The Bush Contingency Plan For A Rapture
By James Donahue
If you think his fundamentalism wasn’t affecting the way President George W. Bush ran our country, consider this: The White House had a strange plan for keeping government operating if Bush and all of his Christian sidekicks got lifted up into the clouds with Jesus.
Apparently the Bible thumpers in high places believed, and may still believe that the signs of the “end times” are so evident that the lifting of the saints, as described in Thessalonians 4:13-18 is eminent. The verse reads that in that final day “the dead in Christ will rise, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord.”
They believed this wild story so fervently that a plan was put in place for continued government if and when Mr. Bush and many of his key cabinet members suddenly flew off through the ceiling.
But who were the so-called heathen on the Bush team that would be still around once the “saints” flew away home? And who in our government had the authority to choose which of our leaders went up with Jesus, and which ones remained behind?
Apparently Vice President Dick Cheney was considered a sinful dude and consequently would be still around. Somehow we had no quarrel with that idea. But one concerned person suggested that Cheney’s bad heart, and the shock of seeing his boss fly off through the office ceiling, might leave him incapacitated. Who would govern us then?
The next in the presidential succession chain at that time was Speaker of the House Tom DeLay. But like Bush, DeLay was a Texas based fundamental Christian and his name was probably thought to have been included among the “saints” expecting to disappear.
And that left the job to the Senate’s senior statesman, Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, then 81 years old. Thus there may have been concern that Stevens wouldn't up to the job of seeing the nation through the turbulent Tribulation, described in the Scriptures as a seven-year-long time of trouble concluding with a mighty war.
So there you have it. If Jesus had decided to call home his followers during the last four years Bush remained in office, we might have had a government run by either Cheney or Stevens, with a fragment of both the House and Senate left to keep things running.
Somehow this writer wasn’t worried; at least about having Mr. Bush fly off into the sky. The Christian rapture is a fairy tale that is about as hard to believe as the virgin birth and the resurrection of the murdered Jesus. The stories stem from ancient mythology that has been passed down since the days of Nimrod.
And even if there was going to be a rapture, I wasn’t sure Mr. Bush really qualified for sainthood. After all, he launched an invasion on Iraq predicated on a lie. It led to the destruction of that country, the death of thousands of innocent people, and the birth of Islamic terrorism such as the world has never known.
What worries me more was that we have a president who believed the Bible stories so fervently that he thought he might just fly away before his term ended. When a man believes like that, he is liable to do things that will not be in his own best interests, or the best interests of our nation.
For example, the Christians also believe a promise in the Book of the Revelation that after the wars are over, and after Jesus returns with his saints to reign over the Earth for a thousand years, there will be another time of trouble. This is caused by a temporary release of the elusive Devil.
After this, God is supposed to rebuild both Heaven and the Earth.
Since the fundamental Christians believe everything written in the Bible is the gospel truth, and the infallible Word of God, they don’t worry much about taking care of the planet. And there lies the flaw.
The only way for us to save ourselves is to reject these false religious beliefs and turn back to Gnosticism. We need to recognize the Mother Earth as a living sentient entity that provides for our every need.
In return, it is the duty of all humans to cherish, protect and do everything in our power to restore the Mother to the wonderful garden she was when it all began.
Failure to do this means that instead of rewards, the human race can expect a doomsday scenario. Human extinction looms if the planet dies. We have no other place to run to.
By James Donahue
If you think his fundamentalism wasn’t affecting the way President George W. Bush ran our country, consider this: The White House had a strange plan for keeping government operating if Bush and all of his Christian sidekicks got lifted up into the clouds with Jesus.
Apparently the Bible thumpers in high places believed, and may still believe that the signs of the “end times” are so evident that the lifting of the saints, as described in Thessalonians 4:13-18 is eminent. The verse reads that in that final day “the dead in Christ will rise, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord.”
They believed this wild story so fervently that a plan was put in place for continued government if and when Mr. Bush and many of his key cabinet members suddenly flew off through the ceiling.
But who were the so-called heathen on the Bush team that would be still around once the “saints” flew away home? And who in our government had the authority to choose which of our leaders went up with Jesus, and which ones remained behind?
Apparently Vice President Dick Cheney was considered a sinful dude and consequently would be still around. Somehow we had no quarrel with that idea. But one concerned person suggested that Cheney’s bad heart, and the shock of seeing his boss fly off through the office ceiling, might leave him incapacitated. Who would govern us then?
The next in the presidential succession chain at that time was Speaker of the House Tom DeLay. But like Bush, DeLay was a Texas based fundamental Christian and his name was probably thought to have been included among the “saints” expecting to disappear.
And that left the job to the Senate’s senior statesman, Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, then 81 years old. Thus there may have been concern that Stevens wouldn't up to the job of seeing the nation through the turbulent Tribulation, described in the Scriptures as a seven-year-long time of trouble concluding with a mighty war.
So there you have it. If Jesus had decided to call home his followers during the last four years Bush remained in office, we might have had a government run by either Cheney or Stevens, with a fragment of both the House and Senate left to keep things running.
Somehow this writer wasn’t worried; at least about having Mr. Bush fly off into the sky. The Christian rapture is a fairy tale that is about as hard to believe as the virgin birth and the resurrection of the murdered Jesus. The stories stem from ancient mythology that has been passed down since the days of Nimrod.
And even if there was going to be a rapture, I wasn’t sure Mr. Bush really qualified for sainthood. After all, he launched an invasion on Iraq predicated on a lie. It led to the destruction of that country, the death of thousands of innocent people, and the birth of Islamic terrorism such as the world has never known.
What worries me more was that we have a president who believed the Bible stories so fervently that he thought he might just fly away before his term ended. When a man believes like that, he is liable to do things that will not be in his own best interests, or the best interests of our nation.
For example, the Christians also believe a promise in the Book of the Revelation that after the wars are over, and after Jesus returns with his saints to reign over the Earth for a thousand years, there will be another time of trouble. This is caused by a temporary release of the elusive Devil.
After this, God is supposed to rebuild both Heaven and the Earth.
Since the fundamental Christians believe everything written in the Bible is the gospel truth, and the infallible Word of God, they don’t worry much about taking care of the planet. And there lies the flaw.
The only way for us to save ourselves is to reject these false religious beliefs and turn back to Gnosticism. We need to recognize the Mother Earth as a living sentient entity that provides for our every need.
In return, it is the duty of all humans to cherish, protect and do everything in our power to restore the Mother to the wonderful garden she was when it all began.
Failure to do this means that instead of rewards, the human race can expect a doomsday scenario. Human extinction looms if the planet dies. We have no other place to run to.