So, as a warning, this blog concerns religion. And if youre madly religious, then please dont read because I can really do without your comments.
Now Ive insulted everyone, let me begin.
I come from an Irish Catholic family. I was brought up going to Church every Sunday and even became an altar boy for 7 years (the best in the town as well). But after attending mass 3-4 times a week as an altar boy I started to question things and at the age of 15-16 I turned to my parents and told them Id no longer attend mass as I couldnt reconcile the Church with what it preached i.e.- my family was poor but yet the Church got them to pay money for the priests to be housed. Something I could never get my head around. You sit in a Church for so long you get to see the where the money goes and you start to wonder. Anyway, despite turning my back on religion Ive always held a fascination with it, especially Revelations, much as everyone else does
Im always trying to learn more through reading and so while trying to find my next project I came across the Left Behind series. Just in case youre not familiar with this its a series of books about the Rapture and the people left behind to face the 7 year Tribulation. Obviously written by Christians. I believe one review called it the Tom Clancy of Christian writing!!! Ill be honest, Im on the 2nd book, the first (all 450 pages) took 2 days to read. Imagine a 3 year old kid with a crayon and youll get the level of writing quality.
Still, it did its job, it made me look further, which is what I want from books. So I looked further into the Rapture and here lies the main part of this blog.
So, 7 years before the World ends there will be a Rapture, when God takes his followers to save them from the nightmare that awaits them over the next 7 years of the tribulation (which, amazingly enough, ties in with what I was always taught about St.Colmcille in that he said Ireland would sink 7 years before the end of the World). The ones left behind have 7 years to prove themselves as the antichrist rises and takes over. Now, here we have problems. Having looked into this side of things the scripture goes crazy. Much like any religion its all down to how you interpret it. According to Revelations theres the seven seals to start with. The first 4 seals being the Horsemen. The first rider on a horse of white, handed a crown and with a bow. Now, Ive read that this is either Jesusor the antichrist. Now we have 2 major flaws. First, if it is Jesus, he leads three horses behind him.war, famine and deathnice comeback there mate! If it is the antichrist, apparently hes unleashed by God as scripture states.
Next on my list of wtf, the next seal is the death of the witnesses and following that the reaction of God as the next seal (earthquake apparently). Then follows the angelic trumpets and the seven bowls and which pour all kinds of hell on Earth, plagues, famines, natural disasters (scarily enough, check some of the websites as some of the prophecies sound a lot like the stuff we fear today). This will wipe out of the Earths population before Jesus returns on the 7th year to beat the Antichrist and create a millennium of happiness!
Now, where do I start? First of all. This is all written down. The book Im reading, the so called antichrist is getting pissed off about the 2 witnesses at the Wailing Wall and is kicking off. I would like to think the antichrist had the intelligence to actually read the book of revelations and therefore see the game plan. Second of all, I was brought up with a forgiving God, not one who had to put me through a trial of famine, war, disease, volcanoes, meteors and God knows what else (and he knows! Boom, boom) just to realise hes there.
The whole thing is so flawed but there is so much believes in it. Now, Im probably about to insult a lot of people here and I apologise beforehand but a lot of this comes from American Christian groups. The Rapture idea is massive over there along with militant groups who think the local mayor is the antichrist and the tribulation started when he passed the law that you could park in front of city hall. It concerned me that I visited a website to read up on this and after explaining the 7 years of hell they stated the Jesus would arriveand followed it with ISNT THAT JUST AWESOME. I do wonder sometimes.
Anyway, this book got me thinking, mainly about the fact that if these guys can write (yep, its a joint collaboration.which in books means shit!....also the phrase he has written up to 150 books means shit writer) so can I! But other than that does anyone have any views they wish to share?
Have you read these books, do you like them? Do you have any views on what Ive essentially slated?
In the meantime, some music (check the videoI feel God is a manmade thing, could he make this stuff!)
Now Ive insulted everyone, let me begin.
I come from an Irish Catholic family. I was brought up going to Church every Sunday and even became an altar boy for 7 years (the best in the town as well). But after attending mass 3-4 times a week as an altar boy I started to question things and at the age of 15-16 I turned to my parents and told them Id no longer attend mass as I couldnt reconcile the Church with what it preached i.e.- my family was poor but yet the Church got them to pay money for the priests to be housed. Something I could never get my head around. You sit in a Church for so long you get to see the where the money goes and you start to wonder. Anyway, despite turning my back on religion Ive always held a fascination with it, especially Revelations, much as everyone else does
Im always trying to learn more through reading and so while trying to find my next project I came across the Left Behind series. Just in case youre not familiar with this its a series of books about the Rapture and the people left behind to face the 7 year Tribulation. Obviously written by Christians. I believe one review called it the Tom Clancy of Christian writing!!! Ill be honest, Im on the 2nd book, the first (all 450 pages) took 2 days to read. Imagine a 3 year old kid with a crayon and youll get the level of writing quality.
Still, it did its job, it made me look further, which is what I want from books. So I looked further into the Rapture and here lies the main part of this blog.
So, 7 years before the World ends there will be a Rapture, when God takes his followers to save them from the nightmare that awaits them over the next 7 years of the tribulation (which, amazingly enough, ties in with what I was always taught about St.Colmcille in that he said Ireland would sink 7 years before the end of the World). The ones left behind have 7 years to prove themselves as the antichrist rises and takes over. Now, here we have problems. Having looked into this side of things the scripture goes crazy. Much like any religion its all down to how you interpret it. According to Revelations theres the seven seals to start with. The first 4 seals being the Horsemen. The first rider on a horse of white, handed a crown and with a bow. Now, Ive read that this is either Jesusor the antichrist. Now we have 2 major flaws. First, if it is Jesus, he leads three horses behind him.war, famine and deathnice comeback there mate! If it is the antichrist, apparently hes unleashed by God as scripture states.
Next on my list of wtf, the next seal is the death of the witnesses and following that the reaction of God as the next seal (earthquake apparently). Then follows the angelic trumpets and the seven bowls and which pour all kinds of hell on Earth, plagues, famines, natural disasters (scarily enough, check some of the websites as some of the prophecies sound a lot like the stuff we fear today). This will wipe out of the Earths population before Jesus returns on the 7th year to beat the Antichrist and create a millennium of happiness!
Now, where do I start? First of all. This is all written down. The book Im reading, the so called antichrist is getting pissed off about the 2 witnesses at the Wailing Wall and is kicking off. I would like to think the antichrist had the intelligence to actually read the book of revelations and therefore see the game plan. Second of all, I was brought up with a forgiving God, not one who had to put me through a trial of famine, war, disease, volcanoes, meteors and God knows what else (and he knows! Boom, boom) just to realise hes there.
The whole thing is so flawed but there is so much believes in it. Now, Im probably about to insult a lot of people here and I apologise beforehand but a lot of this comes from American Christian groups. The Rapture idea is massive over there along with militant groups who think the local mayor is the antichrist and the tribulation started when he passed the law that you could park in front of city hall. It concerned me that I visited a website to read up on this and after explaining the 7 years of hell they stated the Jesus would arriveand followed it with ISNT THAT JUST AWESOME. I do wonder sometimes.
Anyway, this book got me thinking, mainly about the fact that if these guys can write (yep, its a joint collaboration.which in books means shit!....also the phrase he has written up to 150 books means shit writer) so can I! But other than that does anyone have any views they wish to share?
Have you read these books, do you like them? Do you have any views on what Ive essentially slated?
In the meantime, some music (check the videoI feel God is a manmade thing, could he make this stuff!)