The Antichrist

I watched a show on the History Channel last night about the Antichrist, sometimes the best of television is on in the wee hours of the morning and this was no exception. They delved into the Fundamentalist Christian idea of the rise of the Antichrist which will facilitate the Rapture and the return of Jesus, who will of course win the ultimate battle between good and evil, thus ushering in 1000 years of Heaven on Earth. It almost made me wish I believed.

They interviewed Christians as they left their mega-church in Colorado, asking them to give their take on the Antichrist. The most interesting things came out of their mouths, but trying to follow their logic just made my head spin. Several of them described the characteristics that they believe the Antichrist will exhibit, he will be a powerful leader, he will pretend to be one of them and he will be intent upon creating a global empire and a world economy that will require anyone who wants to participate to be a true believer in his vision. See where I’m going with this?

First off, I find it hard to fathom the extent to which a person must ignore reality in order to truly believe in the Rapture and the return of Jesus, but by following their distorted logic, I come to only one conclusion. George Bush fits the profile that they themselves set up, yet they are unable to see it. Not being a believer myself, I have no idea how each personality trait ranks in importance, but the only characteristic given by these faithful worshipers that Bush lacks, is great oratory skills. Perhaps this is hanging them up more than I realize. For all I know it is the singularly most important skill of the Antichrist which would certainly explain their inability to peg Bush as the one.

I realized once the show was over, that they convinced me that Bush is the Antichrist. But then I had to admit that he couldn’t possibly be, since I don’t believe in the concept at all. I also realized that my frustration that these people can’t see what is laid out before them, stems from my desire to inject logic into an ideology that has none. Faith is just that, and it requires no logic, in fact it demands a rejection of it. I find it sad that because those who subscribe to a Fundamentalist reading of the Bible give away their ability to think critically, they are the ones who will ultimately fall victim to the charms of the Antichrist that only they believe in. It’s almost as if they are intent on becoming what they spend their whole lives demonizing. It’s a self fulfilling prophecy that in the end will leave them confused as to where they went wrong, and will prove them to be as evil as they feared all along. You can ask God to absolve you of your sins, but unless you absolve yourself, change your behavior and accept your part in evil deeds that are committed in your name, there is no redemption. But that is just my take on life on planet Earth, I’m sure they could poke holes in my beliefs as well, just not with logic.