It seems that the talk amongst the religious community is
the end of days. Current situations which have occurred in recent history are
used to promote the prophecy of the rapture.
Kirk Cameron and the
Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN) are no
exception to this frantic craze that is sweeping the country. This weekend, 3200
churches around the country (see
this article on
TBN’s wire service site wdcmedia.com) on are set to turn their chapels into cinemas as they
debut the movie “Left Behind: World at Warâ€ÂÂ, the third installment in a series
of movies staring Kirk Cameron which deal with the final judgment.
The movies are based on best selling books by the reverend
Tim LaHaye and
Jerry Jenkins. Cameron plays television reporter “Buck†Williams who
now finds himself as a post-rapture leader in a group called Tribunal Force.
This third movie also brings into it one other big Hollywood name, Louis Gossett
Jr., who plays the President of the United States.
This is the first time a motion picture has debuted inside
of churches. In my small southwestern Ohio town, the screen is set at three
churches for this history making event.
This makes me want to question the motives of religious
leaders even more. While I am not a religious person, I have read both the Old
and New Testament cover to cover, along with the Quran. I find religion an
interesting subject and keep my mind opened to all religions that make up our
planet.
The wording in the Bible leaves it opened to
interpretation, much like the laws of our land. They are written in such a way
that people can easily mold current events into the signs that Armageddon is
upon us. True, in my 35 years on this planet I can not remember a time when
there weren’t any events that could be construed as a sign the world was ending.
Sure we can consider the war in the Middle East, the
falling of the two great towers in the west and other current events as signs.
We even have a high probability that we could be faced with a “super storm†as
hurricanes Wilma and Alpha prepare to collide. Does that mean the Lord is
preparing to pass judgment on the world? No it doesn’t. That is just an excuse
for an inept President with a seriously flawed foreign policy and the ignorance
of man in ignoring the signs of global warming.
The end of days could be upon us. Will it be God’s show of
force because he is tired of the people of the world? Again the answer is no. If
it does happen it will most likely be again because of the two reasons I
previously stated. Most importantly is the first reason. With a pending war
against Iran and high opposition from China and Russia on such actions it could
lead us into a war with two other nuclear powers. The missiles passing each
other in the sky will not be the fingers of God coming down to crush the
sinners. It will be the miserable result of what is once again a highly flawed
foreign policy. There will be no judgment, just pain, suffering, and burning of
millions of people.
My suspicion is this. I have seen the first two
installments of this series and they are highly action packed movies. It is an
undisputed fact that action sells to kids. The churches are using this key
selling point to get more children excited about church. In turn, it sends a
message of gloom and doom to the viewers in hopes that the will turn to their
spiritual leader for guidance. In other words, it is a marketing ploy. If we
learned anything from the 2004 Presidential election it is that fear sells. Now
the churches are using that key marketing point on their congregations.
So before people take to their churches, or should I say
cinemas, tonight please remember that you are just watching a movie. If I
believed everything I saw in the movies then I would be wondering if Frodo
actually destroyed that ring in the fires of Mount Doom or if Muhldorf could
once again rise and wage war on the land with his army of orks.