the media direct your opinions or your actions.

3) By the same token, the espoused views of leaders are not necessarily to be followed blindly.  We must all have the courage to follow our own hearts, regardless of what we are being told to do. It’s hard to buck an authority figure, but we are obligated to think for ourselves.

There you go – just a little bit of a soapbox.  Now, if you haven’t done it already, turn off your television, radio or computer, and go outside to enjoy the lovely day.   🙂