There’s a long history of apocalyptic, millennial beliefs in Christian thought – including the Rapture. It’s not surprising that so many buy into end-of-the-world predictions; it’s surprising how few do.
It’s for a simple reason: It’s easy to believe in the end of the world.
We aren’t talking about the atheist/humanist/existential thought that life is ultimately without meaning (conveniently summed up in the saying “On a long enough scale, the mortality rate reaches 100%”). With the Rapture (or any Christian apocalypse), meaning is preserved… but responsibility ends. It’s a seductive thought that you don’t have to try any more.
My favorite Tom Robbins book – Another Roadside Attraction – explains it well:
Often the test of courage is not to die, but to live.
– Tom Robbins
Time to go on living, folks. Time to go on living.