“If someone were to propose (The Book of Revelation) as a real prediction, let alone to actually believe it, they would probably be held for psychological evaluation.”
Last week, I tuned into Sam Harris’ excellent podcast (“Making Sense”) and listened to his interview with Bart Ehrman, who has written several books on Christianity, particularly as it pertains to modern times and contemporary political and cultural issues.
Then, two days ago, I stumbled upon NPR’s interview with the same Bart Ehrman (on “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross), who is in the midst of a book tour and is speaking out on how DESTRUCTIVE evangelical Christianity is to the nation and the world, just as much as our advancement and understanding as a collective species.
This is hardly “old Bible stuff,” which I typically couldn’t give a rat’s fantasy ass about. Rather, these are two remarkable interviews well worth listening to. Bart Ehrman’s credentials on this topic are irrefutable. For those expecting an anti-religious Leftist scholar bashing Christianity, they may be surprised instead to learn Ehrman was a fundamentalist Christian, who earned a Doctorate in religious studies, and went on to write a dozen best-selling books on Biblical history. He gradually came to the realization that just about everything associated with religion and Christianity is negative, and potentially catastrophic for humanity. He’s worth reading, and listening to.
Note that the Sam Harris interview is far more detailed (and lengthy), and somewhat tilted to Harris’ own comfort zone in atheism, whereas the Terry Gross interview tends to keep the author’s own transformation in the background while bigger issues are discussed. However, both interviews are equally as good and actually do compliment each other well.
I urge everyone to take 45 minutes and listen to the interview, which contextualizes the threat of evangelicalism to virtually all forms of human progress and is, in fact, a manifesto for mass death and destruction. How evangelicals are fit to lead anyone given their dystopian philosophy is mind boggling and frightening.*
To better understand why, just listen.
“Bible scholar Bart Ehrman says interpretations of the Book of Revelation have created disastrous problems — from personal psychological damage to consequences for foreign policy and the environment. His book is Armageddon: What the Bible Really Says about the End.”
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FOOTNOTE:
Am I condemning ALL Evangelicals? Yes. Evangelicals are a distinct subcategory within Christianity, making up perhaps one-third of American believers. The author/interview guest Mr. Ehrman defines Evangelicals as those who adhere to a “literal interpretation and belief” in scriptures, including Revelation. Accordingly, this places perhaps 50-60 million Americans into a category of warlocks. Indeed, they are dangerously maniacal fatalists, who not only BELIEVE in a mass global holocaust but who openly embrace it! — as it harkens the so-called “Second Coming.” This belief isn’t just folly, or pseudo-babble harmless philosophical adventurism. Rather, this is baked 100 percent into who they are, what they believe, what plans are made, what political decisions are reached, and so on. It even shapes their anti-environmentalism, their denial of science, their mistrust of government systems designed to improve world conditions and alleviate suffering, and other DESTRUCTIVE activism. Expos facto, why save the world when it’s doomed to a thousand years of death and destruction, in their prophesy? See the problem? YES, it is both fair an correct call them out precisely for what they are evangelizing.
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