Hail! Hail! The Gang's All Here!

Well, it’s the day after the Rapture and we’re all still here.  At least I think we are.  Is anyone doing a head count?  I was tempted to run outside at 6:00 PM last night to see if I could look up and see the souls…of the feet…of the people rising to the sky.  I had the wild thought that it would be easier and less painful for me to rise if I didn’t have to go thru the ceiling of my apartment first.  I also thought there might be a great party starting up for those who survived…um…remained.   In the end, I decided to stay inside and take my chances with the ceiling.  According to Tim LaHay of Left Behind fame, I wouldn’t have been able to go anyway because I’m a Catholic.  I beg to differ with him, but then again, I’m not a theologian, I’m just a person who believes in God. 

All kidding aside, I hope Harold Camping and his followers don’t end up as the laughing stock of the nation.  That’s probably inevitable, but I wish it wasn’t. They even joked about it on Meet the Press this morning.  I can’t imagine what Letterman and Leno will do with it. 

The reason I hope they don’t end up the butt of many jokes is that the one good thing Camping and his followers had going for them is that they weren’t afraid to stand up for what they believe in.   They had a belief, no matter how misguided, and they were willing to stand on it.   They quit their jobs and donated their money to get the word out.  While the theory they put forth was wrong, at least they were willing to put everything they had into it.  That in itself is commendable.

It could be argued that many groups do that…even the evil ones and that’s true. I don’t admire those groups.  However, I do admire any Christian, or group of Christians, who stands up for their beliefs in whatever manner they feel led to do.  I admire any Christian who is willing to further their beliefs regardless of the cost to themselves.  That is the kind of passion and zeal that converts souls.

And so while the world didn't end last night, no one was raptured, at least Harold Camping got almost everyone in the country thinking and talking about it.   He was able to get everyone, even the atheists, thinking about Jesus for a short while.  Who knows, he may have even been responsible for leading a few souls to God...and that's a good thing.