Nature’s Rapture

I’m not one to look for conspiracies or try to stir up too much trouble, but I do think it’s somewhat curious that just after the whole alleged Rapture rig-a-ma-role; the worst tornado since 1947 smashed through Joplin, MO. Instead of just humans being bodily brought up to heaven, debris and just about everything imaginable were sucked up into a hellish vortex of spinning fury only to be spit out into the atmosphere and dropped to the ground in twisted masses. It was a terrible, real tragedy and my heart really goes out to all those that lost, everything. I am however, quite less sympathetic about the failed Rapture.

Now came word that Mr. Camping, (just as I knew he would) said that his math was just a bit off and the Rapture has been rescheduled for October 21, 2011. He allegedly told his faithful radio listeners that God is merciful and decided to hold off on the Rapture for five months. I’m not sure why; perhaps there was a booking error at the Heavenly Holiday Inn.

I wish this Camping fellow would just shut the hell up and face some of the real tragedies facing the human populace. If he was really concerned for all men’s souls, perhaps he’d encourage his radio listeners to get more involved in creating solutions to the worlds ills instead of selfishly preparing for another, “Rapture”.  But he didn’t, he said (direct quote) "I don't have any responsibility. I'm only teaching the Bible. I'm telling ... this is what the Bible says. I don't have spiritual rule over anybody ... except my wife as the head of the household."  His poor wife.

The tornadoes, airstrikes on Libya by NATO, Volcanic ash closing in from an Icelandic eruption to effect European air traffic again, sex slavery rings in Thailand, these are all real things happening right now in the world. Whether God is coming to judge our misdeeds seems somewhat trivial in the face of this reality. Perhaps the Rapture should not be one of Earthly consequence, but a Heavenly wake up call to take better care of each other and of the world itself.

Perhaps the biblical references to the rapture is more of a metaphor for humans taking the burdens of others onto their shoulders, pitching in to help those that can’t help themselves and lifting the less fortunate up. Self-sacrifice of biblical proportions may be the rapture described, but misinterpreted. This is entirely possible since by the time the “Word of God” was translated into English, it had gone through many, many incarnations. Aramaic, Greek, Roman, Hebrew, Latin, on and on. Who’s to say it was translated correctly?

Ultimately, the Rapture didn’t happen, but natural tragedies do occur every day and we should heed those warnings.  I say we roll up our sleeves and help out, rather than bury our heads in the sand till October. When nothing biblical will happen, but I bet you there’ll be a natural event that does, Mrs. Camping will file for divorce because she’s tired of all the God commanded blow-jobs.