Saturday, April 15, 2017

Armageddon, Inc


Vision Poster

End of the World Meme

Today being Easter-Even in the Western liturgical calendar, in the midst of an apparent lock-ward eruption of warmongering... let's visit the natural response to systems not working, mega-stress, and apocalyptic expectation.

Some years ago I watched a moving German flick, "Vision," filmed in ancient locations about the life and times of Hildegard von Bingen. A  Dark Ages nun and Abbess, she is remembered as a visionary, composer, scholar, as a Renaissance-woman. 

The film opens with Hildegard as a little girl, in the year of our Lord, 1,000 AD. The Church and many "prophets" had foretold the millennial end of the world and Christ's return in glory. 

Much penance, terror, hair shirts, and flagellation preceded the night of reckoning.

The child awakens to New Year's morning among family and neighbors huddled asleep on the church floor, and it's a life-changer. The wee timing discrepancy was never adequately explained by Holy Mother Church, the overarching power of the era.

Am I mocking the Book of Revelation? No, absolutely not. But history is of interest, as is the redundant human condition, subject to fear-mongering and manipulation.

St. John's horrific end-of-everything clairvoyance in the cave on Patmos has had many reruns through the Christian era.

A few years back a charismatic local pastor of a fundamentalist church announced to his faithful that the Rapture was nigh. A burly parishioner carried a huge wooden cross in the long procession toward destiny. 

(One wit left a pair of high-topped sneakers by the wayside, with dry ice inside wafting foggy vapor.)

The faithful were not beamed up that day, but it's an expectation of many re-treads.

A Priest friend in ecumenical mode visited a huge wealthy Baptist church in the US Deep South. Chatting with the Pastor, they stopped below a hole through ceiling and roof. The Priest asked if it, uh, leaked? 

Not an issue the Pastor replied. He and all his congregation would be whisked upward through the heavenly portal when the last trumpet sounds.
 
Our own times are waxing stressful following an era of make-believe, mal-investment and me-me-me-ness. Viscerally we feel reckoning, inchoate and monstrous, waiting in the wings.


Do we plunge with the daily news of bombs and  bankruptcies into darkness, adding our individual alarums to apocalyptic thought form? Is that the only option and conclusion among us, the long-gullible?

As an aside, historical, impending economic reckoning is strictly avoided by the perpetrators, who traditionally devise an external enemy, and launch diversionary war.

Away from flat screens, am watching butterflies, golden clouds of them, among spring blossoms. Life permitting, what a year for planting a butterfly garden.

Meanwhile, much of the world is celebrating light risen from the dead. 

6 Comments:

At April 15, 2017 at 11:40 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

The last Words from Jesus repeated 3 times in the Revelation, "I am coming soon." Spoken to all generations until His return, not so we will sit on our laurels and wait or work ourselves into a frenzy over contrived dates, but rather that we remain hopeful as we go about our days planting butterfly gardens to glorify God's creation and loving one another as commanded. So when He comes, no matter the day or hour, He will find us dressed and ready. You have my love always sweet cuz!

 
At April 15, 2017 at 1:09 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wish they would tear that claptrap out and burn it .....
http://mooglemeow.blogspot.com/2014/05/is-bibles-book-of-revelations.html?_escaped_fragment_=
Is The Bible's Book of Revelation A Plagiarism of the Sybelline Oracles Written in 510 BC?
The Sibylline Revelation.
Notes :
The ‘immortal priestess,’ Herophile, considered to be the greatest seer of pagan antiquity, lived in a cave in Cumae, in Campania, Italy, and delivered oracular prophecies while in a state of trance. She was known as the Cumaean Sibyl.
1, 2
Around 510 BCE, she offered nine volumes of her prophecies, called ‘The Mysteries of Isis and Osiris,’ to the seventh Roman king, Tarquin the Proud, at the very high price of three hundred gold pieces. When the king declined to buy them, the prophetess departed, and burned three volumes in the palace courtyard. She offered the remaining six books, at the original price, and once again the king declined to buy. Three days later, the Sibyl returned, publicly burned three more volumes, and then offered the three that remained to the king at the original asking price for all nine. There was much local gossip at these strange events, and, Tarquin’s curiosity aroused, he purchased the three volumes. The Sibyl then departed, and was not seen again.

 
At April 15, 2017 at 4:17 PM , Anonymous Bill said...

Thank you, Anonymous at 11:40 this morning. Your thoughts put the whole picture into perspective, and make me appreciate the gifts of Christianity much more than before I read your profound insights.

 
At April 15, 2017 at 8:32 PM , Blogger Mirza Ghalib said...

Forget the Book of Revelation, a frightening piece of writing if ever there was one. Today is Easter,the climax of light and serenity in the New Testament. Jesus might well return, but only when we humans finally understand and apply his message. So far, alas, we have a long history of betryal behind us as regards his message and example. But it's never too late to do better. Happy Easter to friend and enemy alike.

 
At April 16, 2017 at 2:34 AM , Anonymous PJ London said...

Simple way to sort out the 'rapture people'
"The Rapture has already occurred and both you and I are still here. Hmm."

 
At April 16, 2017 at 3:16 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Soon - 2000 years later. zzzzzzzzz

 

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