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Rapturous Applause

The end of the world did not come yesterday, as the blogosphere, and Facebook etc delighted in reporting.  A tsunami of anti-Christian jibes and jokes spewed forth.  The Rapture is a beautiful if troubling idea.  It is a miraculous end to the world, and beginning of judgement, that is harsh, punitive, and, obviously, unwelcoming to non-Christians.  One of the most troubling of aspects of fundamentalist religions is that they are predicated on the idea that those who are not signed up will be damned.  This tends to go down badly among enlightened, secular, broad-minded people who are clearly doomed to hellfire.  So of course, a certain amount of mockery is to be expected when such predictions sputter out.  However, the age of enchantment is over when the world assumes that such hopes or fears as a catastrophic, God-driven teleology are just silly.  Yeats was silly.  But great poetry can derive from seemingly mad or implausible spiritual expectations.  The tissue of reason that seems to keep the world sober is torn when we imagine ghosts, or whispers of immortality, angels and werewolves; bad luck; good luck; prayer; and telepathy.  We laugh in an arid space when we laugh at what is impossible, miraculous, terrible, and potentially inspired.  Some day, something truly magical is going to happen.  Or wouldn't it be nice, at least, to think so?

Comments

Stef_Mo said…
I must admit that I fail to see anything beautiful about the idea of the Rapture. That a huge proportion of the world should die in agony just because they don't share the beliefs of some arbitrarily chosen few? Quite revolting in my opinion. I definitely find this whole non-apocalypse more funny and ridiculous than worrying, but the ideas that underpin it are startlingly ugly and really have no place in any kind of civillised world.
EYEWEAR said…
Yes, I think you are right, the world dying in agony is rather terrible, really. Do find me a civilised world though, curious to see it.
Poetry Pleases! said…
Dear Todd

I couldn't agree more with Stef! I'm very relieved that the world isn't going to end quite yet as I've just ordered Lady Gaga's new CD and will be visiting the Hay-on-Wye literary festival next week.

Best wishes from Simon
Anonymous said…
I feel sorry for all those poor gullible people who let themselves get caught up in such horrific nonsense and who are willing to contemplate such harsh summary "justice" for others. On the other hand, what can we expect: when educated people completely vacate the religious sphere (i.e. Hitchens & Co.), then fools rush in to fill the vacuum.

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