Living in the End Times: Advice for the Conscience of a Non-Believer

Shadow said:

Hey everyone,

I would welcome your advice on something that I have been dealing with for a while.

As you know, the news is full of pretty staggering headlines and they seem to be getting stranger and more disturbing every day. It is getting harder to pretend we can keep "danger" at bay and to hold firm to the conviction that we will live to see a brighter future. The change in our moral and political climate is putting psychological strains on us all and each of us are having to find ways to adapt as our assumptions about human decency are tested.

That being said, it seems more than likely that we are heading towards a major global catastrophe, though it is still unclear what exactly that is. What, When, Why, I don't know, but the trajectory is unmistakable and we do not appear to be making the change course to a more humane and uplifting destination.

As an atheist I do not attribute this process to god but to man. For a long time I believed we could avert disaster but I have been deeply shocked that we have got this far and have now virtually lost faith we will pull ourselves out of the death spiral we are now going in to over the next few decades. We are not behaving rationally in either averting a state of emergency or of responding to one. I believe climate change will be the decisive factor, but I appreciate we may all have our own visions and demons in mind.

This tendency to social decay of course reflects in the degradation of people's moral values and conduct. Society seems to have unwittingly engaged in a collective suicide pact in which it will continue to advance to a major social collapse, neither fighting to defend itself and nor seek positive alternatives (with some exceptions). Instead, we see the breakdown of moral and legal standards as people in power violate the social contract that keeps society together to advance their own interests. Lying has become normal even when we are dealing with serious threats to life and people don't care about the truth, whether it be scientific, moral or anything else. In surrendering the truth we have surrendered the only standard by which to judge ourselves, our conduct and the source of power which could yet rally us forward. We conform and accept any manner of immoral conduct, we tolerate insane and deranged behaviour and engage in a radical disconnect between the apparent "normality" and routine of daily existence, the astonishing headlines we read from around the world and where we may anticipate they are taking us. It's hard to decide whether to be scared, despair, confused or just burst out laughing at what this says about the absurdity and futility of the human condition.

I am not what you would generally regard as a "bad" person, although I am certainly question authority and the conventional wisdom more than is perhaps really for my own good. But, in my heart, I still want to be a good person and exercise my conscience even as civilisation itself is unravelling. I don't welcome "the end" or the degradation and the loss of the achievement of mankind. I find it a tragedy which I struggle to describe and an insult to the work accumulated by past generations. In spite of our arbitrary cruelty to one another, I still care deeply about what happens to other people beyond myself and my own well-being. It is painful to watch others in distress and know there is little you can do to really help them.

So It is one thing to talk about and even believe the apocalypse is coming, but quite another to believe it has arrived and is on-going and come to terms with all the emotional effects of watching civilisation unravel. In the spirit of learning from others, I hope therefore you might provide me with some advice or guidance that could ease the journey man takes towards creating hell on earth somewhat:

1) How do you conduct yourself in adversity or the end times in a way that reflects the gravity of the situation and yet is consistent with your moral values and religious beliefs?

2) How do you come to terms with the loneliness of realising that you are surrounded by people who are either moral vacuums, having no clear conscience of their own or no willingness to act or to recognise the situation, or are so genuinely corrupt that they embrace destruction and cannot therefore rely on them to co-operate when things turn bad?

3) How do you ring the alarm bells to stay safe in your own personal life, protect friends and family whilst also keeping yourself calm and composed in the face of such overwhelming odds?

This being said I am not considering converting to Christianity or any major religion and I will concede that is something of a surprise even to myself given the reassurance it may offer. Perhaps it's vanity or maybe it's compassion for the wretchedness of man- perhaps they are the same thing. I would nevertheless welcome your thoughts, reflections and wisdom that helps me deal with the moral and psychological aspects of having a conscience in a time of crisis.

Thank you and God Bless

Click to expand...

I suppose I first look to history as a guide. In looking to history I don't see things as that much different in modern times than in the past, with perhaps the exception of the headlong rush into immorality.

In the end, no matter how bad things get, the worst thing that can happen to me is death. And that is a certainty anyway. I accepted my own mortality long ago. It's somehow comforting to know that the worst is inevitable.

Shadow said:

Hey everyone,

I would welcome your advice on something that I have been dealing with for a while.

As you know, the news is full of pretty staggering headlines and they seem to be getting stranger and more disturbing every day. It is getting harder to pretend we can keep "danger" at bay and to hold firm to the conviction that we will live to see a brighter future. The change in our moral and political climate is putting psychological strains on us all and each of us are having to find ways to adapt as our assumptions about human decency are tested.

That being said, it seems more than likely that we are heading towards a major global catastrophe, though it is still unclear what exactly that is. What, When, Why, I don't know, but the trajectory is unmistakable and we do not appear to be making the change course to a more humane and uplifting destination.

As an atheist I do not attribute this process to god but to man. For a long time I believed we could avert disaster but I have been deeply shocked that we have got this far and have now virtually lost faith we will pull ourselves out of the death spiral we are now going in to over the next few decades. We are not behaving rationally in either averting a state of emergency or of responding to one. I believe climate change will be the decisive factor, but I appreciate we may all have our own visions and demons in mind.

This tendency to social decay of course reflects in the degradation of people's moral values and conduct. Society seems to have unwittingly engaged in a collective suicide pact in which it will continue to advance to a major social collapse, neither fighting to defend itself and nor seek positive alternatives (with some exceptions). Instead, we see the breakdown of moral and legal standards as people in power violate the social contract that keeps society together to advance their own interests. Lying has become normal even when we are dealing with serious threats to life and people don't care about the truth, whether it be scientific, moral or anything else. In surrendering the truth we have surrendered the only standard by which to judge ourselves, our conduct and the source of power which could yet rally us forward. We conform and accept any manner of immoral conduct, we tolerate insane and deranged behaviour and engage in a radical disconnect between the apparent "normality" and routine of daily existence, the astonishing headlines we read from around the world and where we may anticipate they are taking us. It's hard to decide whether to be scared, despair, confused or just burst out laughing at what this says about the absurdity and futility of the human condition.

I am not what you would generally regard as a "bad" person, although I am certainly question authority and the conventional wisdom more than is perhaps really for my own good. But, in my heart, I still want to be a good person and exercise my conscience even as civilisation itself is unravelling. I don't welcome "the end" or the degradation and the loss of the achievement of mankind. I find it a tragedy which I struggle to describe and an insult to the work accumulated by past generations. In spite of our arbitrary cruelty to one another, I still care deeply about what happens to other people beyond myself and my own well-being. It is painful to watch others in distress and know there is little you can do to really help them.

So It is one thing to talk about and even believe the apocalypse is coming, but quite another to believe it has arrived and is on-going and come to terms with all the emotional effects of watching civilisation unravel. In the spirit of learning from others, I hope therefore you might provide me with some advice or guidance that could ease the journey man takes towards creating hell on earth somewhat:

1) How do you conduct yourself in adversity or the end times in a way that reflects the gravity of the situation and yet is consistent with your moral values and religious beliefs?

2) How do you come to terms with the loneliness of realising that you are surrounded by people who are either moral vacuums, having no clear conscience of their own or no willingness to act or to recognise the situation, or are so genuinely corrupt that they embrace destruction and cannot therefore rely on them to co-operate when things turn bad?

3) How do you ring the alarm bells to stay safe in your own personal life, protect friends and family whilst also keeping yourself calm and composed in the face of such overwhelming odds?

This being said I am not considering converting to Christianity or any major religion and I will concede that is something of a surprise even to myself given the reassurance it may offer. Perhaps it's vanity or maybe it's compassion for the wretchedness of man- perhaps they are the same thing. I would nevertheless welcome your thoughts, reflections and wisdom that helps me deal with the moral and psychological aspects of having a conscience in a time of crisis.

Thank you and God Bless

Click to expand...

The book of Revelation is fairly clear about the future of the world, and the prophecies contained in it are what you are seeing happening around you.

Shadow said:

Hey everyone,

I would welcome your advice on something that I have been dealing with for a while.

As you know, the news is full of pretty staggering headlines and they seem to be getting stranger and more disturbing every day. It is getting harder to pretend we can keep "danger" at bay and to hold firm to the conviction that we will live to see a brighter future. The change in our moral and political climate is putting psychological strains on us all and each of us are having to find ways to adapt as our assumptions about human decency are tested.

That being said, it seems more than likely that we are heading towards a major global catastrophe, though it is still unclear what exactly that is. What, When, Why, I don't know, but the trajectory is unmistakable and we do not appear to be making the change course to a more humane and uplifting destination.

As an atheist I do not attribute this process to god but to man. For a long time I believed we could avert disaster but I have been deeply shocked that we have got this far and have now virtually lost faith we will pull ourselves out of the death spiral we are now going in to over the next few decades. We are not behaving rationally in either averting a state of emergency or of responding to one. I believe climate change will be the decisive factor, but I appreciate we may all have our own visions and demons in mind.

This tendency to social decay of course reflects in the degradation of people's moral values and conduct. Society seems to have unwittingly engaged in a collective suicide pact in which it will continue to advance to a major social collapse, neither fighting to defend itself and nor seek positive alternatives (with some exceptions). Instead, we see the breakdown of moral and legal standards as people in power violate the social contract that keeps society together to advance their own interests. Lying has become normal even when we are dealing with serious threats to life and people don't care about the truth, whether it be scientific, moral or anything else. In surrendering the truth we have surrendered the only standard by which to judge ourselves, our conduct and the source of power which could yet rally us forward. We conform and accept any manner of immoral conduct, we tolerate insane and deranged behaviour and engage in a radical disconnect between the apparent "normality" and routine of daily existence, the astonishing headlines we read from around the world and where we may anticipate they are taking us. It's hard to decide whether to be scared, despair, confused or just burst out laughing at what this says about the absurdity and futility of the human condition.

I am not what you would generally regard as a "bad" person, although I am certainly question authority and the conventional wisdom more than is perhaps really for my own good. But, in my heart, I still want to be a good person and exercise my conscience even as civilisation itself is unravelling. I don't welcome "the end" or the degradation and the loss of the achievement of mankind. I find it a tragedy which I struggle to describe and an insult to the work accumulated by past generations. In spite of our arbitrary cruelty to one another, I still care deeply about what happens to other people beyond myself and my own well-being. It is painful to watch others in distress and know there is little you can do to really help them.

So It is one thing to talk about and even believe the apocalypse is coming, but quite another to believe it has arrived and is on-going and come to terms with all the emotional effects of watching civilisation unravel. In the spirit of learning from others, I hope therefore you might provide me with some advice or guidance that could ease the journey man takes towards creating hell on earth somewhat:

1) How do you conduct yourself in adversity or the end times in a way that reflects the gravity of the situation and yet is consistent with your moral values and religious beliefs?

2) How do you come to terms with the loneliness of realising that you are surrounded by people who are either moral vacuums, having no clear conscience of their own or no willingness to act or to recognise the situation, or are so genuinely corrupt that they embrace destruction and cannot therefore rely on them to co-operate when things turn bad?

3) How do you ring the alarm bells to stay safe in your own personal life, protect friends and family whilst also keeping yourself calm and composed in the face of such overwhelming odds?

This being said I am not considering converting to Christianity or any major religion and I will concede that is something of a surprise even to myself given the reassurance it may offer. Perhaps it's vanity or maybe it's compassion for the wretchedness of man- perhaps they are the same thing. I would nevertheless welcome your thoughts, reflections and wisdom that helps me deal with the moral and psychological aspects of having a conscience in a time of crisis.

Thank you and God Bless

Click to expand...

Hi Shadow! Very interesting post here! I found this statement "As an atheist I do not attribute this process to god but to man" followed by your "God bless" at the end of the post quite intriguing. You are clearly noticing the effects of social decay and collapse when the majority of the population of any society or civilization reject God and His Truth, substituting it with their own foolishness and corruption. You are right that the process is not God's fault. It is man's own darkness within his own heart that results in the nastiness we see developing around us today.

Rather than go into a detailed response here, I would rather let the Word of God speak for itself, because this ancient Book of Wisdom and Truth is far superior to any other literature or source of inspiration and insight on this planet today. "1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision." (Psalm 2:1-4) This text refers to leaders who took the same attitude towards God as our leaders are doing today, but this cyclical historical behaviour continues to prove futile and God continues to respond accordingly.

"Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass." (Psalm 37:1-7)

"18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours" (1 Cor. 3:18-21)

There is more wonderful Truth in God's Word but hopefully you find some of this encouraging. Concerning the depravity present in the heart of every man, the Scriptures state, "16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man." (Matt. 15:16-20)

Atheist or not (perhaps not as atheist as you suppose, based on the "God bless" at the end of your post?) God's Word has an abundance of encouraging Truth for anyone suffering the latter days of any civilization or society.

HTacianas said:

I suppose I first look to history as a guide. In looking to history I don't see things as that much different in modern times than in the past, with perhaps the exception of the headlong rush into immorality.

In the end, no matter how bad things get, the worst thing that can happen to me is death. And that is a certainty anyway. I accepted my own mortality long ago. It's somehow comforting to know that the worst is inevitable.

Click to expand...

Although this is tragically fatalistic, there is a ring of truth to your statements here. Yes, history repeats itself in very horrific and tragic ways, but we all end up moving on from this life anyway, regardless of how. Things are still not as bad as they have been at times in the past and we may yet recover and move forward in a positive direction - it's hard to say.

The bleak picture you paint has been mankind since the Fall in Eden. The first child of Adam, Cain, murdered his brother Abel.
Yet there was hope because Abel, also a sinner like his brother, was loved by God.
The Gospel enabled sinful Abel to be accepted by God, a beacon of hope for fallen humanity shining brightly in the blackness our first parents rebellion against God.
And it shines even more brightly against the godless blackness you have described. This Gospel is first and foremost a deliverer of sinners from sin. It does not offer merely a reassurance during such times. It is the very remedy and sure answer to all of humanities problems.
John 3:19-21
This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.

Shadow said:

Hey everyone,

I would welcome your advice on something that I have been dealing with for a while.

As you know, the news is full of pretty staggering headlines and they seem to be getting stranger and more disturbing every day. It is getting harder to pretend we can keep "danger" at bay and to hold firm to the conviction that we will live to see a brighter future. The change in our moral and political climate is putting psychological strains on us all and each of us are having to find ways to adapt as our assumptions about human decency are tested.

That being said, it seems more than likely that we are heading towards a major global catastrophe, though it is still unclear what exactly that is. What, When, Why, I don't know, but the trajectory is unmistakable and we do not appear to be making the change course to a more humane and uplifting destination.

As an atheist I do not attribute this process to god but to man. For a long time I believed we could avert disaster but I have been deeply shocked that we have got this far and have now virtually lost faith we will pull ourselves out of the death spiral we are now going in to over the next few decades. We are not behaving rationally in either averting a state of emergency or of responding to one. I believe climate change will be the decisive factor, but I appreciate we may all have our own visions and demons in mind.

This tendency to social decay of course reflects in the degradation of people's moral values and conduct. Society seems to have unwittingly engaged in a collective suicide pact in which it will continue to advance to a major social collapse, neither fighting to defend itself and nor seek positive alternatives (with some exceptions). Instead, we see the breakdown of moral and legal standards as people in power violate the social contract that keeps society together to advance their own interests. Lying has become normal even when we are dealing with serious threats to life and people don't care about the truth, whether it be scientific, moral or anything else. In surrendering the truth we have surrendered the only standard by which to judge ourselves, our conduct and the source of power which could yet rally us forward. We conform and accept any manner of immoral conduct, we tolerate insane and deranged behaviour and engage in a radical disconnect between the apparent "normality" and routine of daily existence, the astonishing headlines we read from around the world and where we may anticipate they are taking us. It's hard to decide whether to be scared, despair, confused or just burst out laughing at what this says about the absurdity and futility of the human condition.

I am not what you would generally regard as a "bad" person, although I am certainly question authority and the conventional wisdom more than is perhaps really for my own good. But, in my heart, I still want to be a good person and exercise my conscience even as civilisation itself is unravelling. I don't welcome "the end" or the degradation and the loss of the achievement of mankind. I find it a tragedy which I struggle to describe and an insult to the work accumulated by past generations. In spite of our arbitrary cruelty to one another, I still care deeply about what happens to other people beyond myself and my own well-being. It is painful to watch others in distress and know there is little you can do to really help them.

So It is one thing to talk about and even believe the apocalypse is coming, but quite another to believe it has arrived and is on-going and come to terms with all the emotional effects of watching civilisation unravel. In the spirit of learning from others, I hope therefore you might provide me with some advice or guidance that could ease the journey man takes towards creating hell on earth somewhat:

1) How do you conduct yourself in adversity or the end times in a way that reflects the gravity of the situation and yet is consistent with your moral values and religious beliefs?

2) How do you come to terms with the loneliness of realising that you are surrounded by people who are either moral vacuums, having no clear conscience of their own or no willingness to act or to recognise the situation, or are so genuinely corrupt that they embrace destruction and cannot therefore rely on them to co-operate when things turn bad?

3) How do you ring the alarm bells to stay safe in your own personal life, protect friends and family whilst also keeping yourself calm and composed in the face of such overwhelming odds?

This being said I am not considering converting to Christianity or any major religion and I will concede that is something of a surprise even to myself given the reassurance it may offer. Perhaps it's vanity or maybe it's compassion for the wretchedness of man- perhaps they are the same thing. I would nevertheless welcome your thoughts, reflections and wisdom that helps me deal with the moral and psychological aspects of having a conscience in a time of crisis.

Thank you and God Bless

Click to expand...

You have said it yourself, but you have rejected the obvious answer to all of your questions, and beliefs.

Therefore until you do in fact accept Jesus as your Savior nothing will change for you except to continue to get worse.

Christians have seen the exact same things you are now seeing for Centuries, but WE still have a hope in God a Peace of mind that passes all understanding and a rest to the soul of man.

Jesus is the only answer to all of this worlds problems, and not until people such as your self realize that, then yes, things will continue to get worse.

It is the human condition which propels this world into the abyss, Jesus is the ONLY answer to everything that you are concerned about.

May God open your eyes and ears to the knowledge of the truth in Jesus Christ.

Shadow said:

Hey everyone,

I would welcome your advice on something that I have been dealing with for a while.

As you know, the news is full of pretty staggering headlines and they seem to be getting stranger and more disturbing every day. It is getting harder to pretend we can keep "danger" at bay and to hold firm to the conviction that we will live to see a brighter future. The change in our moral and political climate is putting psychological strains on us all and each of us are having to find ways to adapt as our assumptions about human decency are tested.

That being said, it seems more than likely that we are heading towards a major global catastrophe, though it is still unclear what exactly that is. What, When, Why, I don't know, but the trajectory is unmistakable and we do not appear to be making the change course to a more humane and uplifting destination.

As an atheist I do not attribute this process to god but to man. For a long time I believed we could avert disaster but I have been deeply shocked that we have got this far and have now virtually lost faith we will pull ourselves out of the death spiral we are now going in to over the next few decades. We are not behaving rationally in either averting a state of emergency or of responding to one. I believe climate change will be the decisive factor, but I appreciate we may all have our own visions and demons in mind.

This tendency to social decay of course reflects in the degradation of people's moral values and conduct. Society seems to have unwittingly engaged in a collective suicide pact in which it will continue to advance to a major social collapse, neither fighting to defend itself and nor seek positive alternatives (with some exceptions). Instead, we see the breakdown of moral and legal standards as people in power violate the social contract that keeps society together to advance their own interests. Lying has become normal even when we are dealing with serious threats to life and people don't care about the truth, whether it be scientific, moral or anything else. In surrendering the truth we have surrendered the only standard by which to judge ourselves, our conduct and the source of power which could yet rally us forward. We conform and accept any manner of immoral conduct, we tolerate insane and deranged behaviour and engage in a radical disconnect between the apparent "normality" and routine of daily existence, the astonishing headlines we read from around the world and where we may anticipate they are taking us. It's hard to decide whether to be scared, despair, confused or just burst out laughing at what this says about the absurdity and futility of the human condition.

I am not what you would generally regard as a "bad" person, although I am certainly question authority and the conventional wisdom more than is perhaps really for my own good. But, in my heart, I still want to be a good person and exercise my conscience even as civilisation itself is unravelling. I don't welcome "the end" or the degradation and the loss of the achievement of mankind. I find it a tragedy which I struggle to describe and an insult to the work accumulated by past generations. In spite of our arbitrary cruelty to one another, I still care deeply about what happens to other people beyond myself and my own well-being. It is painful to watch others in distress and know there is little you can do to really help them.

So It is one thing to talk about and even believe the apocalypse is coming, but quite another to believe it has arrived and is on-going and come to terms with all the emotional effects of watching civilisation unravel. In the spirit of learning from others, I hope therefore you might provide me with some advice or guidance that could ease the journey man takes towards creating hell on earth somewhat:

1) How do you conduct yourself in adversity or the end times in a way that reflects the gravity of the situation and yet is consistent with your moral values and religious beliefs?

2) How do you come to terms with the loneliness of realising that you are surrounded by people who are either moral vacuums, having no clear conscience of their own or no willingness to act or to recognise the situation, or are so genuinely corrupt that they embrace destruction and cannot therefore rely on them to co-operate when things turn bad?

3) How do you ring the alarm bells to stay safe in your own personal life, protect friends and family whilst also keeping yourself calm and composed in the face of such overwhelming odds?

This being said I am not considering converting to Christianity or any major religion and I will concede that is something of a surprise even to myself given the reassurance it may offer. Perhaps it's vanity or maybe it's compassion for the wretchedness of man- perhaps they are the same thing. I would nevertheless welcome your thoughts, reflections and wisdom that helps me deal with the moral and psychological aspects of having a conscience in a time of crisis.

Thank you and God Bless

Click to expand...

You ended a very heart felt post with blessing all those who read it. God appreciates that.
God bless you too!

Shadow said:

) How do you conduct yourself in adversity or the end times in a way that reflects the gravity of the situation and yet is consistent with your moral values and religious beliefs?

Click to expand...

Be prepared, physically. Have basic supplies and learn basic survival skills. It's better if you live in the country, than the city. Either way, have a plan. Don't expect the end, but don't be naive. Just be prepared, as one can.

Be prepared, mentally and emotionally. Memento mori, remember you must die. Death is inevitable, for everyone. But, to be in touch with that fact and to accept it deep within will help one not act desperate when turmoil and disaster strikes. It also helps to practice fasting and subdue desire. If you want to maintain moral integrity in the face of disaster, it helps to have practice at not giving into desire. Then you are better prepared to help yourself and others.

Be prepared, spiritually. You're atheist so I don't know what to say. I try to keep up a robust practice of spiritual disciplines, e.g prayer, contemplation, fasting, silence, simplicity, etc.

All of the above is good whether disaster strikes or not. But being prepared as best as one can be may make the difference between having some presence of mind, and making things worse, if disaster does come.

Shadow said:

How do you come to terms with the loneliness of realising that you are surrounded by people who are either moral vacuums, having no clear conscience of their own or no willingness to act or to recognise the situation, or are so genuinely corrupt that they embrace destruction and cannot therefore rely on them to co-operate when things turn bad?

Click to expand...

There are always good people and others who are morally bankrupt. I'm a loner, so I am prepared to be alone if that's what it comes to.

My intuition is, if things really go south, there will be groups of people who will organize and cooperate for the purpose of survival. There will be loners. There will be groups of vagabonds and scoundrals, etc. Hopefully, you'll find a group who has organized quickly and set up a system for defense and survival.

Again, try to be prepared for all comers, and don't hold too tightly to life. I wish you had faith, but do what you can. If you can get it in your head that you're already dead, you can do anything. Christians should already have died to self, so they should have a mechanism in place for that.

Shadow said:

How do you ring the alarm bells to stay safe in your own personal life, protect friends and family whilst also keeping yourself calm and composed in the face of such overwhelming odds?

Click to expand...

My friends and immediate family, we have been discussing these things for a few years. Some are better prepared than others. I'm confident that there are people in my general area who will quickly band together and work together.

Whatever the case, being prepared and having some kind of plan helps. It allows for some sense of security to focus on doing everyday tasks in hopes the center holds, but not in some naive way. And to be honest, until things go south and people get desperate, we should all be working together to make this thing work. Don't give up until there's no options left.

I don't know if the end is coming soon or not. I'm not going to act like it is until it's here. More than anything, my own peace and calm comes from spiritual practices and faith. I'm not in love with this world and I sincerely long to see my Lord face to face. So, everything in-between is part of the journey.

I don't want to do anything in chaos that I wouldn't want to do in times of peace, so I try to nurture an inner peace that is not subject to the vicissitudes of life. In other words, not me but Christ in me, and so on...

At any rate, don't panic. Do what you can do, and accept the rest. May God be with us all. And, may God bless you, Shadow.

Shadow said:

Hey everyone,

I would welcome your advice on something that I have been dealing with for a while.

As you know, the news is full of pretty staggering headlines and they seem to be getting stranger and more disturbing every day. It is getting harder to pretend we can keep "danger" at bay and to hold firm to the conviction that we will live to see a brighter future. The change in our moral and political climate is putting psychological strains on us all and each of us are having to find ways to adapt as our assumptions about human decency are tested.

That being said, it seems more than likely that we are heading towards a major global catastrophe, though it is still unclear what exactly that is. What, When, Why, I don't know, but the trajectory is unmistakable and we do not appear to be making the change course to a more humane and uplifting destination.

As an atheist I do not attribute this process to god but to man. For a long time I believed we could avert disaster but I have been deeply shocked that we have got this far and have now virtually lost faith we will pull ourselves out of the death spiral we are now going in to over the next few decades. We are not behaving rationally in either averting a state of emergency or of responding to one. I believe climate change will be the decisive factor, but I appreciate we may all have our own visions and demons in mind.

This tendency to social decay of course reflects in the degradation of people's moral values and conduct. Society seems to have unwittingly engaged in a collective suicide pact in which it will continue to advance to a major social collapse, neither fighting to defend itself and nor seek positive alternatives (with some exceptions). Instead, we see the breakdown of moral and legal standards as people in power violate the social contract that keeps society together to advance their own interests. Lying has become normal even when we are dealing with serious threats to life and people don't care about the truth, whether it be scientific, moral or anything else. In surrendering the truth we have surrendered the only standard by which to judge ourselves, our conduct and the source of power which could yet rally us forward. We conform and accept any manner of immoral conduct, we tolerate insane and deranged behaviour and engage in a radical disconnect between the apparent "normality" and routine of daily existence, the astonishing headlines we read from around the world and where we may anticipate they are taking us. It's hard to decide whether to be scared, despair, confused or just burst out laughing at what this says about the absurdity and futility of the human condition.

I am not what you would generally regard as a "bad" person, although I am certainly question authority and the conventional wisdom more than is perhaps really for my own good. But, in my heart, I still want to be a good person and exercise my conscience even as civilisation itself is unravelling. I don't welcome "the end" or the degradation and the loss of the achievement of mankind. I find it a tragedy which I struggle to describe and an insult to the work accumulated by past generations. In spite of our arbitrary cruelty to one another, I still care deeply about what happens to other people beyond myself and my own well-being. It is painful to watch others in distress and know there is little you can do to really help them.

So It is one thing to talk about and even believe the apocalypse is coming, but quite another to believe it has arrived and is on-going and come to terms with all the emotional effects of watching civilisation unravel. In the spirit of learning from others, I hope therefore you might provide me with some advice or guidance that could ease the journey man takes towards creating hell on earth somewhat:

1) How do you conduct yourself in adversity or the end times in a way that reflects the gravity of the situation and yet is consistent with your moral values and religious beliefs?

2) How do you come to terms with the loneliness of realising that you are surrounded by people who are either moral vacuums, having no clear conscience of their own or no willingness to act or to recognise the situation, or are so genuinely corrupt that they embrace destruction and cannot therefore rely on them to co-operate when things turn bad?

3) How do you ring the alarm bells to stay safe in your own personal life, protect friends and family whilst also keeping yourself calm and composed in the face of such overwhelming odds?

This being said I am not considering converting to Christianity or any major religion and I will concede that is something of a surprise even to myself given the reassurance it may offer. Perhaps it's vanity or maybe it's compassion for the wretchedness of man- perhaps they are the same thing. I would nevertheless welcome your thoughts, reflections and wisdom that helps me deal with the moral and psychological aspects of having a conscience in a time of crisis.

Thank you and God Bless

Click to expand...

Good post.

Actually ... seems to me from your post you have many many many core values that are taught in the Lords word ... and that's interesting ;o)

I have often wondered how people who do not believe in the Lord handle what's going on in the world.

Historically, although time has gone onwards ... mankind really hasn't changed that much ... that is ... the depravity of mankind in general. I mean we have advanced in some ways ... technology, science etc. but yet the chaos of civilization/society continues to decline and will continue to decline.

As christians we understand it is the heart of mankind that needs to be changed. As christians we understand the acceptance of the Lord is the only way this is accomplished. As christians we understand not all will choose the Lord.

What, When, Why, I don't know, but the trajectory is unmistakable and we do not appear to be making the change course to a more humane and uplifting destination.

Click to expand...

This is true .... and is biblically stated in many different ways. The what and the why is explained in His Word .... the when ... we do not know ... but we know it will happen.

So although you may not consider yourself a person of faith ... I leave you with this ...
you may not believe the God part .... but the rest is what you have left.

God grant me the serenity or
(May I understand to)
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Answers to 1,2,3 are found in the Christian faith without it there are't lasting solutions because mankind will not for the most part change their hearts.

Mankind has severe "heart trouble".

Shadow said:

Hey everyone,

I would welcome your advice on something that I have been dealing with for a while.

As you know, the news is full of pretty staggering headlines and they seem to be getting stranger and more disturbing every day. It is getting harder to pretend we can keep "danger" at bay and to hold firm to the conviction that we will live to see a brighter future. The change in our moral and political climate is putting psychological strains on us all and each of us are having to find ways to adapt as our assumptions about human decency are tested.

That being said, it seems more than likely that we are heading towards a major global catastrophe, though it is still unclear what exactly that is. What, When, Why, I don't know, but the trajectory is unmistakable and we do not appear to be making the change course to a more humane and uplifting destination.

As an atheist I do not attribute this process to god but to man. For a long time I believed we could avert disaster but I have been deeply shocked that we have got this far and have now virtually lost faith we will pull ourselves out of the death spiral we are now going in to over the next few decades. We are not behaving rationally in either averting a state of emergency or of responding to one. I believe climate change will be the decisive factor, but I appreciate we may all have our own visions and demons in mind.

This tendency to social decay of course reflects in the degradation of people's moral values and conduct. Society seems to have unwittingly engaged in a collective suicide pact in which it will continue to advance to a major social collapse, neither fighting to defend itself and nor seek positive alternatives (with some exceptions). Instead, we see the breakdown of moral and legal standards as people in power violate the social contract that keeps society together to advance their own interests. Lying has become normal even when we are dealing with serious threats to life and people don't care about the truth, whether it be scientific, moral or anything else. In surrendering the truth we have surrendered the only standard by which to judge ourselves, our conduct and the source of power which could yet rally us forward. We conform and accept any manner of immoral conduct, we tolerate insane and deranged behaviour and engage in a radical disconnect between the apparent "normality" and routine of daily existence, the astonishing headlines we read from around the world and where we may anticipate they are taking us. It's hard to decide whether to be scared, despair, confused or just burst out laughing at what this says about the absurdity and futility of the human condition.

I am not what you would generally regard as a "bad" person, although I am certainly question authority and the conventional wisdom more than is perhaps really for my own good. But, in my heart, I still want to be a good person and exercise my conscience even as civilisation itself is unravelling. I don't welcome "the end" or the degradation and the loss of the achievement of mankind. I find it a tragedy which I struggle to describe and an insult to the work accumulated by past generations. In spite of our arbitrary cruelty to one another, I still care deeply about what happens to other people beyond myself and my own well-being. It is painful to watch others in distress and know there is little you can do to really help them.

So It is one thing to talk about and even believe the apocalypse is coming, but quite another to believe it has arrived and is on-going and come to terms with all the emotional effects of watching civilisation unravel. In the spirit of learning from others, I hope therefore you might provide me with some advice or guidance that could ease the journey man takes towards creating hell on earth somewhat:

1) How do you conduct yourself in adversity or the end times in a way that reflects the gravity of the situation and yet is consistent with your moral values and religious beliefs?

2) How do you come to terms with the loneliness of realising that you are surrounded by people who are either moral vacuums, having no clear conscience of their own or no willingness to act or to recognise the situation, or are so genuinely corrupt that they embrace destruction and cannot therefore rely on them to co-operate when things turn bad?

3) How do you ring the alarm bells to stay safe in your own personal life, protect friends and family whilst also keeping yourself calm and composed in the face of such overwhelming odds?

This being said I am not considering converting to Christianity or any major religion and I will concede that is something of a surprise even to myself given the reassurance it may offer. Perhaps it's vanity or maybe it's compassion for the wretchedness of man- perhaps they are the same thing. I would nevertheless welcome your thoughts, reflections and wisdom that helps me deal with the moral and psychological aspects of having a conscience in a time of crisis.

Thank you and God Bless

Click to expand...

It is important, for the sake of spirituality, that we divide the man into three parts… Physical, Spiritual, and Intellectual. If E = mc2 then we can divide and conclude that...

Mass (m) = Energy (E/c2) And there are three varieties...

Natural E/c2 - All mass is basically cooled plasma, the sun is the visible form of E/c2
Mental E/c2 - Our thinking can produce creativeness, light, and good things
Spiritual E/c2 - E (motivation, warmth, love) / c2 (faith, hope, charity, joy)

The Natural E/c2 in the form of mass produces a gravity that attracts other objects
The Intellectual E/c2 produces a gravity that draws us to study
The Spiritual E/c2 also has a gravity that draws and makes religion attractive

When I see things like the puppy in your avatar I see three forms of the E/c2 including the spiritual.

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. - Matthew 24:12

One of the most dreadful prophecies I see is the one pertaining to the love growing cold. A lack of warmth and spiritual things. To combat this I would find a church where you can sense a love, a concern, and a warmth. I have also a website where I share these concerns that is currently at 2.3 million views rockytopva.

Shadow said:

Hey everyone,

I would welcome your advice on something that I have been dealing with for a while.

As you know, the news is full of pretty staggering headlines and they seem to be getting stranger and more disturbing every day. It is getting harder to pretend we can keep "danger" at bay and to hold firm to the conviction that we will live to see a brighter future. The change in our moral and political climate is putting psychological strains on us all and each of us are having to find ways to adapt as our assumptions about human decency are tested.

That being said, it seems more than likely that we are heading towards a major global catastrophe, though it is still unclear what exactly that is. What, When, Why, I don't know, but the trajectory is unmistakable and we do not appear to be making the change course to a more humane and uplifting destination.

As an atheist I do not attribute this process to god but to man. For a long time I believed we could avert disaster but I have been deeply shocked that we have got this far and have now virtually lost faith we will pull ourselves out of the death spiral we are now going in to over the next few decades. We are not behaving rationally in either averting a state of emergency or of responding to one. I believe climate change will be the decisive factor, but I appreciate we may all have our own visions and demons in mind.

This tendency to social decay of course reflects in the degradation of people's moral values and conduct. Society seems to have unwittingly engaged in a collective suicide pact in which it will continue to advance to a major social collapse, neither fighting to defend itself and nor seek positive alternatives (with some exceptions). Instead, we see the breakdown of moral and legal standards as people in power violate the social contract that keeps society together to advance their own interests. Lying has become normal even when we are dealing with serious threats to life and people don't care about the truth, whether it be scientific, moral or anything else. In surrendering the truth we have surrendered the only standard by which to judge ourselves, our conduct and the source of power which could yet rally us forward. We conform and accept any manner of immoral conduct, we tolerate insane and deranged behaviour and engage in a radical disconnect between the apparent "normality" and routine of daily existence, the astonishing headlines we read from around the world and where we may anticipate they are taking us. It's hard to decide whether to be scared, despair, confused or just burst out laughing at what this says about the absurdity and futility of the human condition.

I am not what you would generally regard as a "bad" person, although I am certainly question authority and the conventional wisdom more than is perhaps really for my own good. But, in my heart, I still want to be a good person and exercise my conscience even as civilisation itself is unravelling. I don't welcome "the end" or the degradation and the loss of the achievement of mankind. I find it a tragedy which I struggle to describe and an insult to the work accumulated by past generations. In spite of our arbitrary cruelty to one another, I still care deeply about what happens to other people beyond myself and my own well-being. It is painful to watch others in distress and know there is little you can do to really help them.

So It is one thing to talk about and even believe the apocalypse is coming, but quite another to believe it has arrived and is on-going and come to terms with all the emotional effects of watching civilisation unravel. In the spirit of learning from others, I hope therefore you might provide me with some advice or guidance that could ease the journey man takes towards creating hell on earth somewhat:

1) How do you conduct yourself in adversity or the end times in a way that reflects the gravity of the situation and yet is consistent with your moral values and religious beliefs?

2) How do you come to terms with the loneliness of realising that you are surrounded by people who are either moral vacuums, having no clear conscience of their own or no willingness to act or to recognise the situation, or are so genuinely corrupt that they embrace destruction and cannot therefore rely on them to co-operate when things turn bad?

3) How do you ring the alarm bells to stay safe in your own personal life, protect friends and family whilst also keeping yourself calm and composed in the face of such overwhelming odds?

This being said I am not considering converting to Christianity or any major religion and I will concede that is something of a surprise even to myself given the reassurance it may offer. Perhaps it's vanity or maybe it's compassion for the wretchedness of man- perhaps they are the same thing. I would nevertheless welcome your thoughts, reflections and wisdom that helps me deal with the moral and psychological aspects of having a conscience in a time of crisis.

Thank you and God Bless

Click to expand...

There is no end times. The next event in earths/ humanity's history will be the tribulation 7 years of trouble.
After the tribulation the ruined earth will be restored for a 1000 year rule of God(Christ) with, if not perfect environment, a as close to perfect as it can get.
Then the destruction of the old heaven and earth making room for the new heaven and earth then eternity.

But if you are alive during the tribulation Live as good a life as you can and do not curse God help Jews during their persecution. If you are alive during the tribulation may be God will not bring many punishments/troubles your way.

Trust in God?

Shadow said:

This being said I am not considering converting to Christianity or any major religion and I will concede that is something of a surprise even to myself given the reassurance it may offer. Perhaps it's vanity or maybe it's compassion for the wretchedness of man- perhaps they are the same thing. I would nevertheless welcome your thoughts, reflections and wisdom that helps me deal with the moral and psychological aspects of having a conscience in a time of crisis.

Thank you and God Bless

Click to expand...

"God bless"?

Your profile page says you're an atheist and you have your fingers crossed for the Trump-Kim summit. So you're an atheist who references God (presumably with at least some degree of sincerity) in Whom you don't believe and your hope is somehow tied to the superstition of finger-crossing.

I'm a psychologist and I could tell you how to handle anxiety and worry through that paradigm but I'm going to answer your questions as a Christian, through that paradigm. When I statrted to read this op I thought perhaps you were a Premillennial Dispensationalist Christian because I hadn't noted the handle and Dispies are often filled with (false) angst about the end of the world imminently occurring. I've left that content in my post for their sake.

I think you should surrender to Christ, not merely convert to Christianity.

Shadow said:

Hey everyone,

I would welcome your advice on something that I have been dealing with for a while.

As you know, the news is full of pretty staggering headlines and they seem to be getting stranger and more disturbing every day. It is getting harder to pretend

Click to expand...

I would encourage you to explore other eschatologies. Within Christianity, only Dispensationalism breeds the kind of distress described above. Most of the Church both now and historically has not and does not dread the future. Most of us know Who is in charge and Whose we are and we have no fear of the future. We don't have a God Who plans the destruction of His own creation. Ours is not a God Who makes His own Church, the body of His own Son impotent and in need of rescue. We don't have a Messiah Who lets the defeated enemy usurp his kingdom.

I suggest you pick up a copy of Francis Schaeffer's trilogy and read it.

And I would encourage you to ask yourself why you hold a worldview that causes you such distress, especially since most of us do not.

Shadow said:

1) How do you conduct yourself in adversity or the end times in a way that reflects the gravity of the situation and yet is consistent with your moral values and religious beliefs?

Click to expand...

I believe scripture. I understand the truth of scripture, especially passages like the following,


The days of the apostles being persecuted have come and gone. Christians are still persecuted but we out-number all other religions. God has and continues to keep His promises. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is Christ Jesus.




You and I are not apostles like the eleven, but we are royal priests in God's holy nation chosen by God Himself. Our lives are not our own; they are His.

Act like it.

We are adopted daughters of The Most High God who walk in the authority of the Son and the power of the Spirit, heirs to all the privilege and inheritance that is ours her and now as well as in the future.

Act like it.

Perfect love casts out fear. Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

Act like it.

Shadow, Trump is not going to destroy the planet. Neither is plastic or the melting ice caps. The current angst about coronavirus is propaganda-driven hysteria. The fatality rate of that virus is currently about 3%. When it first it in the Mediterranean MERS-CoV form the fatality rate was 40%. The world is not going to hell in a hand basket and we Christians would be much more effective if the doomsayers and scaredy cats would get out of our way so we can get on with the task of making disciples of the nations, being fruitful and subduing the earth by the Spirit with the gospel of peace.

Shadow said:

2) How do you come to terms with the loneliness of realising that you are surrounded by people who are either moral vacuums, having no clear conscience of their own or no willingness to act or to recognise the situation, or are so genuinely corrupt that they embrace destruction and cannot therefore rely on them to co-operate when things turn bad?

Click to expand...

I believe scripture.



God has appointed you to this time and place and He has done so so you would seek Him. According to Ephesians 2:10, those God saves are His workmanship and He has created us in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Act like it.


Do not be anxious about anything. Pray and thank God when you do worry (Phil. 4:4-9).

Shadow said:

3) How do you ring the alarm bells to stay safe in your own personal life, protect friends and family whilst also keeping yourself calm and composed in the face of such overwhelming odds?

Click to expand...

I used to deal drugs. At first I was just a high school kid selling pot out of my car but eventually that turned into tens thousands of dollars of drugs of all kinds. I used to sell drugs in those projects outside of Baltimore used to film the show "The Wire." I've known pimps, prostitutes, thieves, even murderers, and no end of addicts.

On one occasion I was held captive at gun point for four hours. I can assure you the end of yourself is achieved in moments like that. I've been shot at or more than one occasion but few things are as soul draining as staring down the barrel of a revolver for four hours with nothing else to do and no way out.

Today I work with abuse and trauma victims. I do it almost every day. I hear the accounts of the women who were allowed to play with daddy's ***** at the age of four later to be groomed as sex partners while mom ignores it all, and the accounts of the men who were sodomized by clergy for a decade or more, or the comabt veteran who watched a bomb go off and kill everyone as far as he could see but not him and how he heard the lingering screams of those dismembered around him (or her). It's a hard day for me if I hear four or five of those accounts in the same day.

I wasn't the one abused or blown up.

I don't live with thieves and prostitutes any more. It's amazingly refreshing and restorative to come home to a wife who puts up with me and loves me in spite of myself. My friends are good genteel Christian men and women struggling to live holy and godly lives just like me (and presumably you). I don't have the worries I once had. I'm not worried about who's going to steal my stuff from me or how I'm going to exploit my next victim without them knowing or whether or not I'm going to get shot..... by accident.

I am an adopted son of The Most High God and I walk in His might, not my own. I have enough on my plate to conquer the small portion of the world God brings across my path each day and I do it as victoriously as I can, given my fallen but redeemed, regenerate but still corruptible identity in Christ crucified and resurrected.

If you're living with folks who are dangerous then I recommend you move. If you're living with folks who are toxic then I recommend you move. If you're not living with folks who are toxic or dangerous then I recommend you be thankful.




my apologies for the length.

The Four Horsemen are certainly on the move. The first, generally recognized as 'deception' has been here for some time. Of course the greatest deception is that man's wisdom is superior to God's revelation. This is a rather recent phenomenon.

Shadow said:

This is probably the answer I was looking for, but it will take a bit of time to reflect on things to be sure. I will read and reply to the other people's responses when I get the chance. Many thanks.



Thanks for your in-depth response.

I wasn't intending to give a deeper meaning to the use of "God Bless" at the end of my post, but thought it was just kind, friendly and polite. It seemed oddly appropriate when talking about the end of the world. As an Atheist, it is uneasy to admit the end of all things and to concede that there are circumstances at work even greater than the will of individuals- even if I would tend to think of them as natural forces rather than the conscious design of a deity.

I am a former communist, so whilst my Atheist credentials are pretty solid, I do have quite a lot of experience of believing in historical and natural forces greater than myself and following deep convictions wherever they take me. It just got more and more complicated holding on to the belief in earthly paradise in the face of all the violence and suffering that Marxism caused until eventually you just stop believing. I still believe in the "end times" of capitalism though and see them everyday. That part of Marxism seems to hold true. Without having much background in religion, my guess is the inner experience of being a communist looks, feels and sounds very much like religion even if it is not. All I can hope for is that your beliefs serve you better than mine once did.

Click to expand...

Hi again Shadow! I'm sorry to hear that you suffered under a communist regime like this. Yes, communism is an evil, sick religion and ideology. It is not just an alternative economic model or political system. I have studied it somewhat and I know where its strengths and weaknesses lie and the underlying sources thereof.

The "end times" of capitalism are not necessarily what they appear to be. Capitalism in the west is in crisis, yes, but communism in China and Russia also experienced a crisis and morphed into more of a capitalist system in both countries out of sheer necessity. I strongly suspect (without specific evidence to point to) that communists in the west noticed that free market enterprise capitalism was thriving and doing very well and that they had no hope of directly attacking it and generating interest in a revolution and overthrow of the system. So they INFILTRATED the system and infiltrated both the environmental movement and the feminist movement in order to destabilize our western society. They also infiltrated the mainstream media and the universities. Once they were able to begin the process of corrupting and destabilizing these various foundational elements in our society (along with brainwashing the impressionable young adults concerning the disadvantages of capitalism vs. the advantages of socialism/communism), they were on track to succeed in their quest to destroy us. In fact, I strongly suspect that they infiltrated most of the major corporations and put their foot hard on the gas pedal to create runaway, extreme capitalism with the "growth at all costs" mentality. Multinational mega-corporations were the result and they continue to absorb smaller companies like parasitic amoebae. This, I suspect, was all by design to enable the public demonization of capitalism. It is a distorted, corrupted form of capitalism and is not true free enterprise anymore.

Here's a peek at what the communists of the west have been up to lately (and they don't know that we know). Why are climate change realists called 'science deniers'? | PSI Intl

Josheb said:

"God bless"?
...I think you should surrender to Christ, not merely convert to Christianity.

I would encourage you to explore other eschatologies. Within Christianity, only Dispensationalism breeds the kind of distress described above. Most of the Church both now and historically has not and does not dread the future. Most of us know Who is in charge and Whose we are and we have no fear of the future. We don't have a God Who plans the destruction of His own creation. Ours is not a God Who makes His own Church, the body of His own Son impotent and in need of rescue. We don't have a Messiah Who lets the defeated enemy usurp his kingdom.

I suggest you pick up a copy of Francis Schaeffer's trilogy and read it.

And I would encourage you to ask yourself why you hold a worldview that causes you such distress, especially since most of us do not.

I believe scripture. I understand the truth of scripture, especially passages like the following,

Romans 8:26-39
"In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, 'For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."​

The days of the apostles being persecuted have come and gone. Christians are still persecuted but we out-number all other religions. God has and continues to keep His promises. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
"...do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."​

1 Peter 2:9-12
"...you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation."​

Matthew 28:18-20
"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."​

You and I are not apostles like the eleven, but we are royal priests in God's holy nation chosen by God Himself. Our lives are not our own; they are His.

Act like it.

We are adopted daughters of The Most High God who walk in the authority of the Son and the power of the Spirit, heirs to all the privilege and inheritance that is ours her and now as well as in the future.

Act like it.

Perfect love casts out fear. Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

Act like it.

Shadow, Trump is not going to destroy the planet. Neither is plastic or the melting ice caps. The current angst about coronavirus is propaganda-driven hysteria. The fatality rate of that virus is currently about 3%. When it first it in the Mediterranean MERS-CoV form the fatality rate was 40%. The world is not going to hell in a hand basket and we Christians would be much more effective if the doomsayers and scaredy cats would get out of our way so we can get on with the task of making disciples of the nations, being fruitful and subduing the earth by the Spirit with the gospel of peace.

I believe scripture.

Matthew 13:24-30
"Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' The slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?' But he said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, 'First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.'"​

Acts 17:22-31
"Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, 'Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God..."​

God has appointed you to this time and place and He has done so so you would seek Him. According to Ephesians 2:10, those God saves are His workmanship and He has created us in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Act like it.

Matthew 6:25-34
"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food... seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."​

Do not be anxious about anything. Pray and thank God when you do worry (Phil. 4:4-9).

I used to deal drugs. At first I was just a high school kid selling pot out of my car but eventually that turned into tens thousands of dollars of drugs of all kinds. I used to sell drugs in those projects outside of Baltimore used to film the show "The Wire." I've known pimps, prostitutes, thieves, even murderers, and no end of addicts.

On one occasion I was held captive at gun point for four hours. I can assure you the end of yourself is achieved in moments like that. I've been shot at or more than one occasion but few things are as soul draining as staring down the barrel of a revolver for four hours with nothing else to do and no way out.

Today I work with abuse and trauma victims. I do it almost every day. I hear the accounts of the women who were allowed to play with daddy's ***** at the age of four later to be groomed as sex partners while mom ignores it all, and the accounts of the men who were sodomized by clergy for a decade or more, or the comabt veteran who watched a bomb go off and kill everyone as far as he could see but not him and how he heard the lingering screams of those dismembered around him (or her). It's a hard day for me if I hear four or five of those accounts in the same day.
I wasn't the one abused or blown up.
I don't live with thieves and prostitutes any more. It's amazingly refreshing and restorative to come home to a wife who puts up with me and loves me in spite of myself. My friends are good genteel Christian men and women struggling to live holy and godly lives just like me (and presumably you). I don't have the worries I once had. I'm not worried about who's going to steal my stuff from me or how I'm going to exploit my next victim without them knowing or whether or not I'm going to get shot..... by accident.
I am an adopted son of The Most High God and I walk in His might, not my own. I have enough on my plate to conquer the small portion of the world God brings across my path each day and I do it as victoriously as I can, given my fallen but redeemed, regenerate but still corruptible identity in Christ crucified and resurrected.
If you're living with folks who are dangerous then I recommend you move. If you're living with folks who are toxic then I recommend you move. If you're not living with folks who are toxic or dangerous then I recommend you be thankful
my apologies for the length.

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What an awesome response. I particularly love your usage of the text "Perfect love casts out fear". Amen to that. Very well said.

Shadow said:

Hey everyone,

I would welcome your advice on something that I have been dealing with for a while.

As you know, the news is full of pretty staggering headlines and they seem to be getting stranger and more disturbing every day. It is getting harder to pretend we can keep "danger" at bay and to hold firm to the conviction that we will live to see a brighter future. The change in our moral and political climate is putting psychological strains on us all and each of us are having to find ways to adapt as our assumptions about human decency are tested.

That being said, it seems more than likely that we are heading towards a major global catastrophe, though it is still unclear what exactly that is. What, When, Why, I don't know, but the trajectory is unmistakable and we do not appear to be making the change course to a more humane and uplifting destination.

As an atheist I do not attribute this process to god but to man. For a long time I believed we could avert disaster but I have been deeply shocked that we have got this far and have now virtually lost faith we will pull ourselves out of the death spiral we are now going in to over the next few decades. We are not behaving rationally in either averting a state of emergency or of responding to one. I believe climate change will be the decisive factor, but I appreciate we may all have our own visions and demons in mind.

This tendency to social decay of course reflects in the degradation of people's moral values and conduct. Society seems to have unwittingly engaged in a collective suicide pact in which it will continue to advance to a major social collapse, neither fighting to defend itself and nor seek positive alternatives (with some exceptions). Instead, we see the breakdown of moral and legal standards as people in power violate the social contract that keeps society together to advance their own interests. Lying has become normal even when we are dealing with serious threats to life and people don't care about the truth, whether it be scientific, moral or anything else. In surrendering the truth we have surrendered the only standard by which to judge ourselves, our conduct and the source of power which could yet rally us forward. We conform and accept any manner of immoral conduct, we tolerate insane and deranged behaviour and engage in a radical disconnect between the apparent "normality" and routine of daily existence, the astonishing headlines we read from around the world and where we may anticipate they are taking us. It's hard to decide whether to be scared, despair, confused or just burst out laughing at what this says about the absurdity and futility of the human condition.

I am not what you would generally regard as a "bad" person, although I am certainly question authority and the conventional wisdom more than is perhaps really for my own good. But, in my heart, I still want to be a good person and exercise my conscience even as civilisation itself is unravelling. I don't welcome "the end" or the degradation and the loss of the achievement of mankind. I find it a tragedy which I struggle to describe and an insult to the work accumulated by past generations. In spite of our arbitrary cruelty to one another, I still care deeply about what happens to other people beyond myself and my own well-being. It is painful to watch others in distress and know there is little you can do to really help them.

So It is one thing to talk about and even believe the apocalypse is coming, but quite another to believe it has arrived and is on-going and come to terms with all the emotional effects of watching civilisation unravel. In the spirit of learning from others, I hope therefore you might provide me with some advice or guidance that could ease the journey man takes towards creating hell on earth somewhat:

1) How do you conduct yourself in adversity or the end times in a way that reflects the gravity of the situation and yet is consistent with your moral values and religious beliefs?

2) How do you come to terms with the loneliness of realising that you are surrounded by people who are either moral vacuums, having no clear conscience of their own or no willingness to act or to recognise the situation, or are so genuinely corrupt that they embrace destruction and cannot therefore rely on them to co-operate when things turn bad?

3) How do you ring the alarm bells to stay safe in your own personal life, protect friends and family whilst also keeping yourself calm and composed in the face of such overwhelming odds?

This being said I am not considering converting to Christianity or any major religion and I will concede that is something of a surprise even to myself given the reassurance it may offer. Perhaps it's vanity or maybe it's compassion for the wretchedness of man- perhaps they are the same thing. I would nevertheless welcome your thoughts, reflections and wisdom that helps me deal with the moral and psychological aspects of having a conscience in a time of crisis.

Thank you and God Bless

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Phew. A conscience is a tough thing to keep clear in times of trouble. It is one reason that I came to Christ. I was raised with certain values, albeit rather confused. My dad was an ethical atheist. My mother pretend Anglican. I discovered how hard it was to stick to my values when everything in my environment was totally opposed. So my conscience was greatly bothered, not that I realised what it was that was bugging me.

Your dilemma was one I faced except in a different context. I failed, so I cannot advise you what to do. What I do know is that Christ offered me a clear conscience and a new life that enables me to live by my conscience, not continually violate it. That is the difference between religion and Christianity. Most religions offer a code of ethics and a role model to follow (pantheistic religions like Hinduism are an exception).

Jesus offered infinitely more than just an example to follow. He came that we might have new life. When the storms hit, you want to be in a ship that won't sink, not sitting there with an instruction manual on how to patch the holes in you boat. There is a terrible storm brewing. Lord Jesus offers to keep you safe as we go through it.

LightandTruth said:

What an awesome response. I particularly love your usage of the text "Perfect love casts out fear". Amen to that. Very well said.

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Thanks. The appreciation is appreciated. Not sure that will be a shared view.