On the Rapture: Answer to a Comment

Apparently the funny rapture prank video was watched by some because there was a comment which asked me on my views or opinion on this pretribulation article. Now, normally I would say that I don't like to talk about religion because I'm of the personal belief that to each his or her own.

However, I also don't want my readers to feel that they'll be ignored because this blog, above everything else, is a way for me to share my thoughts with you wonderful people of the web! I really do love you and thank you for still reading! And now, I'll commence with the inciting of anger.

Now, onto this idea of a rapture...well, how do I put this delicately? I...I grew up learning religion from a unique take on Christianity. As such, I was taught that the "taken up" rapture happened after the world was cleansed and after Satan was chained for the Millenium but before the Final Judgement, and for years I accepted this to be the truth.

Today, were I forced into answering what I believe, I'm not entirely sure what I would answer regarding anything relating to Christianity. Don't get me wrong...I still think I believe in Christ's divinity, but what if he were just a vehicle for faith? What if Christ and Mohammed and Abraham and Moses and Buddha and every other religious figure were on the same level? What then?

My point is this: the question should not be whether or not I believe in pretribulation rapture or whether or not I believe in posttribulation rapture. My question, and I put this out to everyone, including myself. What do you do if everything you ever believed was confirmed to be wrong? What reevaluation on your life happens? Do you go on faking? Do you revolt and change? What do you do?

You stop. You listen, perhaps for the first time in your life. You turn to your friends and loved ones and apologize. You apologize for being so neck deep in a religion that you forgot to be a good friend, husband, mother and daughter. You forget yourself for once, and reflect on what life means. Is it sensible to spend 60 or 70 years arguing points and counterpoints on a minor bit of scripture all the while your wife feels lonely every day? Do you force feed a coworker your "faith" while your friends think you hate them?

Again, I'm not the one to ask these sorts of things because I don't know. I don't. And no one else does either. The best you get from the best religious minds is one commonality: respect. Love. It's the same. So, maybe, in this world of turmoil and supposed end-of-days violence, instead of asking what is different about the Jew and Muslim and Atheist, ask what do we share in common?

Then, perhaps then, it won't matter whether your taken first or last or never because whatever happens, you'll feel you lived a full life because you notice the small things. You loved your wife a bit more, you increased your child's confidence, and you made your friend feel cared for.

I'm not perfect, so until then, I'm just going to try this respect thing.

That's hard enough right now.