Doomsday Profit

The end of the world is big business in the United States.  A quick Google search revealed lots of links one could use to order doomsday survival gear such as this site, this one, and this one, just to name a few.  I'm not saying that it's a bad idea to be prepared.  I keep jumper cables, a quart of oil and a first aid kit in my vehicle, just in case.  However, no invisible god-fairy told me to do it - I have done it of my own free will for the sake of common sense.



Probably the largest doomsday cult in the United States is the Jehovah's Witnesses (with offshoots of the 7th Day Adventists being a close second).

The Jehovah's Witnesses [JW] are predicting that the end will come very soon, as are all "Christian" organizations in the US, but the JWs are actually looking forward to it.  JWs talk about it in casual conversation as they watch JW-approved movies and documentaries.  They talk about how great things are going to be when the Earth is free of unbelievers, or when unbelievers will have no choice but to see that there truly is a God with all the dead people brought back to life and walking around.  They quote the Bible, which tells them that the end could come any second, and to be ready.  This kind of teaching keeps the entire JW population at the edge of their seat, and keeps them coming back to meeting (that's what they call their worship service) every week.  Though tithes are completely optional at a JW Kingdom Hall, the JWs manage not only to stay in business, but also print millions of full-color booklets all day long as well.

Though I have never attended a service at a real 7th Day Adventist church, I have attended service at one of their off-shoots who isn't legally authorized to call themselves 7th Day Adventist.  During one such service, the church had invited a speaker to join them.  The speaker brought PowerPoint presentations, a loud voice, and a large collection of books for sale.  The speaker then spun a tale of the end times with a look that was supposed to be awe-inspiring, but resembled a cornered rat in a burning barn.

To give an example of how close the end times were, the speaker said that one sign was that our personal freedoms would be taken away (Really?  Where does it say that in the Bible?).  The first to go, as he was about to demonstrate, was the freedom of speech.  The speaker then showed part of this video.  The offensive part was removed so all you saw was a polite college student, then a Taser.  Watch the whole video (without children around) and see if this looks like our constitutional freedom of speech being removed, or if it looks like a heckler getting removed by force when he refused to leave under his own power.

This guy was a jerk and was disrupting a civil meeting.  He deserved to get tased, especially since he was battling the police instead of allowing himself to be escorted out.  He created a dangerous situation by his actions.  Kerry tried to be civil but this heckler was not.

Its trickery like the speaker at the 7th Day Adventist church that reminds me of all the bologna Christian pastors spew every Sunday.