If you’re interested in writing a review, please post it to Amazon along with a 1-5 star rating. I can be reached at David@DavidGMcAfee.com

-David G. McAfee

https://www.facebook.com/DavidMcAfee7

#1

“This accessible and fascinating book manages to pack an abundance of key information into less than 200 pages. It’s an invaluable resource for those who are unafraid to think for themselves and ask the hard questions.
David G. McAfee’s “Disproving Christianity and other Secular Writings” is a welcome and important addition to the body of literature that dares to stand up for humankind and oppose those who claim that religion, magic and mysticism are required for one to lead a happy, purposeful and good life.
Christians who rely on the Bible to defend their positions will find plenty to think about here as McAfee turns their own book against them. By pointing out numerous contradictions, errors and just plain outrageous passages, McAfee shows that the Bible falls far short of perfection and fails as a foundation for basing morality upon. Unlike some books critical of the Bible, this one never bogs down in mind-numbing detail or becomes too complex for laypersons. It’s the perfect book to hand a friend or family member who needs a nudge toward reason and reality.

“Disproving Christianity and other Secular Writings” is great stuff, a must-read for skeptics and believers alike!”

-Guy P. Harrison, author of 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think are True and 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God

#2

“In his book `Disproving Christianity’, David McAfee systematically dismantles some of the basic tenets of the world’s most popular brand of religion. In particular, he dissects various aspects affecting the very basis of Christianity directly from God’s own book – the `holy’ Bible. McAfee shows time and again, inconsistencies and discrepancies as well as many contradictions that are attributed to the Christian God; a character who is supposedly all knowing and essentially perfect – and infallible. The resulting conclusion that one is obliged to reach at the end of a journey through this succinct look at the many problems, is that either the Christian God is a complete liar at worst, entirely contradictory at best, or most likely that He is not actually real at all. The reader is really not left with any alternative conclusion – unless `faith’ in the idea that God can somehow still recover from the onslaught renders the reader incapable of common sense and reason – attributes that would serve much better than faith when considering the numerous problems McAfee considers and exposes. Whilst the seasoned scholar may require more than is on offer, this book will more than suit most readers who are looking for a rounded and rational `easy to understand and appreciate’ analysis of the reality behind Christianity. “

- Jim Whitefield, author of `The Mormon Delusion’ series.

#3

“With the changes he has made in this edition of his wonderful book, Disproving Christianity:Refuting the World’s Most Followed Religion he has again struck a nerve that will resonate among all sides of the theological path. His ability far outpaces his medium, and I hope to see it in the hands of many thousands of truth seekers soon. I will be sharing his book and promoting it for many years to come, it is my sincere hope that he does not simply stop here however.
Encore David, encore and an easy 5 stars from myself!”

- Jesse Mathewson (political essayist and staunch atheist)

#4

“David McAfee’s account of Disproving Christianity, as evidently detailed in this book, is an all inclusive and most satisfactory illustration of weighing up Christianity – the world’s most popular religious trademark – as the ultimate fraud, which has no precedent in the annals of human civilization. The damning indictments the author presented against the morality of the Christian god, which I venture to remark in my observation as positively incontrovertible, makes this book a must read for all truth seekers.”
- Adebowale Ojowuro, Author of The Crisis of Religion

Disproving Christianity and other Secular Writings

-David G. McAfee, author of Disproving Christianity and other Secular Writings

Click to visit The Secular Store

A Letter

Yesterday, I received a letter from a non-theist interested in learning more about a particular religion- Mormonism. As someone who has studied religions and has tried to increase religious literacy among atheists (see: Why Atheists Need to Understand the Bible), I asked the sender if I could repost his letter on my website in hopes of generating some advice. I’ve contacted Nicholaus separately, but if you wish to give any information or references to him, you can post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at: David@DavidGMcAfee.com.

Dear Mr. McAfee,

Nicholaus

Hello, everyone! My new book, Disproving Christianity and other Secular Writings, is officially available in Kindle Edition! It released on Amazon in paperback two weeks ago, and the reviews have been great!

Kindle Edition: $4.99

Paperback Edition: On sale for $12.24

Reviews:

“McAfee shows time and again, inconsistencies and discrepancies as well as many contradictions that are attributed to the Christian God; a character who is supposedly all knowing and essentially perfect – and infallible. The resulting conclusion that one is obliged to reach at the end of a journey through this succinct look at the many problems, is that either the Christian God is a complete liar at worst, entirely contradictory at best, or most likely that He is not actually real at all. The reader is really not left with any alternative conclusion – unless `faith’ in the idea that God can somehow still recover from the onslaught renders the reader incapable of common sense and reason – attributes that would serve much better than faith when considering the numerous problems McAfee considers and exposes.” -Jim Whitefield, author of ‘The Mormon Delusion’ series.

“With the changes he has made in this edition of his wonderful book, Disproving Christianity:Refuting the World’s Most Followed Religion he has again struck a nerve that will resonate among all sides of the theological path.” -Jesse Mathewson (political essayist and staunch atheist)

“I would say that this book is probably a great starting point for anyone that has even the slightest doubt about Christianity. He represents some popular biblical inaccuracies along with a few other not so popular. In the second edition he also includes a few other arguments against faith from a secular prospective that serve to blossom the seed of doubt any uncertain believer may feel.” -Nickolas Johnson

Disproving Christianity and Other Secular Writings

REVIEW COPY

Please request a preview copy of this book here:http://www.dangerouslittlebooks.com/contact

COMPETITION PRIZE

If you’d like to offer your audience free copies of this book as a competition prize along with a review then tell us your plans and we’ll do whatever we can to help: http://www.dangerouslittlebooks.com/contact

WEBSITE LINKS

Publisher’s Website: http://www.dangerouslittlebooks.com
Amazon USA: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0956427685

ARTICLES/INTERVIEWS

David is happy to provide free content in return for a ‘plug’ of his book. He is open for interviews, speaking engagements, freelance commissions, or other ideas. Please contact: http://www.dangerouslittlebooks.com/contact

The Role of Fear and Guilt in Religion

By Jim Coufal of Cazenovia, NY

In the pre-scientific age it was easy to believe the creation story of Genesis was true; it was told to you by authority figures that you held in awe and there was no reason to believe otherwise, except for those who knew the creation stories of other religions and why theirs was no more valid than the others. In our scientific age, if you believe the creation story is Genesis is true and also believe science finds there is no evidence to support this belief, you are left in a quandary. You have what psychologist Leon Festinger identified years ago as “cognitive dissonance”, a feeling of uncomfortable tensions, which is the result of holding two conflicting thoughts in minds at the same time. The tensions increase with the importance of the subject, with how strongly the thoughts conflict, and with our inability to rationalize or explain away the conflict. This example is an entry into looking at the role of fear and guilt in religion.

Rationally, to deal with the dissonance in the example above, one must be willing to be open minded and to go where the facts leads. But, as Joseph Kieffer II writes,  “Some religions hold absolute sway over those who accede to their dogma by establishing a frame of reality for them, a matrix of belief within which they define themselves and their affinity with the world.”  Kiefer is not saying religions define reality as experience and science show it to be, but rather paint a picture of reality, as they want it to be. They are unwilling or unable to go where the facts lead. Thus cognitive dissonance.

We are appalled that Islam strongly discourages or even forbids followers from analyzing their holy book and theology in light of the modern world, saying they are living in the ancient world. Yet, fundamental Christianity asserts the bible contains all the answers to any of life’s situations and that studying other books is unwarranted because they do not contain any truth and can lead a believer into sin. Fundamentalist religions of all sorts employ this technique.

So why do modern people accept such notions?  Because of fear of punishment in this life and in an expected after life, or conversely because of expected rewards in heaven. In this life there is the fear of being socially ostracized, even to the extent as when the Amish and Jehovah’s Witness practice, a “shunning” of the apostate, cutting him or her off from church, friends, and even family. For the afterlife there is fear of hell.

This is especially interesting in light of religious people believing that non-believers can’t be moralistic or ethical when research has shown they are just as or more moral and ethical than believers, often more so. Since non-believers act moralistically out of a more solid altruism—a compassion for others—without any hope for a reward or fear of punishment, it can reasonably be said they are more moral than believers. More cognitive dissonance.

On a large scale, as neuroscientist Sam Harris points out, studies show that “Countries like Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands—which are the most atheistic societies on earth—consistently rate better than religious nations on measures like life expectancy, infant mortality, crime, literacy, GDP, child welfare, economic equality, economic competitiveness, gender equality, health care, investments in education, rates of university enrollment, internet access, environmental protection, lack of corruption, political stability, and charity to poorer nations, etc.” The United States, among the most religious of countries, rates middling to poor on most of these scales. Facing such facts, how do most religious people deal with the cognitive dissonance created? It appears they do so by ignoring the facts and staying with the comfort zone their religious beliefs give them. No guilt may show, but fear of rocking the boat clearly does.

It is curious that religions tend to forbid most things that people are naturally attracted to, first and foremost anything to do with sex. Pre-marital sex is forbidden, as are birth control, abortion, masturbation, and homosexuality, in many cases making human physiological constitution a sin. When a Catholic couple wants to engage in sex, they are limited to ineffective birth control methods. But in view of economic, environmental, and other considerations they may want to limit their number of children. Most of them appear to simply disregard the Church’s rules and practice effective, but banned, birth control methods. One might say this solves the problem of cognitive dissonance, but it does so by leaving a large residual of guilt, and even makes them hypocritical. Add to this the feeling of guilt for “impure thoughts”, thoughts largely out of the control of the human mind, and the notion of religious guilt—in this case, with repression and feelings of shame–is clearly manifest.

Jewish parents often use guilt as a way to force their children to marry within their religion. Jehovah’s Witness have a list of 141 things a member can’t do. Many religions create feelings of hypocrisy when a member knows and loves neighbors who are not members of their church and are condemned to hell for it despite their obvious goodness because only members of a given church can go to heaven. Fear of beheading or stoning keeps many Muslim women “in their place.”  Cartoonists are threatened with death for drawing an “offending” cartoon. And so it goes.

None of the above says anything about the big items, which have and are occurring. Fear of the inquisition, fear of witch burning, fear of terror and subjugation in religious wars, and other such acts history provides so much evidence of.

Without the use of fear and guilt, religions would lose much of their power over human minds. As Albert Einstein said, “If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.” Humans are exploited by fear and guilt, and only by trusting themselves can they break free of politicians, clerics, and others who exploit them.

* This article recently appeared in the Madison Courier (NY) weekly newspaper

Fear and Guilt

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Disproving Christianity and Other Secular Writings

Press release from Dangerous Little Books

In July of 2010, secular activist, author, and student of Religious Studies, David G. McAfee published a controversial and thought-provoking book: “Disproving Christianity: Refuting the World’s Most Followed Religion.” In light of an overwhelmingly positive response to the work and McAfee’s newly awarded Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies, he has now signed a contract with Dangerous Little Books (the notorious upstart publisher specialising in atheist literature) to publish a revised and expanded second edition of his first book. The new book expands greatly on the original and contains additional content not present in its first release. Mr. McAfee has been a regular contributor for American Atheist Magazine and a columnist for Canadian Freethinker Magazine, in addition to maintaining his own website featuring secular literature.

LA-based McAfee explains, “This book is an attempt to compile popular and unknown arguments against the principles of the Christian canon. Christianity has become separated into many smaller sects, but retains some constant biblical tenets and divine ideas. It is these similarities that are crucial if my thesis is to be considered a ‘disproval’. In order to combat biblical fundamentalism and literalism, I have compiled essays and biblical analysis which discuss some of the contradictory and controversial passages from the Hebrew Scriptures (which Christians refer to as the “Old Testament”) and the New Testament, along with modern practices, beliefs, and teachings of twenty-first century Christianity in an attempt to make known the discrepancies which have largely been ignored within the Christian Church- especially in Western Society.”

In this introductory look into the world of Christianity and the refutation of its key principles McAfee sets out to arm rational-minded people with key facts to challenge dogmatism wherever it arises. Using (almost exclusively) evidence and passages from the Christian Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, McAfee is able to establish new arguments against the validity of the Christian religion as well as reorganize and reevaluate some of the more traditional debates. Through a close-reading of the Sacred Texts and years of studying the Christian theology from a secular viewpoint, David G. McAfee uncovers contradictions in the Holy Bible and contradictions in modern Christian teachings and why these reveal problems with the founding pillars of Christianity itself.

CJ Werleman, atheist author and commissioning editor for Dangerous Little Books says, “… (Disproving Christianity) offers a concise compilation of inconsistencies and discrepancies in the Bible that could be used to provide reasoned, specific challenges to Christianity. David does a fantastic job presenting the material in an objective, balanced way. We’re very proud to have added this important title to our growing list.”

~~~~

“Disproving Christianity and Other Secular Writings (2nd edition)” (ISBN: 978-0-9564276-8-7) by David G. Mcfee is available from Amazon, on Kindle and in all good bookshops now.

Disproving Christianity and Other Secular Writings

REVIEW COPY

Please request a preview copy of this book here: http://www.dangerouslittlebooks.com/contact

COMPETITION PRIZE
If you’d like to offer your audience free copies of this book as a competition prize along with a review then tell us your plans and we’ll do whatever we can to help:
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ARTICLES/INTERVIEWS
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About the author: Sophie, a writer from the British credit cards comparison service money.co.uk, forwarded on this overview of religions as businesses. While trying to be as impartial as possible, something like this will always cause a bit of contention but the figures certainly speak volumes on their own.

The Business of Religion

The link between money and religion is a grey area, fraught with conspiracy and scandal. Some of the wealthiest organisations on the planet are religions or religious movements – some ancient, some modern – yet the followers of religion and the countries in which they are practised are often the poorest. The money.co.uk team has examined some of the richest religions and their relationships with wealth.

1. Scientology

Established in 1952 as a successor to dianetics, the Church of Scientology has always been a controversial entity. It’s been criticised for taking money from gullible people, some of whom have committed suicide or found themselves homeless as a result of the extortionate fees incurred as a Thetan. Reports of harassment, covert surveillance and blacked-out SUVs are not uncommon among members of The Church of Scientology.

Number of followers: The Church of Scientology claims to have over 8 million followers worldwide and 3.5 million in the United States alone, but a 2008 survey showed that just 20,000 American individuals identified themselves as Scientologists.

Notorious for: Selling beliefs to vulnerable people, being expensive, being quite uniquely absurd.

Fortune comes from: The subscription based religion charges to allow members to progress up the religious hierarchy. It costs $277,010 to reach Operating Thetan VIII, the highest rank in the Church of Scientology. Newcomers to Scientology are thoroughly scrutinised financially, then encouraged to take out loans to cover their payments.

Total worth: Not known, but definitely in the hundreds of millions and probably in the billions of dollars.

Spends on: They have a cruise ship to practise their Scientology training on, although most members’ cash appears to disappear before their very eyes.

2. Catholicism

The Catholic Church isn’t without its critics. The traditional bells-and-smells Catholic services extol the virtues of a life without possessions, and an existence free of money. However, the Catholic Church harbours some of the world’s greatest and most exquisite works of art, and huge chunks of gold deposits stored around the world.

Number of followers: 1.181 billion worldwide and rising.

Notorious for: Telling AIDS-ridden African nations that you go to hell if you use contraception, along with some known cases of child abuse.

Fortune comes from: Mostly priceless works of art, but the Catholic Church were implicated in the disappearance of plundered Nazi gold, discovered in the mid 1980s. Tourism to the Vatican accounts for some of their income.

Total worth: Hundreds of billions of dollars worldwide.

Spends on: Upkeep of an extensive international network of churches, compensation payouts for abuse victims (totalling over half a billion dollars in the USA).

3. Freemasonry

Shrouded in secrecy and an air of mystery, Freemasonry is not a religion in its own right. It requires its members to believe in a “supreme being” of some sort, but is not specific as to which one. In some countries, like Sweden, the members accepted are only Christians. Hundreds of conspiracies exist, accusing Freemasons of being part of a New World Order which strives to dominate the planet through control of finances. A Masonic symbol, the Eye of Providence, can be found on the $1 bill, the Great Seal of the United States, and the logo of DARPA’s Information Awareness Office.

Number of followers: Six million worldwide.

Notorious for: Secret handshakes, allegations of corruption and an impenetrable old-boys network.

Fortune from: Wealthy individuals form the bulk of the Masonic ranks.

Total worth: Depends who you believe – if the Freemasons control as much money as conspiracy theorists believe, the Freemasons are the richest organisation in the world.

Spends on: Charity. Masonic lodges all have philanthropic tendencies, and most run health or education projects.

4. Televangelism

This particular element of Christianity is a largely American phenomenon, whereby huge numbers of people can be addressed by one minister via television broadcasts. Ostensibly it’s the same Christianity as everywhere else, but in reality it shares more with the personal morality preachers of Texan megachurches. The beauty of televangelism lies with something called the prosperity gospel, defined by the belief that “Jesus blesses believers with riches”. This assurance that “God will provide you with material wealth if you watch my television programmes and also the adverts in between” clearly works.

Number of followers: Although there are no official figures, televised Church services continue to draw in large audiences in America and across the world.

Notorious for: Peddling a distorted version of Christianity, speaking in tongues and being completely unaccountable to any reputable organisation within the Christian Church.

Fortune from: Donations, adverts, selling merchandise to followers, and many other commercial activities under a tax-free umbrella.

Total worth: The industry could be worth billions.

Spends on: TV evangelists have a life of luxury. Multi-million dollar homes, travel by private jet and international ‘crusades’ at $3,000 a night are not uncommon.

5. The Church of England

A lot of the Church of England’s distinctive flavour stems from Henry VIII’s determination to divorce Catherine of Aragon. There had been attempts to separate the English church before, most notably by the hilariously named Lollardy movement, but it was Henry’s efforts which ultimately resulted in the creation of Anglicanism and his excommunication.

Number of followers: 25 million baptised members

Notorious for: split within the Church over allowing homosexuals and women to become priests and bishops.

Fortune from: £200 million ($320m) in cash donations from congregations, £250m ($400m) in legacies, events and services, and £200m ($320m) in Gift-Aid donations. The Church used to be the biggest landowner in Britain, but most of that land was sold off to fund the £4.4bn investment portfolio which earns £160m+ ($255m+) every year.

Total worth: Billions.

Spends on: Pensions, salaries, and maintaining 16,000 ancient buildings (most of which are Grade 1 listed). There are 43 cathedrals which require constant upkeep and repair.

6. The Richest Billionaires with Faith

Carlos Slim – $74bn

Maronite Catholic

Larry Ellison – $39.5bn

Jewish

Lakshmi Mittal – $31.1bn

Hindu

Amancio Ortega – $31bn

Christian

Eike Batista – $30bn

Very superstitious

Mukesh Ambani – $27bn

Hindu

Christy Walton – $26.5bn

Born into Presbyterianism

———
The original article can be seen here.

In God We Trust

By David G. McAfee

            In May 2011, I wrote an article about the discrimination I faced when applying for the MA/PhD program for Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. You can find a link to the original story here. But for those of you who didn’t hear about the case when it happened, I’ll summarize.

I studied at UCSB for four years, coming to the campus directly out of high school at age eighteen. I majored in Religious Studies and English and, as graduation grew near, I decided that I wanted to pursue my education in Religious Studies in Santa Barbara in the form of the RGST Graduate Program, having had a successful and enjoyable tenure there. To clarify, I majored in Religious Studies, the study of religions from a phenomenological approach, which is not to be confused with Theology— the study of Christianity as a fundamental truth. Though I am not a religious person and, in fact, often oppose religion in its more extreme and violent forms, I find the historical and comparative aspects of Religious Studies extremely helpful in understanding how the human mind works and why people believe the things that they do. At a public university, like UCSB, and in a nation bound by a separation of Church and State, like America, this course of study should be acceptable for somebody of any or no faith; or so I thought.

Prior to submitting my application, I was recommended by an advisor to contact Ann Taves, professor of Religious Studies and Chair of the committee handling Graduate-level applications for the department; I was instructed to set up a meeting with her in order to “put a face to my application.” I had taken two classes with her in the past, but hadn’t had any significant interactions, positive or negative. I did as I was told and set up the meeting via e-mail and met with her a week later.

When I walked in the door to her office, Taves seemed friendly enough. She asked me about my aspirations and I told her that I wanted to be a writer and that I had self-published a book the year before. Upon hearing this, Taves turned to her computer and immediately Googled my name; the first result was my Amazon.com page for my book: Disproving Christianity: Refuting the World’s Most Followed Religion. I could see her computer monitor and, while I was a little bit nervous, I was sure that writing a book of compiled biblical criticisms in my spare time couldn’t be used against me— especially because this work was completely separate from my UCSB course studies. I was wrong. Taves turned to me and said “I need to word this carefully… you wouldn’t fit in with our department’s milieu because you are an atheist activist with an axe to grind.” Sure enough, my application was denied. Whether or not this interaction was the reason for the rejection, Taves’ behavior was inappropriate, unprofessional, and illegal.

It was these words, and her refusal to apologize when confronted by e-mail, that led me to seek justice— if not within the university, then in public opinion. I wrote the article Atheist Activist with an Axe to Grind and received plenty of criticism by Christians who said that, as an atheist, I shouldn’t be studying religion in the first place. But more importantly, I received numerous messages in support of my cause; and the article was even picked up by popular atheist websites including Friendly Atheist and was even mentioned by Washington Post. Readers wrote letters of support to the school and to the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs for UCSB, who approached me and asked me what I hoped to gain from this.

Clearly, with this incident of religious intolerance, I lost my appetite for continued enrollment with UCSB in any fashion; so a secondary review of my application or admission into the program would not suffice. And, though I maintain that the professor’s actions were illegal, I did not seek to defame the campus by taking my case to trial as a result of one administrator’s behavior. Instead, I asked for the one thing that could demonstrate that the Religious Studies department would not tolerate this type of behavior in the future and acknowledged the error. I wanted to be sure that non-religious students who enjoy studying religion would not be discriminated against in this way; I asked for a formal letter of apology from the head of the Religious Studies department at UCSB, Jose Cabezon.

Less than a month later, thanks to the many letters of support sent to the Religious Studies department on my behalf, and after an extensive investigation by the UCSB Office of Student Affairs, I received just such a letter. It stated the following:

“I am writing on behalf of the Religious Studies department to apologize for any comments that may have been made by Professor Ann Taves during a conversation you had with her on November 23, 2010, about your interest in UCSB’s graduate program in Religious Studies. While I was not present during that conversation, I want to assure you that it is the firm policy of the Religious Studies department not to discriminate against applicants on the basis of religious beliefs or lack thereof. If Professor Taves implied otherwise, then this was inappropriate. Issues of religious beliefs, activism, or activities unrelated to one’s own academic work should not be considerations in the admissions process.”

The letter is scanned below. I want to thank everybody who supported me throughout this ordeal. I’ve decided to attend Graduate School elsewhere, and I am satisfied with the result of the investigation. Thank you all.

-David G. McAfee

David@DavidGMcAfee.com

UCSB Formal Apology Letter

Predictions, Patterns, and Unfulfilled Prophecies

By David G. McAfee

Well, it’s almost May 22, 2011. In spite of a Christian Preacher’s prediction that the Rapture would occur today, and all of the good Christians would be sent to heaven leaving the rest of us to suffer hell-on-earth, we are still alive. There have been no earth-devastating disasters like those anticipated by Harold Camping and his legion of followers. You may have heard that Camping and Family Radio Worldwide predicted a similar Armageddon-like event in 1994; but these types of prophecies are not unique to Camping- or Christianity for that matter- but have been very popular within Christian sects since the religion’s inception. In fact, the first documented failed prophecy within the Christian religion was foreseen by Jesus himself, and is represented in the New Testament of the Christian Bible.

Though the May 21, 2011 prophecy did not reach mainstream Christian teachings, the idea of Jesus returning for a large-scale Rapture in the near future is very much an idea that is held within modern Christian churches including Catholic and Protestant sects; Harold Camping simply put a date to the anticipated event. In the New Testament, the Rapture begins in 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17: “… we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” This Rapture is just one step in a much larger Armageddon-like event which is outlined in Revelations and other New Testament works. But when does Jesus say these events will occur? On May 21, 2011 as Camping’s followers believed? Or in 1995 as David Koresh’s followers (Branch Davidians) would have you believe? Actually, Jesus seems to indicate that his return and Second Coming would take place within one generation:

1.)    Matthew 24:34: Jesus is recorded as saying: “…This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”

2.)    Luke 9:26-27: Jesus is recorded as saying: “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels. But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.”

Since these early years in Christian thought, every generation of Christians has felt that the end is near, and it is for this reason that these various Armageddon myths continue to spring up year after year. From the Christian prophecies outlined above to the all-too-popular 2012 Mayan Calendar interpretation, End Times predictions have dominated religious discourse from time to time. All of these prophecies, however, share one, key, similarity: to date, none of them have proved to be true, and each date has passed by rather uneventfully- May 21, 2011’s Rapture predictions now join the growing number of unfulfilled prophecies that begin with the one foreseen by Jesus Christ in the Bible.

The Rapture

The State of Christendom in End Times

By David G. McAfee

                As you are probably aware by now, Judgment Day is near. One week from today, in fact, on May 21, 2011 according to a growing number of Christians. If you aren’t familiar with this particular Christian Armageddon prediction, you can find some details on the Church Website. What you may not know is the particulars behind how this particular Christian sect has arrived at May 21, 2011 as the specific date of the Christian Rapture; and the history behind this Pastor’s prior prophecies and the details surrounding his ministry. This is what I’d like to discuss in this post.

Now, let me first say that not all Christians believe in this specific date for the Rapture; this doomsday prophecy came from a particular pastor (Harold Camping ) who used specific close reading of the Christian Old and New Testaments- specifically surrounding Noah’s flood narrative- to determine the exact date of the Christian Rapture; but, as the date approaches, this prophecy is becoming more popular and semi-mainstream. But, to put things in perspective, while many Christians may not believe in the specific 05/21/2011 date, the majority of Christians do believe that the Rapture will occur “in their lifetime”- ironically, this is always been the case- yet, these firmly held beliefs have (obviously) never been validated.

The biblical validation of this date, for Pastor Harold Camping, comes in the “discovery” that “from the time of Noah’s flood to May 21, 2011, is exactly 7000 years”; but this hasn’t always been his belief. In fact, Harold Camping similarly predicted the end of the world in September of 1994. As I read their literature, see their billboards, and listen to this prophecy, I can’t help but thinking one thing: “What will these believers do on May 22, 2011?” I do not know the answer but, using historical evidence, I can venture a guess. I estimate that once the date has passed, as I suspect rather uneventfully, this pastor and his flock will completely ignore the failed prophecy, as has been the case when they have cried ‘Armageddon’  in the past. “How can they get away with this?” you might ask. Their website seems dedicated to the May 21, 2011 date and they have been a focus of the twenty-four hour news cycle for some time now. The answer is that we let this happen. After the date passes, people will quickly forget and allow similar End Times predictions to receive media attention in the future.

All we can do now is wait; but, don’t hold your breath. It is not just this pastor, this church, this sect, or even this religion, that have these End Times prophecies- I trust that nobody has yet forgotten about what has been creatively dubbed “2012”. Nor is it a modern concept; throughout recorded history there have been thousands of mainstream Armageddon prophecies which span across time and region, and historically, none of these prophecies have remained culturally relevant long past their supposed dates of occurrence; my inclination is to think that May 21, 2011 will be no different. Passing without consequence, May 21, 2011 will most likely go down as a largely unimportant day in world history; and believers will, for the foreseeable future, continue to buy into these falsely conjured Armageddons.

Save the Date