The Not So Secret Rapture

reformed.org ^ | W. Fred Rice

[topcat54]

Evangelical book catalogs promote books such as Planet Earth: The Final Chapter, The Great Escape, and the Left Behind series. Bumper stickers warn us that the vehicle’s occupants may disappear at any moment. It is clear that there is a preoccupation with the idea of a secret rapture. Perhaps this has become more pronounced recently due to the expectation of a new millennium and the fears regarding potential Y2K problems. Perhaps psychologically people are especially receptive to the idea of an imminent, secret rapture at the present time. Additionally, many Christians are not aware that any other position relative to the second coming of Jesus Christ exists. Even in Reformed circles there are numerous people reading these books. Many of these people are unaware that this viewpoint conflicts with Scripture and Reformed Theology.

[metmom]

MMMMMMMooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmm, he's loooookkkking at meeeee.....

[Quix]

INDEED.

[Cronos]

1. The Church has been ridding the priests
2. Do note the % numbers I talk about -- 0.5% or less. you cannot blame 99.5% of priests for the actions of 0.5%
3. The statistics are relevant in terms of pointing out the numbers
4. The Church IS moving with authority against these priests -- if you check the time when these accusations took place it was in the 60s-70s at the time when many were told by psychological "experts" that these were "curable" by a month's stay in rehab. There are no allegations even, from the 80s or later
5. Statistics in comparison are highly relevant -- as I asked, check the conviction rate among other non-Christian pastors -- even check in your own group and you'll see the Catholic % of pastors with such allegations is lower and with convictions are lower still. A lot of this is media manipulation and direct attacks --> 250 bad men out of 47,000 priests and religious.
6. The laity IS united and standing against this -- drop in any Catholic Church worldwide but does the MSM want to report this? No. They're happy bashing Catholics or hitting us Christians who believe in Creationism. The Media attack the Catholics first as the visible Church, next....
7. No one is protecting. I ask you again, how many Catholic priests do you know personally? How much do you know of this from people within the Church as opposed to the media's manipulations? You've seen how they project Palin, you can see how they project the Church (does any media outlet mention the 0.53% rate? no)

[topcat54]

We all understand you may well have less affection for metmom than TopCat54 has for me.

What affection have you deserved?

[Cronos]

Now, if you read 1 Thess. 4 more critically, you’ll see this is a rather noisy event. By way of trumpets and shouts, Christ is announcing His coming to the world

And that's what I always thought. It would be a big deal for Christ to come back, I would think.

[caww]

I have no problem that YOU believe “convicted” priests should be removed. But how can they be “convicted” if those suspected of abuse are not to be reported to the Police by the Bishops?

As for the churches I’ve attended...the Pastors were not abusing children.

[metmom]

You are absolutely right that statistics are not relevant. They are too easily manipulated.

Here's a link to a great book that will show you how that works for next time someone tries to throw statistics at you to *prove* something, so you don't get sucked in to believing that they mean something.

I had to read it for one of my college science courses when were were discussing the compiling and reporting of results. It's a bit dry and outdated as far as the examples he uses, but short and worthwhile.

How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff

[Cronos]

Strange quix — I didn’t see you protesting thin skins when metmom or pnsm called on the RM.

[Quix]

Heaven has some great answers on that score.

I’ll defer to God’s answers in due course.

[Quix]

BTW,

I’m a bit curious, what affections do you believe you deserve after persistently

making

ALMIGHTY GOD OUT TO BE A LIAR

about

HIS EVERLASTING PROMISES TO THE BLOOD CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB?

[Quix]

I’ve observed a persistent difference.

Many RC’s seem to use the slightest excuse

all the time

to wail to the RM . . .

24/7/365

MetMom has to have tanker loads of horse feathers piled on top of her before she protests.

[Cronos]

Thank you.

1. Do note that these despiscable ex-priests can be and should be reported to the police by all -- in some cases by bishops, in others by fellow priests or laity.

2. I also do remind you of the times when these convicts committed their crimes - in the 60s-70s when so-called 'experts' also believed that a month's "rehab" could "cure" this. That was a false statement, they should have been tossed out on the street immediately. And that's what would happen now to any priest -- this is due more to the fact that we know since the death of the 60s and 70s that this is not a "disease" that can be "cured" but one that is a crime that cannot be "cured".

3. The churches I've attended across the US and across the world, no priest has ever been accused of abusing Children. Remember -- only 2% of CHICAGO priests were accused over 40 years. This means that the chances of your local priest being this kind of criminal is kind of low, as low as you in your pastoral centre compared to all Protestant groups

[Cronos]

Quix — again, I repeat. Check this thread. you will see two calls to the RM, one by metmom, one by pnsm. In both cases I have NOT seen you telling them not to be thin-skinned.

[Cronos]

RM — third count of metmom trying to finesse the rules. She is disrupting the thread.

[caww]

You need to mind your own posts and those posting to you.....the poster asked me about attending a catholic church...I responded. And I assure you he did not ignore my post, he always responds be it in agreement or not. We have conversation and realize we come from differing perspectives.....but we do agree catholic homosexuals should be prosecuted....and those of the Protestant faith equally so.

[topcat54]

Quote: ”I encourage you to give it a rest.”

[Quix]

Because I don’t think the evidence indicates that they

WERE being

thin-skinned.

Quite the contrary, that they had to have repeated junk piled on top of them before they protested.

[Quix]

WHENEVER

I catch anyone making my ALMIGHTY GOD, CREATOR GOD, GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB

OUT TO BE A LIAR

I’ll likely respond accordingly.

If you want a rest from those responses,

quit doing so.

[caww]

I have not revealed my church affiliation with a purpose to that and I wouldn’t encourage others to do so. Catholics wouldn’t need to because we generally can tell just by the dialogue...and you can tell those who are not catholic equally as much. But if people were harping on me to reveal this I would certainly not reveal and wonder why this is such an issue for those doing so.

I’ve not responded to your statics because I don’t put allot of weight into those. The fact is we agree no matter where the abuse occurs..it should be acted on immediately...right?

[metmom]

Quix — again, I repeat. Check this thread. you will see two calls to the RM, one by metmom, one by pnsm. In both cases I have NOT seen you telling them not to be thin-skinned.

Courtesy ping to pnsn.

Now would that be a ping to the RM in response to the ping (presumably) you made to the RM and copied MY name in? Same with pnsn.

If you could provide post numbers, that might settle the issue.