In my experience, devout people fall in one of two camps - those who believe, and want you to believe, but in the face of refusal will quietly offer to be there if questioned - and the others, who threaten you will destruction if you fail to fall into line. The former represent the experiences that have taught me that faith and belief can be a positive force. The latter are simply intolerant kooks who have found a more socially acceptable format to wrap their hate up in.
This is a completely fair distinction, but bear in mind that a lot of people don't bother to make it when they criticize the intolerant kooks, just as a lot of atheism opponents don't distinguish between regular atheists and the obnoxious prick varieties. That's why both sides are always playing the umbrage card, because each has well-meaning sorts getting attacked for something they don't do.
The May 21 crowd frankly brought the ridicule upon themselves, and to be blunt they should be able to take it because they would expect this sort of "persecution." Evangelicals arguing that the Rapture is unpredictable but nevertheless imminent are a different stripe, but invite the same response for basically the same reason, whether they know it or not.
However, what bothers me is the implication that the discrediting of May 21 somehow disconfirms any form of Christian eschatology, or Christian doctrine altogether, as though Harold Camping is somehow representative of the whole religion, or even a large portion of it. Far be it from me to deny anyone their "the world didn't end" party, but the defeat of one crackpot who doesn't understand his own dogma doesn't really settle the broader debate.
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Date: 2011-05-24 11:12 pm (UTC)This is a completely fair distinction, but bear in mind that a lot of people don't bother to make it when they criticize the intolerant kooks, just as a lot of atheism opponents don't distinguish between regular atheists and the obnoxious prick varieties. That's why both sides are always playing the umbrage card, because each has well-meaning sorts getting attacked for something they don't do.
The May 21 crowd frankly brought the ridicule upon themselves, and to be blunt they should be able to take it because they would expect this sort of "persecution." Evangelicals arguing that the Rapture is unpredictable but nevertheless imminent are a different stripe, but invite the same response for basically the same reason, whether they know it or not.
However, what bothers me is the implication that the discrediting of May 21 somehow disconfirms any form of Christian eschatology, or Christian doctrine altogether, as though Harold Camping is somehow representative of the whole religion, or even a large portion of it. Far be it from me to deny anyone their "the world didn't end" party, but the defeat of one crackpot who doesn't understand his own dogma doesn't really settle the broader debate.