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From: liamh2
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  • I don't think the "End of Days" is a theology of despair - it's a time for Christians to rejoice because Jesus will restore all things. "all tears will be wiped away" We will see Jesus coming on the clouds - for those who love Jesus how wonderful this will be. And who couldn't love Jesus? - Karen is not all that well informed about Christian theology. - Blessings - Rene

  • I read that muslims have a very similar end of times story which includes the comming of Jesus, the anti-christ and Prophet muhammad where this is a litteral interpretation of events leading up to Judgement day. So I think she is wrong that historically it wasn't taken litterally at least by some in both Christianity and Islam. Not to mention the similarities between revelations and the last chapter of the Srimad Bhagavatam in Hinduism.

  • stackars Q

  • She's a feminist (w/ capital "F") says the uploader. How?

  • And Jesus said unto him:'YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN" Whosoever denies the son is ANTI-CHRIST.For God knows the thoughts of the wiseTHAT THEY ARE VAIN".

  • SHE IS A GREAT WOMEN AND YOU CAN ONLY BE THANKFULL THAT SHE IS TEACHING YOU MORONS SOMEWHAT THE IDEA OF WHAT HINGS ARE IN RELIGION.

  • I just listened to a highly intelligent mind...

  • A very civilized discussion on religions. She is an astute woman, definitely worth looking into more of her writings and talks. It truly is radicalism and politics of religions that destrys and devides us.

  • Karen Armstrong as usual bang on the money! The only disappointment in her work has been on the Buddha... much better on the Abrahamic religions in the modern age which is her forte. A voice of common sense and reason in all the endless vexed and often dull debate between fundamentalist believers and fundamentalist atheists.

  • this lady is gud ,gud knowledge .

    is she muslim

  • The negative responses to this video do not show the superiority of their religion's views, but rather the failings of their religion to fulfill their hearts. If you cannot see God in each individual, in all the varieties (those common and uncommon to your own views), YOU limit God. and you prove NOTHING as you are to draw others. If you're correct with who you are...why doesn't it show in more positive words - filled with love?

  • Zizek should debate Armstrong.

  • Armstrong is simply a rather stupid woman who refuses to accept the reality of islam. She has even compared the robbing, murdering child molesting muhammed to Ghandi!!" Yes, that is the level of her intellectual capability.

    This woman is the wettest of the wet. So wet that she positively bows under the weight of her own stupidity and failures of perception.

    When did Ghandi cut off someone's head? When did Ghandi attack a trading caravan? When did Ghandi call for a genocide against Jews? Sick.

  • You might be interested to know what Gandhi himself said about prophet Muhammad.

  • @wlwak hahahah the "reality" of islam

  • @wlwak if you think karen armstrong is stupid, you must be an idiot yourself.

  • @wlwak If you insist on judging events which ocurred in 7th century Arabia with 21st century morality, then lets do the same with 7th century Europe and see how it looks shall we........

  • Intellectual insight devoid of spiritual wisdom is like giving a man dying of thirst a picture of water instead of a pitcher. Most of the Palestinian families were not there 100 years ago. During WW2, the same people who funded Zionism gave free travel & grants to Chaldeans, Assyrians, & Syrians to move to what is called Palestine. Why? To create & foment the current struggle as a pretext for WW3. Do your research on Herzl, and you will find the facts. If you want the Truth, go to Jesus.

  • extreme evangelical points of view, coming from hellinized jewish concept deeply rooted with pagan ideas of god becoming a man..if jesus had sex with a woman becuase he was fully man..are you saying if that woman became preganat the childs father would be god?? serioulsy come to montheism

  • If jesus had a relationship with a lady and she bacmae pregnant, because he was fully man..would that childs daddy be god?

  • Wow. She doesn't have a clue.

  • Over a billion people live in nations controlled by Islamic principles. Thus to many, Muhammad was a rousing success. Yet these very same nations are among the world's most destitute, least free, and most violent. And they are the fountain of terror, providing the money, men, motive, and means for murder. In that light, Muhammads legacy is considerably more tarnished.

  • You're right, it's a shame how the muslim world has devolved and decayed from it's former glory. I really am ashamed of my disgraceful Muslim brothers in Saudi etc.

  • I have been a fan of hers for a while now the interpretation of the Bible being used to push govt decision and basing our foriegn affairs on the Bible is bit much for me.

  • Just heard her on Fresh Air on NPR.  very well spoken and obviously read her homework.

  • our world does need  a positive attitude ,propriety.

  • theres a lot more embarassing issues for muslims, like having many kaffr leaders rule us. King abdullah of jordan, of saudi arabia, syria, egypt .

  • She seems to have a fair grasp of the dangers of fundamentalism....

  • Why Joel - how benign and virtuous and pure of you and your gentle Jesus-like soul. He is shining high in the heavens, and down to you dost he gaze with fond splendour. And he said unto Joel: 'Calm your soul mine child, she is one of my fathers servants too. Fear not her compassion, nor your ignorance, for I am The Lord Your God. Be at peace, and happiness shall be yours thereof. Feed not Molech's fires through the passages lain yonder in youtube with anger, but feed my heart your good light.

  • Good reply on so many levels

  • This really is all about the middle east. She is attacking religion as if it's the only cause of war, when the Nazi's were a secular movement that created their own religion and murdered millions, or Joseph Stalin who also killed millions? This is beginning to sound an awful lot like the final solution. And if you want to get technical, Catholicism killed thousands of Christians and non Christians, not Christianity. This upsets Catholics, but they deny Christianity as legitimate salvation.

  • She knows nothing. She talks, yet she knows nothing. She has taken a hard reality that cannot be solved, and has marketed a secular answer to a religious problem that she doesn't even believe. She is only a shining example of what ignorance is still to come.

  • Have you read any of her books? She is a deep thinker and knows a great deal.

  • Look, she may have a great deal of knowledge, but it isn't knowledge that anyone else couldn't obtain. And besides, her motives or agenda are what I am really concerned about, not what she believes. She is free to think and live how she wants to right now, but what happens if her ideology becomes law? Does that still allow religious freedom?  She is the one portraying Christians and Jews as an issue, not me. I have not even attacked Islam, as again, I feel people should be free to feel how..

  • ...they want to feel. Just because she calls herself a scholar or a freelance monotheist doesn't mean I have to take what she says for face value. I have not read any of her books, and I don't plan to. I understand where she thinks all religions are the same. This is not the first time I have heard this argument, nor is this the first time I have heard this rhetoric. She doesn't believe the bible, therefore, she will slant what the bible says, sometimes, without giving any evidence at all.

  • I don't think it's going to become law is it? She used to be a nun, so I think it's safe to say she's grappled quite deeply with the Bible on many levels, and she certainly doesn't make any assertions lightly. I find her quite an open person, and she comes across to me as compassionate. I would say her agenda, if she has one, is that we all talk to each other as much as possible and find out about what we all believe, so we can live together more peacefully. I think that's a great idea.

  • Well, it very well could be. But irregardless, I think the idea of religious tolerance is great, how about tolerance in general? I don't like the word tolerance anymore, because it gets misused anytime someone has a different opinion. I am not intolerant because I have individual beliefs, and neither is she. But when she says talks about bringing the religions together to remove our differences in the name of compassion, but then makes gross generalizations about religious concerns/beliefs.

  • I agree, tolerance is not the same as making out we should all think the same way. Differences should be explored and celebrated. On your second point, yes she could be accused of missing out important detail, but you would always have to be selective if you're trying to illustrate a point. I suppose it depends whether you think she is balanced or not. Do you think she is choosing her facts in a biased way?

  • In a sense, yes, but everyone is guilty of that. She doesn't believe in Christianity. We could put forth tons of information to support both sides of the argument, and it will still come down to faith or disbelief. She sees it as a non believer, so of course the problems between the major religions seem futile and rudimentary. I just want to make clear I respect her opinion, even if I disagree. I just don't want her ideology to profile anyone on the outside as an uncaring dissident.

  • I knew it! And here is the UN pushing every member country to censor our opinion, so yes there is a great chance it may become law.  And guess who has been pressing this trash to the UN? Karen Armstrong.

    watch?v=eVrhxDuCZBk

  • I watched the video you mentioned, and I agree, it's outrageous, and I strongly oppose such laws being introduced. But what has that got to do with what Karen Armstrong is saying here? She is trying to bring people out of narrow religious interpretations, while the proposed law seems to be about stopping people saying things which might offend religious people. Presumably if the law takes effect, people like Karen Armstrong, with her views on fundamentalism, could actually be silenced.

  • That is never how it works. People like you and I will be silenced. The general populous will be silenced. And even if it did silence her, is that the point? I don't care about what she feels. I care about the repercussions of what she feels being put into law. Karen Armstrong has been involved with the UN for sometime, and actually has a seat there. She has been vital to this issue, and now her narrow view is being pushed as law. This is a lie covered with a thin layer of good idea.

  • I see what you're saying, and must admit I know nothing of her involvement with the UN. I just can't picture someone like her backing such a repressive outcome, since from what I know of her she is so thoughtful and open. Surely it's good to have a voice like that representing the voice of reason to the UN. Was she behind the proposal? I would think it's highly unlikely.

  • I agree, she might not be THE executer of such a repressive law, but she isn't fighting it either. The UN has a long history of, at least on the surface, staying out of religious matters and do not tolerate discussions on the subject, until now. it's not just religious matters. The UN have decided they will right laws that will cover the globe. I admit I may sound like Im targeting Karen, but it's the idea that we need a monolithic world government to make our decisions that unsettles me.

  • I meant to say most not mist. Sorry for the error.

  • Ultimately, political forces will have to make an ethical decision and better manage the consumption/distribution of natural resources and cease to exploit religion as a means to an end.

    And, humanity must make the effort to think more critically if we hope to evoke the powerful potential for change dormant in democracy.

  • Yes and what if the Government decides your not qualified for your quata of resources. Then you die in genocide.

  • From a religious perspective it is a competition for who is mist favored by God.

    Jews claim to be chosen. Christians claim that redemption is only possible through christ and moslems believe that both christians and jews have failed and islam the final path for humanity.

    From a poltical perspective it's about natural resources and religion can be exploited as a means to an end.

  • So the answer to that is to have government decide our views and remove intolerance by being intolerant of difference? If you can't see this for what it is, that is fine, but at this point we can agree to disagree, and in the future, I would that to still be an option. When was the last time you ever heard of a free thinking, liberated, compassionate side of fascism, cause I haven't. The very fact that she has labeled believers as fundy's as the problem should be a giant siren.

  • I totally agree. She is hopelessly pro-religion and constantly whitewashing Islam. However, what she says at the end about fundamentalist Christians wishing for the end of the world is true and just as mad and dangerous as Islam.

  • I agree 100%. Dominionist Christianity has a better chance at ending the world, then the other eschatological cults.

  • Agreed, JayeHK & Ib10128.

    One only needs to look at the face of former Roman Catholic nun, Islam expert, defender of "Allah's final & only non-corrupt religion for humankind" Islam, collector of high lecture fees plus "other" benefits NON-MUSLIM Karen Armstrong in the video.

    Face of an intellectual and spiritual PROSTITUTE; or face of a honest & chaste person?

    How cud an expert PASSIONATELY defend Islam's allah, and yet remain a fee & "benefits" collecting non-Muslim?

  • Her book "Jerusalem", City of three religions,

    I wish, if it was a book of fiction.

    What we see today is, thugs like TB-Liar wedging in for own greed of peace of pie from Gaza off-shore oil project.

    Religions stays in back of mind,while we face attrocities of neocon & Zions every day.

    Practising J.C or I belief wouldn't resolve geopolitical mess in ME or help to stop two ongoing wars.

    Could there be a solution or way to kick arse of wrong doers?

  • Continued... You not only take away the right for the Jew to live, but, you take away the right for any human, regardless of race, religion,etc., to live. and Human beings will destroy themselves until there is no one left.

    B'Shalom.

    John.

  • Continued....Forced them to remember that they were Jewish and unwanted. The Jew of 1934 was a Person without a country. That was the point of the United Nations, recognizing a State for the Jewish People in the first place. It is without a doubt that Jews since at least 400CE have been the baine of the rest of the worlds existance reaching its climax of the Nazi Death camps. The Jewish State is not just a right, but a HUMAN RIGHT to exist. If you remove that right, then....continue..

  • I wonder what Dr. Armstrong would like the Jews of Israel to do now that they have been there going on 60 years now? Do they pack up and return to Germany, France, and Poland? So that they are murdered again? Or push back by the Europeans (that she lauds so greatly) toward the middle east where Jews would be slaughtered my their Palestian neighbors? I am a student of History. Before 1933, most Jewish Europeans saw themselves as German, French, Polish, and not Jewish. It was the Nazis...Continued

  • wow isnt it sad that people are listening to this woman?

  • I think that she is very intelligent on the subject.

    I just read her book "The bible" a biography,and some of her book "Muhammad" Prophet for our time.

    She is not sad, she is for me a blessing from the Creator of all.

    As Deist's we should be grateful for her insight,and the work she did to get it.

  • @DeistReality does she know that the meanings of the seals were not meant to be known untill the end times which many knowledge shall increase and people shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase and that the loed will let them be seduced by spirits and teachers? that is in the bible as well but she rather make money and not speak the truth about the bible

  • She has got it all wrong.

  • We should all be so wrong!

  • well i am going to heaven. best of luck to you.

  • The sun has another 5 billion years to run before its fuel runs out.

    Then it will swell up into a red giant and vaporise the inner planets. All life will cease on earth.

    Then the sun will shrink to a white dwarf and the solar system will be in perpetual darkness.

    The end of days - about 5 billion years from now.

  • IMHO the first rapture will occur on 21/12/2012 followed by the antichrist Maitreya's arrival on 25/12/2012. If that makes me an extremist fundamentalist then so be it, LOL!

  • The world would TRULY be"SAVED"if everyone manifested the REALITY Jesus NOW instead of waiting for a fairy tale notion of him to literally drop down from the sky and whisk us away to Heaven!(the latter ideology has caused much social/existential irresponsibility)As Tolstoy had proclaimed "The Kingdom of Heaven is with in YOU." Fundies are "Paulians" NOT Christians

  • In order for the"Kingdom"to manifest in the world we must first cultivate it within ourselves-that is, that the inner dimension of each individual must be ruled by the Holy Spirit of Christ and cultivate the REALITY Jesus within ones BEING(as in"way of being")

  • The fundamentalist ideology betrays the most basic God given human ability to decipher what is true from what is false. Indeed it requires one to completely usurp the most rudimentary faculties of reason & rationality-requiring one to blindly embrace utter, blatant absurity!! I call it "controlled insanity".

  • I cannont say enough about how the evangeli-fundie-dispenationali­st could be more wrong about their ideology! I most sincerely feel how wrong they are DOWN IN THE DEEPEST , most DENSE RECESSES OF MY SOUL!-For me, nothing else could feel more "NOT RIGHT"!!I could never in all of eternity-1000 times over-deceive myself into thinking/believing their way!

  • Fundies believe the only way to get into Heaven is to believe in Jesus Christ...THE FAIRYTALE-instead of BEING Jesus Christ the REALITY! THey are looking for the wrong Kingdom in all the wrong places and it is all to easy for higher earthly political powers to take advantage of them and deceive them through their ignorance and superstitious, fairytale like understanding of scripture! Their version salvation means believing means worshipping the IDOL Jesus instead of BEING the REALITY Jesus!!

  • Where did you come up with this stuff? Once again a man-centered gospel. Listen, you could NEVER be good enough to get yourself to Heaven. There is only one way and just because a person disagrees with TRUTH doesn't change the fact that is is truth.

  • Truth? Define it for me. If the earth revolves around the sun-as can be empirically observed-is THAT truth? "You can never be good enough to get into Heaven" then why bother being good? Do YOU bother being good? Yes, it is "harder" to be LIKE Christ, but THAT is what we are called to BE as Christians. Christ told us to "bear our cross and follow him". Christ's teachings are for YOU TOO not just the Jews who finally accept Christ after his second return.

  • Your understanding is typical fundamentalist dispensationalism and is a self-absorbed theology! Read David B. Currie and you'll see why. I did not "come up" with this stuff. This is the theology of the church as handed down from the hands of the apostles!

  • Your brand of Christian theology is based on the writings of John Nelson Darby and Cyrus I. Scofield (who were the first to articulate it in a fully systematic organized form-even though they had obscure sources which preceeded them such as Manuel Lacunza and Margaret McDonald). You want to talk about "truth", THEY created your particular view of the bible and Christianity-talk about "coming up with stuff"!!!

  • I live like Christ. I am the church. I don't work my way to Heaven I already know I going because of my faith. I share the gospel and set an example because I am so grateful of the free gift God gave me. It is an outward expression of an internal change. I live a life of sacrifice & servitude. When I mess up, I don't lose salvation. I am NOT waiting around for heaven, eternal life began for me when I admitted my sin and believed without doubt God is who he says he is and did what he said he did.

  • amen. (I agree)

  • damn right!

  • Fundie Dispensationalits are not concerned with Jesus teachings, on the contrary, they claim that Jesus's teachings are mean't exclusively for the Jews to follow and their long awaited"earthly"kingdom. Fundies are concerned ONLY with one thing: Getting into Heaven. All of their so-called prophecizing is motivated by this.They do not care if they lay this existence and it's inhabitants to waste!Indeed, they are FAR from "down-to-earth"!Their main concern is not the problems of is existence.

  • Getting to heaven is the easy part...it's a free gift. Living LIKE Christ is harder. Granted the Holy Spirit has been given to us but unfortunately we allow our desires of the flesh to cloud his voice. It is a sinful world until Jesus returns.

  • Living LIKE Christ is what makes on a "Christ"ian, NOT merely believing in a mythical notion of him LITERALLY decsending on a golden chariot from the sky. WE are called to be the body of Christ. In Peter's sermon at the pentecost, he said the kingdom arrived and that kingdom is the church-the LITERAL body of Christ. It is the STRIVING for perfection of Christ that makes us Christian. It takes not only faith but ACTION...or the dreaded "works" that evangelicals seem to ignore in their theology.

  • Any "ACTION" in addition to "faith" must be intrinsic-not extrinsic. That means, not merely out of fear of eternal damnation, but that you sincerely feel compassion for your fellow human being and have broken your heart wide open to the sufferings of others. "Faith only" and the dispensationalist ideology of the rapture (courtesy of John Nelson Darby) inadvertently creates an attitude of social irresponsiblity. "It don matta wut ya do! We not gon be here fo much longer!"-is what I hear them say

  • What's worse than people who act Christian to avoid Hell are those who are Christian, just to squeeze their ostentatious, self-righteous butts into Heaven. Nothing could be more insincere for a Christian than that being their only motivation. The Kingdom-which is in the seedling form of the Church-is the cultivation of Christ within each individual!

  • When all individuals have fully cultivated and manifested the resurrection within themselves THEN "thy Kingdom come, thy will be done ON EARTH AS IT IS in HEAVEN!" The rapture theology is not conducive to this! These fundie-dispensational preachers go around like "after-life" insurance salesman selling others on their "afterlife insurance policies" by getting others to buy into a self-absorbed theology! For them,getting into Heaven is more important than doing God's work on earth to glorify God.

  • They know not that to cultivate Christ within and in the world, you must allow your heart to be broken wide open by genuinely & sincerely allowing yourself to feel the sufferings and joys of others! They are too preoccupied by getting their "ME" into Heaven! They are a profoundly misguided, spiritually immature, psychologically poisonous lot who take pride in ignorance and a superficial fairytale like understanding of Christ!

  • If a dispensationalfundamentalist behaves"good",that is,"morally"or"ethically"it is not from ever having cultivated the Christ(the REAL Holy Spirit!)within(i.e.the love,the sincere compassion).Indeed they have no intrinsic motivation!Their motivation for behaving"good"is extrinsic and inauthentic-they do so out of fear of Hell & reward of Heaven not out of sincere love,compassion or concern for another human being.They are motivated from selfishness-PROFOUND selfishness-on a DIVINE scale!

  • At the core of dispensationalfundamentalism is a PROFOUND selfishness, indeed the ULTIMATE selfishness on a DIVINE scale...the self-absorbed, self-obsessed preoccupation with ETERNAL self-preservation! Nothing could be more ANTI-Christian!! They claim that they & ONLY they have exclusivity to Heaven and rest assured they WILL send the rest of humanity to THEIR Hell for not believing like they do!!!-Not because the bible tells them so, but because the way they interpret the bible tells them so!

  • Indeed,dispensationalfundament­alist theology says that at a certain point Jews-milions of them-MUST either convert or die!Then they have the audacity to claim to be pro-Jewish,but in reality the Jews are only a means to their end-squeezying their self-cenetered,self-absorbed little butts into Heaven!The stairway to the dispensational fundamentalist Heaven will indeed be paved with the blood and bodies of millions of Jews!They have a lot of nerve calling themselves Christian Zionists& the like!

  • I venture to say that the first psychological condition for a dispensational/fundamenatalist to believe like they do starts with a pessimistic desperation about their particular lot in this life(which is why persecuted natives, the poor and destitute make for such easy converts)and an existential malaise caused by the extreme desire for certainty at ANY cost even at the expense of rationality or the blood of millions of Jews(if that is what their theology says must happen-which it does!)

  • Original Scofeildian dispensationalism made the distinction that Christ's teachings were exclusively for the Jews and Paul's for the Gentiles. Thus in their minds the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes do not apply to them!-ABSURD!!They do not know Christ except by a superstitious child-like notion of him LITERALLY descending from the clouds on a golden chariot!Scofeild himself took pride in being a theological layman.Paul is NOT Christ!Thus dispensational fundamentalists are NOT Christians!

  • Indeed,dispensational fundamentalists are not concerned with bringing Christs presense into the world.Neither are they concerned with ethical Christian behavior based on the Sermon on the Mount & the Beatitudes. In their interpetation none of that matters only "faith"-which is in essence a get out of jail free card!Their only concern is the transpiration of their version of prophetic events in order that they may get into Heaven sooner rather than later!-the most selfish thing I've ever heard!!

  • To the person who suggested that an "Edward Morgan" had preceeded John Nelson Darby in preaching about the "rapture", I looked up the info and found nothing on an Edward "Morgan". There was, however, an Edward "Irving" whose rapture preaching in the 1830's indirectly influenced Darby through the so-called visions of one of Irving's followers named Margaret McDonald.Ironically Irving himself was influenced by the obscure writings of a Jesuit Catholic preist named Manuel Lacunza.

  • The deeper meanings presented to us through allegory, metaphor, analogy, symbolism mean absolutely nothing to you. You take everyword LITERALLY and thus YOUR truth remains at a superficial, child-like understanding of scripture. WAKE UP!

  • The deeper meanings presented to us through allegory, metaphor, analogy, symbolism mean absolutely nothing to you. You take everyword LITERALLY and thus YOUR truth remains at a superficial, child-like understanding of scripture. WAKE UP!

  • Look up the etymology of the word faith and you'll find the original meaning has to do with "TRUST" and NOT "BLIND SUPERSTITIOUS OTHERWORLDY BELIEF"!! "Trust","truth","trial","try",­"TRUE"! Even if I whipped you with a knotted rope, you still wouldn't get it!

  • So you hold fast to your superstitious type faith (above works)in your superstitious notion of Jesus, while the world goes to shambles because of your OTHERWORLDLY fairytale version of Christ! Your view of the world as inherently "ugly and bad" has made the world "ugly and bad". You've made a farce out of everything Jesus taught! ANYONE can see that you've put YOUR version of faith even above BEING the Golden Rule, then have the audacity claim that you follow it BECAUSE of your faith!

  • The Jesus of you so called "non-denominational-evangelica­l-fundamentalist-dispensationa­l-Christians" is an idolatrous & superstitious Jesus!! An idol does not have to be physical sculpture to be an idol! You've put more precedence over the worship and belief in your superstitious Jesus(the messenger)than on BEING the message(i.e.the Word, the Spirit, the Logos, the Truth, etc.)! Jesus is the Word Incarnate and he called us to BE the Word as well!THAT is BEING the BODY of CHRIST!

  • My concern is making Jesus a real and present reality in my being-thoughts, words, and actions. It is WE who are called to be the resurrection NOW. That's what's supposed to make US the body of Christ! That is what the Eucharist (Last Supper) is all about! All of your ostentatious, self-righteous bible thumping is like the clanging of pots and pans!!

  • My concern is making Jesus a real and present reality in my being-thoughts, words, and actions. It is WE who are called to be the resurrection NOW. That's what's supposed to make US the body of Christ! That is what the Eucharist (Last Supper) is all about! All of your ostentatious, self-righteous bible thumping is like the clanging of pots and pans!!

  • My concern is NOT worrying about whether "MY"butt is"saved".For me,there is nothing so self-absorbed as the preoccupation with ETERNAL self-preservation!

  • It may be hard for some of you to wrap your fundie minds around WHY this is...but believe it or not, the Higher Criticism has actually deepened my understanding and faith in Jesus Christ!So there is no need to proselytize your particular belief as to EXACTLY how it's supposed to go down at the end of time.

  • It may be hard for some of you to wrap your fundie minds around WHY this is...but believe it or not, the Higher Criticism has actually deepened my understanding and faith in Jesus Christ!So there is no need to proselytize your particular belief as to EXACTLY how it's supposed to go down at the end of time.

  • very good lection

  • The word rapture is harpazo in greek...meaning in english "caught up". The phrase "caught up" occured numerous times in the bible. Enoch walked with God and was caught up, Phillip when he babtized the Etheopian was caught up. etc...God has not put his children throught his own wrath on the world....why would he start now? I believe prophecy is being unfolded in front of our very eyes.....Look up!!

  • Interesting. I'm glad you posted that. It's interesting how the word can mean completely different things in different contexts. But do any of these other verses mention "up in the clouds" along with "rapture" like Revelation does?

  • The word rapture will never be mentioned in the bible, but "caught up" (harpazo), is mentioned in conjunction with "in the clouds" in Thes.Matt 24 and other various places. On a side note.We don't doubt that in Luke 25 (the Easter story) the men walking down the road, stopped for the night, broke bread,and he vanished from there sight. When he appeared to the 12 disciples after resurrection, he ate(flesh and blood, yet wholly spirit as well),we will be transformed too!

  • If a scribe did not insert this, did Jesus literally think that the Son of Man would ACTUALLY descend from the clouds with angels and sound of a trumpet? On what part of earth would he descend? How big IS this trumpet?If he descends on Meggido(Isreal)the people in the plateaus of Mangolia won't be able to see it.What about people in Northern Canada? Will he be coming in the clouds in more places than one?How come no one bothered to ask Jesus (if he did say this and not some scribe) these things?

  • She's as ignorant as she is ugly. God has prophesised from the begining what the end would be, and a hightone snooty British accent will not alter those prophesies one whit.

  • She's ignorant as she is....UGLY?? Gee that's mighty Christian behavior of you. Gandhi was right when he said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." Gee, I can REALLY feel the spirit of Christ from you bub! You don't even know her. Have you even read any of her books? Bet you don't even know what she actually has to say except that she has a "snooty British accent". Well I bet you've got an "ignunt southen aaccent".

  • I feel sorry for this woman. She is very mistaken about a great many things.

  • And what many things are you CORRECT about? She's had well over 30 yrs experience in studying the the oldest biblical manuscripts in the world. What do you think her intentions are? I think her intentions are to fight close minded ignorance(in regards to religious origins and history)and can think of no nobler cause considering the current state of the world the monotheist religions have thrown us into.

  • The fact that she is troubled by the book of Revelations is proof of her ignorance. Revelation is a great book and evil is finally defeated. How can you find that troubling?

  • Interesting qoute by Issac Newton. I'd never heard it before, but it is right on the money.

  • Ms. Armstrong's skepticism is but another proof that the Scriptures are true and the End Times are upon us:

    "...there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts," (2 Peter 3:3)

  • 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18: "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall ever be with the Lord."

    Karen being a Feminist has not realized yet every nation where christianity has gone forth women have been liberated.

  • Like I said before,PAUL wrote this "in the clouds" scenario.Paul's Christianity is NOT Jesus's Christianity.

  • I believe Paul either merely had an epiphany bout the potential of Christianity(&that brought about a metanoia of his consciousness)or an epileptic seizure(which can produce hallucinations-and if so, why aren't other peoples hallucinations and declarations about God as valid as Paul's?)What makes Paul special is his proclamation that he is)on the way to Damascus.

  • Paul's writing are in the BIBLE...the WORD of GOD. It is God's message to us. Not the result of an epileptic seizure.  You seem to have some odd opinions. What is your religious background?

  • My religious background is not important.You got me all wrong.I believe in Christ,but I do not think it is enough to MERELY have"faith".I was speculating on what might have happened to Paul on the way to Damascus.Just because I said"epileptic seizure"doesnt give what happened to Paul any less weight.God may use all sorts of ways to have direct contact with us.Dont let the medical scientific terminology give it any less weight,for the term"epileptic seizure"is merely a DESCRIPTION of a phenomenon

  • I don't know if that's the physical method God used to get through to Paul. I believe Paul's experience was real and that his writing was genuinely inspired by the Holy Spirit. However, I do not think he was perfect, in fact I think he suffered from quite a bit of as Nietzsche calls "resentiment". The only perfect one died on the cross.

  • Either way, just compare Paul's interpretation of Jesus to what Jesus actually said.Regardless of how sincere he was youll find a very resentful individual whose understanding of Christ was superficial at best!

  • It's scary that someone with this kind of power and influence is so misinformed.

    God told us in his Holy Word, that things of God are foolishness to those who have not placed their faith in the savior, Jesus Christ. She is simply ignorant to scripture and unable to interpret.

    God tells us that people will be "willfully ignorant" in the end of days. She's proof of that.

    Compared to any other book, the Bible is the most unchanging, historically and archaeologically accurate book ever written.

  • But karen armstong used to be a nun herself, to her it is important for religion to find back their true essence of compassion and peace rather than judgemental calls being thrown all over the world by christian political leaders.

    Im a devoted christian too, if you follow her talks, you find that the practices and love in Christianity still remains which significantly stimulate us to evaulate our positions to judge.

    2 cents worth

  • religion must - and will - be utterly destroyed

    get ready to meet your respective gods, faith heads. fuck you all.

  • She is 'important' now, but ohh the 'shock and awe' that will come, she will wish could have repented of her teaching. Sadly, she does not understand the Love of God, the Hope we have as Christians, and the stuff/fluff on TBN/Warren is not what the mass of Christianity is Fundamental about. Read, 'Church History In Plain Language', 2nd ed.-Bruce L. Shelley just for starters, also 'Manual of Christian Doctrine'-Louis Berkhof, 2nd ed. Christian Lib press.....

  • This is one dangerous woman, and the 'rapture' idea and timing has nothing to do with her dangerous dialogue. How does one who does not know God nor desire to know him, have the audacity to imply 'understanding'?-she has seldom a sentence that is correct-her history is a recreation and is outright false. God is not 'frustrated', He is JUST, and regardless of her 'wisdom', she will come to full understanding soon....as "every knee will bow!"

  • Bottom line with all the NWO Globalist theology of today the AoC will be the antichrist's driving force to launch his war on the saints the groundwork has already been laid Christians will get it the worst Come quickly lord jesus the hiour is at hand even at the doorsteps

  • Vitriole permeates her speech such as when she describes born again christians as those who will have a ringside seat to watch the suffering of those who humiliated them in life. While we will watch, we will watch shedding many tears for those loved ones whom we could not convince of the truth of what God tells us in the Bible.

  • I am already sad, My dad laughs at me when today I told him about the prophecies, and my uncle thinks I am a cook. I am sooo sad for them, but they are excersizing their free-will, we all have it right? I've heard that the trib begins in 2009, what do you guys think? it makes sense with the economic situation, the North american union, possible martial law, I am going to REI to buy some survival tools today.

  • The Christians are anti-semitic? Is She KIDDING? Total ROT!

  • she knows alot more than any one i;ve read. try reading her book history of God. it will open your eyes to the whole story of religion.

  • I really like her work. Surfing through the internet everyday makes me feel like nobody is rational, balanced, informed, and open when talking about religion. So Armstrong is always a welcome breath of fresh air.

  • I feel the same way. The majority of people seem to think atheists are going to hell or irreligionists are irrational: insulting reducing of both groups.

  • This lady is very misinformed-- because Jews are killed (along with Christians) by the coming Antichrist does not show Christians to be antisemitic! Revelation is not a book of despair for Christians but one of great hope and joy for the return of Christ(and love, sanity and salvation). And Christians are not "humiliated", Muslims own that title.Christians never speak of being"humiliated"by the world.The Bible has been taken literally since the 1st century(except by Catholics-she is an ex-nun)

  • Love Karen... She says what she thinks and isn't into people pleasing. Respect!

  • yes she is. she has the full support of the UN. The UN is the epitamy of social correctness. monotheism is enemy number 1 for the un and eu .

  • Phebefitzgerald:From your comments to me I take it you're a born again Christian, a strong advocate of the concept of "Rapture"? Therefore you would strongly disagree with Karen Armstrong?

    One thing I didn't understand though. Why would the UN & EU hate monotheism?

  • They don't hate monotheism, they the U.N. in conjuntion with EU have created Alliance of Civilizations. An organization to blend different cultures and religions into one peaceable people to "get along" i.e. one world order/government

  • hmmm...Against monotheists huh? Does that include Muslims, Sufi's, Zoroastrians & Bahai's too? What evidence do you have to support that "monotheism" is the NUMBER ONE enemy of the UN & EU? OR that even KAren ARmstrong herself is opposed in any way shape or form to "monotheism"?

  • John Darby invented the so-called "Rapture"

  • no he didnt. morgan edwards was preaching a pre-trib rapture in the 1700's

  • I stand corrected(?) Thank you for the info. I will research it for myself. Do you know of any earlier references to "rapture" theology? If so, let me know. I'm obsessed and scared to death by dispensationalist theology, especially because of it's influence on foreign policy.

  • Jesus alludes to it in diferent passages but i cant think of anything off hand. The Bible states that we are not appointed unto Gods wrath. You can take pictures such as Lott being delivred from sodom and gommarah before the wrath of God was delivered

  • What passages does Jesus "allude" to the rapture? Or is it the dispensationalists that did all the reading into and "alluding" (as in "allusion") themselves?

  • The rapture was prophesied by Isaiah in the Old Testament, with greater detail given in the New Testament by various writers. Jesus also validates Isaiah's prophecy when He address who prepares the rooms and tells us who they are for, and who will take us there in John 14:1-3

    Isaiah's prophecy - Isaiah 26:19 Thy dead shall live; my dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast forth the dead.

    (cont)

  • (cont)

    Isa 26:20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

    Isa 26:21 For, behold, Jehovah cometh forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

    Therefore Ms Armstrongs facts are inncorrect -Isaiah not Darby prophesied of the rapture before Christ ever came

  • These Isaiah verses do not even contain the word "rapture" in them. What was the historical context of the JEWS (not gentile Christians-much less Bible thumper evangelical Americans) within which Isaiah wrote this?

  • In verses 19-20 the bodies of the dead rise, then the living are called up, consistent with Pauls teachings in 1Th 4:16-18

    "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

    (cont)

  • Jesus also said in John 14:2-3

    In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

    Notice Jesus said "I will come" and "receive you". This implies He will meet us, where? Paul gives us greater detail, in the air.

    Jesus also, tells us who these rooms are for and who has prepared them.

  • (cont) Both Paul and Jesus give us greater detail comcerning Isaiah's prophecy and all support that John was hinting of a rapture in Rev 4:1

    Also not all the Church will be "caught up", only those whose walk is consistent with the Church of Philadelphia - Rev 3:10 Because thou didst keep the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of trial, that hour which is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

    BTW the reference is with the passage

  • BTW Rev 3:10 is also consistant with Isaiah's prophecy -

    Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

    For, behold, Jehovah cometh forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

    In both passages these people are kept safe from the Tribulation period...

  • The word rapture is harpazo in greek...meaning in english "caught up". Read Thessalonians

  • Paul the appostle in 1 thessalonians 4:17 said beleivers would be "caught up" which can be translated "rapture". that was before 1900 or 1700. literal reading of the bible or any other book is not a new invention of the 19th century.

  • Yeah, key words: "Paul said". As long as we're taking scripture with a grain of salt in this blog feed let's get one thing straight, Paul's Christianity is NOT Jesus's Christianity. Also..."Caught up" or "rapture" (as in "enraptured") could also be much like what St. Teresa of Avila experienced.

  • ...and NOT a LITERAL scenario of being "caught up" "in the clouds" or sky with Jesus (like some anime cartoon)!! This literal approach to scripture is ABSURD and undermines the inner dimension of Christ making compassion intrinsic and not conditional on whether we go to "heaven or "hell"! The resurrection is SUPPOSED to be in YOUR flesh-that's what the whole last supper was about!

  • The most important point that Karen has missed is that in Rev. the restoration of the Jews is universally accepted. The reality today is that the 'restoration' is stronely contested.

  • No. "Scripture" clearly states that Jews will either convert to Christianity or Die. Christian theology is VERY clear about that. There are no more "Jews" at the end of the bible-Only Christians.

  • I love her books, but I can't stand listening to people who talk with too many "ums" and "uhs"

  • Have you tried completely focusing on only the ums and uhs in somebody's speech. It's an interesting exercise for concentration, but it's extremely rewarding, as it sounds so funny.

    But to the point, most people who speak in ums or uhs are more intelligent. It means they're thinking about what they're saying.

  • Amen. She definitely takes time to choose her words carefully and with much thought behind them.

  • Hey! NOT EVERY Christian lives in the U.S.!!!

  • True, but the kind of Apocalyptic Christianity that she's referring to has deep roots in the United States, and they have political power that's out of proportion to their numbers.

  • Karen admit the truth and stop skipping stones

  • this is great!

  • jump to 5:20 if you want to leap to the meat of this clip.. it's worth your time.

  • wonderful apporach and understanding about Iraq War

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