May 21st and Irreverence, Humor and Doctrine

As we have the rapture of true believers and the judgment of God upon this world nearly upon us - for the 5th or 6th time since I've been a Jesus follower, I am asking myself how much satire and irreverence I am allowed in response to silly doctrines coming from Christianity.

Is telling jokes about people who in some ways believe the same things I do like a Jew telling Jewish jokes? or when Christians tell jokes about silly things in Christianity are we perceived in the same manner as someone like Christopher Hitchens or Sam Harris telling jokes about Christians? Will I just come off as rude because I look like an outsider to those whose beliefs are not the exact mirror of my own?

I find satire, and a bit of irreverence from God Himself at times in the Old Testament, and wonder how far I can take it.

After planning a Left Behind Party, and writing a desperately irreverent and humorous song I wonder how far one can reach toward irreverence, before it is perceived as unfaithfulness by people who don't understand. I am planning a rapture propulsion project and want to serve red Koolaid all to hint that the idea of being able to name the date of God's judgment or Jesus' return is both silly and potentially harmful to the faith.

But the question I ask myself and God is "how far can I go with gentle humorous irreverence?"

4 days and the end comes - again

Over the last number of months I have been considering the problem of apocalyptic annunciations, and their impact on society. I do not have an educated position on the impact of apocalyptic warnings, and I am not sure that I even have a sense of the negative impact of repeated warnings of impending doom. What I do know is this: apocalyptic warning is a bad habit of people from every walk of life. Scientists and preachers alike appear to be susceptible to sandwich board declarations.

Over-population did not end the human race in the 20th century. California never fell off the west coast into the ocean, and I am not a burnt potato chip because the ozone layer disappeared. Y2K did not end civilization as we know it, and global warming is still to be determined as far as the ultimate impact.

Jesus did not return in the 500's, 1260 AD, 1844, 1914, 1974, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1994, and God is not going to begin wiping out the world on May 21st - 4 days from now.

Yet, it is also unlikely that either scientists nor religious leaders are going to learn from these lessons, and it is unlikely that either group will see themselves in the face of the other.

On one hand it is natural for both scientists and religious people to point toward an apocalypse. Whether the evil of this world deserves judgment from "Holy God," or we finally die as the universe moves toward an inevitable heat death we should at least learn this: If indeed apocalyptic concerns are built into the system of this tenuous and short life we live Prophets and priests have led the way in declaring the fact that there is an end, and there should be some thought about this fact.

To this the scientist owes the priest a debt for having led the way in apocalyptic concern, and the priest owes a debt to the scientist/skeptic who will not settle (well, not usually) for numerology and voices from beyond to determine the time of the end.

At least for this declaration from Harold Camping about the coming of judgment, I am planning on having fun and throwing a party on May 22nd.

For more check out my song on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3j5-0ZxM58