Leave it to atheists to consider the pets post-rapture. Apparently a group of atheists have put together a service for “heaven-bound” Christians to care for their “Eternal Earth-Bound Pets” should the rapture occur. Maybe we should contact the owners of the domain to see if they have made any money on their rapture pet insurance.
**Remember to nominate candidates for the X-Mormon of the year.** I’ve seen people argue that — given the environmental/climate impact of wasteful consumerism — maybe we should have a war on Christmas. I have some sympathy for that position. All my life I’ve heard the cry to remember “the true…
Some of you might have seen the Tribune’s report about return missionary Micah Wilder who is a member of a band of Mormon converts to evangelical Christianity. Reading the Bible more closely, Wilder says, that he has discovered that the Mormon God is too vengeful rather than forgiving. Naturally, orthodox…
In the Fall 2011 issue of Dialogue (44:3), Gregory Prince interviews Shaun A. Casey about religion and presidential politics in light of his recently published book, “The Making of a Catholic President: Kennedy vs. Nixon 1960.” Just one page in is this exchange: Prince: When was the religion of the…
Even if Christians believe their pets won’t go to heaven, do they really think Jesus would just let all the Christian-owned pets starve? This whole “rapture” thing seems pretty half-baked…
I find that well-thought out logic, taking doctrines to their natural conclusions, and ruminating on the consequences of specific religious beliefs is not the most prevalent thing in the religious world.
Beliefs in Christianity – and probably most religions – often exist (or try to) totally apart from their inevitable consequences. To examine the natural outcomes of faith-based beliefs would reveal the myriad of contradictions and logical inconsistencies which many (if not most) religionists are not ready to acknowledge or capable of facing.
The common Christian belief that their god is all-loving is in direct contradiction with the belief that only humans will inhabit heaven, yet both these (and ridiculously many other) beliefs are held at the same time because the interactions between beliefs are so often wilfully and totally ignored.
And I’m quite certain that any of us who were theists remember doing this ourselves. I know I do.
Of course, in Mormonism, the ready-made answer is that we’ll understand everything once we die, and the apparent contradictions we see aren’t “really” there, but rather only appear to be because of our natural mortal failing and incomplete view & understanding of the universe. In fact, for some, the more cognitive dissonance they experience, the more righteous they feel – strangely enough.