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<\/a><\/div>\nAdam, the admin of Daylight Atheism is on vacation for his anniversary this week, and I\u2019m one of the team of guest bloggers. \u00a0I\u2019ll update here whenever I post over there for the week, and any substantive comments should be left on Daylight Atheism proper. \u00a0I\u2019m quite looking forward to the opportunity. \u00a0(And don\u2019t worry, there will still be follow up on the conversation about hatred and negative emotions soon).<\/p>\n
So here\u2019s the first post, a take on the widespread interest in the\u00a0forecasted\u00a0apocalypse<\/p>\n
The Rapture of Charlie Sheen<\/a><\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n
I\u2019m sure this is just one blog post among many in your feed to reference the Rapture predictions of Harold Camping. His apocalyptic forecast for this weekend is all over the news cycle and even snagged front page coverage in The New York Times<\/em><\/a>. And why is everyone telling this story? Because it\u2019s fun to laugh at stupid people.<\/p>\n
No one outside this small group of zealots gives their claims the slightest bit of credence; they don\u2019t receive the \u201cbut who can ever know\u201d kind of deferential treatment that more mainstream religions command. This laughable theology deserves no more attention than do the claims of the sedevacantist<\/a> popes who\u2019ve set up shop in Spain<\/a> and Kansas<\/a>. Camping and company get coverage because we all have a sickening urge to watch the rug pulled out from under this delusional sect.<\/p>\n
The fascination of the media reminds me of the coverage surrounding Charlie Sheen at the height of his public flameout. Sheen was obviously unstable and addled, but we eagerly kept offering him more platforms to embarrass and endanger himself. For his family, it should have been a private tragedy, but we accepted it as entertainment that we were entitled to enjoy. Every time I hear one of my friends punctuate a conversation with \u201cWINNING!\u201d I flinch a little. The fact that Sheen\u2019s troubles were self-inflicted makes him more pitiable, not more deserving of our contempt.<\/p>\n