The end of the world, as predicted by Family Radio, has not happened. I've watched the whole thing unfold with a sense of cringing, feeling bad for what Family Radio's adherents when May 22nd rolled around and they realized they'd given up their life savings, their kids' college funds, etc, for a mistake. There have been reports of people committing suicide for reasons related to the expected apocalypse, which is tragic.
But I can't help but wonder what the world would look like if more Christians had their zeal. They could have just sat in a compound somewhere and waited for the end of the world, but they tried to get the message out to as many people as they could in order to help them. It was the wrong message, but they spread it very well.
What if we had that passion? What if we sold our stuff and used the money to build wells and end world hunger? What if we gave up our spare time and used it to build houses? What if Christians made the news in a big way for something positive for once? What if we captured the world's attention by trying to be as selfless and loving as we are commanded to be?
It's a hard thing to believe in, honestly; I've been stuck in a rut in my faith for months now, and I feel too flawed to think that I would be able to contribute to something like that. But... believing in hard things is what we're all about, isn't it?
2 comments:
But this also makes some people assholes. My experience, my personal experience with these doomsday people? Port Authority Bust Terminal in NYC. No matter what time of day I was going there or what day of the week, they were there with their poster and pamphlets shouting in my face that I was a sinner and going to burn in hell. Fuck their hateful zeal and fuck them.
I'm sorry you had this experience. I also ran into them in New York City, but I'm thankful that they weren't shouting at the time.
The question is, of course, to what end are you applying the zeal... and I think towards ends like feeding the hungry and bringing about world peace, it could be very useful. But there's a way to screw up doing even those things, and the road to hell is paved with good intentions, or whatever.
Post a Comment