Guest Blog: Caught Up In The Rapture of Hate? by @Sekhmetaatankhet

Caught Up In The Rapture of Hate?

May 21st rapture: A no show. Many took to Twitter, and other social networks to discuss the failed prediction. From fake disappearances, to tweets from “Jesus” stating he changed his mind, people spared no expense making fun of the 5/21 rapture believers – as well as Christianity. Harold Camping, a Christian radio broadcaster, predicted the world would end May 21st, 2011 beginning at 6pm EST. Camping claimed the world would be rid of non Christians by October 21st, 2011. Here's a sample of the tweets regarding the rapture:
“People actually gave their life savings to Camping and his crazy Rapture prophesy!? Are religious people that dumb?...oh wait...”
“Anybody who thinks some white man is coming from the clouds to save they a** should kill themselves.”
Check out this link: Rapture joke provokes heart attack. http://articles.exchristian.net/2003/07/rapture-joke-provokes-heart-attack.php
Sure, we can disagree with a belief system. However, can religious jokes go too far? Not only did people accuse them of hating Christianity, but also the parishioners
“You should be ashamed of yourself making fun of Christians. May God have mercy on your soul.”

“No man knows the hour when He [Jesus] is returning.”
“Why do you hate Christians?”
During the past 2 years of my Spiritual journey, I've realized most religious debates are not productive and wastes energy. There are more effective, positive ways to share knowledge to aid in personal growth and obtain a deeper understanding.
After changing my name to Sekhmet-AatAnkhet, I've experienced the so-called “harmless” jokes from strangers, colleagues, friends, and family – jokes about my Kemetic Spirituality, the pronunciation of my name, and the straight to the point questions, “Do you worship the Sun or the devil? “Are you a Witch? Do you practice Voodoo?” And yes, my personal favorite: “You're possessed and going to “hell.” Am I hated because of my African Spirituality? Are people just “having fun?” Maybe they're simply blinded by their doctrine. All of the above could be true. However, through growing pains, I've learned to use religious Q and A segments to share knowledge, rather than hit below the belt.
When we use our energy to make fun of others, let's remind Self of our current, and past journeys. Did we change our permed hair, stop wearing colored contacts, clean up our diet, or change religion simply because on jokes? Is it cool to joke about obesity? What if someone is an alcoholic, or abuses drugs? Could we “joke” them into sobriety? How does it feel when our personal belief system and culture is compiled into a #TrendingTopic on Twitter? ImHotep. --Sekhmet-AatAnkhet