Everything Under the Moon

.


Why are Christians frightened of this anti Christ person? Haven't a lot of individuals in history been "anti" Christianity in some way, even now? What is the importance of this one? They are really freaked out. If they worship the most powerful god in the universe, why are they so in fear of this AntiChrist person? I am just curious.

Thanks.




.

I think fearmongering is such a part of the religion. The thought of a wolf drives the sheep to the shepherd.
I remember that years ago there was an interesting talk about "the devil" or the "antichrist" in a book. I was Raised Catholic so it was in some library somewhere....It likened "the devil" to a dog on a chain. When people think anti-Christ they think equal and opposite....but the book talked about everything in creation emanating from "God", and it being god's creation and will, and necessary.

I thought it was interesting. I don't know what I believe. I don't believe in the ideas that were out on me growing up so much....but I do respect them....mand I wonder. I find it all immensely interesting!

I agree with Becks, that fear is an important factor in religion and that people have misconceptions about Devil. Devil is not equal to God, but many people believe he is.
Second, what I found scary about the antichrist is that he will appear as true Christ and supposedly many people with good intentions will be seduced by him. There are catholics I know who believe that he is already here, dressed as humanistic idea of multiculturalism, political correctness, ecumenism, and what they call "homo lobby". These things appear to be based on love and peace, but they will actually lead to destruction of humankind. (this is not what I believe! )
Also, what I don't quite understand in Christian theology is the fact that the devil has already been defeated on the Cross, yet he still has power over this world.
I don't know who he is or whether the things are as they are described by the Church, but I do believe that there are dark powers that can hurt humans.

This is the type of belief system that drove me towards Wicca. I was raised Christian.

Not to disrespect any Christian witches here, but I feel like it has always been about control. Especially when you add in the fact that you have a "middle man" to God. It's like your relationship with God is restricted and only this guy (priest/pastor/preacher) can really tell you if your saved and whatnot.

But I also believe that just like wiccans modify and taylor their religion to align with their beliefs Christians do too. Maybe they aren't as open about it but I have met many different varieties of Christians even within the same denomination. And some don't focus on the fear, but more so on the capability to triumph over evil. In this light, it can be very positive and encouraging.

Yes, it is incredible how religious groups in various areas are different!
When I studied in another country, the Christians there were so open minded and joyful. They were interested in philosophy and ecumenism and the priests and nuns were so friendly and allowed students to address them informally.
When I returned home and went to local Catholic church, the differences are incredible. It's all about "holier than thou" attitude and the authorities don't speak about anything else, only about hate towards homosexuals. And they are so political and even managed to change the constitution last year! They really see the AntiChrist behind each corner.
For common believers, i think it's mainly that they don't understand that he's less powerful than Christ and they are afraid of the unknown.
Also, the AntiChrist is a spiritual being, purely evil and much more intelligent and powerful than humans. He's not just a random heretic or an atheist who speaks against Christianity.
I personally don't know what to think about him.

As someone who still worships the Christian God, just because I believe that he will triumph over the devil doesn't mean that the devil is incapable of causing harm. In the big picture does it change things? No, but it does impact people on an individual level. The point as I was taught is to focus on the end and not dwell solely on right now. The book of Job has actually been a great comfort to me whenever I go through a time that seems impossible. I was also raised that there does not have to be a middle man between man and God, but I came from a non-denominational household where we focused on studying the Bible as it is and not lessons based on passages. The whole fire and brimstone doesn't do it for me, but people in general seem to feed more on turmoil than they do peace so I think that Christianity as a whole is doing a disservice by focusing so much on the gloom side of things.

silverowl wrote:just because I believe that he will triumph over the devil doesn't mean that the devil is incapable of causing harm. In the big picture does it change things? No, but it does impact people on an individual level....but people in general seem to feed more on turmoil than they do peace so I think that Christianity as a whole is doing a disservice by focusing so much on the gloom side of things.

I think that is the problem with "prophecy," so called. People don't feel inclined to change things. It's just going to be that way, because God said so, so might as well suffer through it. No prayer work you could do, no assistance from the angels, just nothing. Let it happen. The AntiChrist is just going to get you, and you're too disempowered to do anything about it. Depressing.




.

I don't find that depressing. That's the fact of life regardless of what faith a person follows. There will be good, there will be bad, and sometimes there will be bad where there should be good and vise versa. That doesn't mean we shouldn't do our best to live our best. I've found that if someone is looking for the negative and depressing they will find that tiniest dark speck even in the brightest room. That's not something that comes from spirits or divine, that's something that comes from the individual within.