Why are YOU prepping?

[Hazrus]

Hi all, I'm quite new here and the whole idea of "prepping" is fairly new to me and to be honest my first thought is it sounds strange. Yes, I have read all the sticky topics at the top of the forum but I am none the wiser.

I would like to learn more, so if you have time it would be much appreciated if you could answer the following questions:
1. Why are you Prepping? Is it for a specific theological reason, eg. end times, heard a prophecy, etc?
2. What country do you come from? (I want to know if this is a US-centric thing or not)

Thanks in advance. Looking forward to hearing from you.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

I prep because that is what all responsible people do for their families and loved ones.
This age exists in an artificial bubble created by tech and oil. If and when that goes away... so will WalMart, cell phones, and most automobiles.
My question is why do people not prep? Seems foolish to put your faith in modern contrivances that are an EMP, mega quake, or economic crash from vanishing away.

 

[Hazrus]

I prep because that is what all responsible people do for their families and loved ones.
This age exists in an artificial bubble created by tech and oil. If and when that goes away... so will WalMart, cell phones, and most automobiles.
My question is why do people not prep? Seems foolish to put your faith in modern contrivances that are an EMP, mega quake, or economic crash away.

Thanks Didaskalos, that is interesting to know. My initial assumption was that people would think a rapture was imminent and they were prepping for that.

I assume you are in the USA?

 

[MrJim]

I'm in the US~prepping for any sort of "disturbance"...from unemployment to bad weather to an economic downturn or worse...theological reasons?

1Tim 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

"Rapture"...uh, no...

 

[MWood]

When the rapture happens, all of my prepping would be left behind for those less fortunate.

 

[Cernunnos]

Theological reasons mostly centered on
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 English Standard Version (ESV)
11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

It doesn't have to be the end of the world or even a global or national (USA) level event, to be an expression of love for my family and a method of ensuring my availability to provide Christian witness and aid to those in need in the event, of a significant event. As I gradually grow the network of food stuff we source locally, I notice. . . . my fresh eggs have more colorful nutrient rich yolks, my honey drives away seasonal allergies, my breads are heartier, my beer is tastier. All is sourced between me and downtown. No need to go in to town at all if I skip the beer. Renewable, locally sourced, ecologically conscious stuff. . . . is better stewardship of God's creation

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

So, if our job as humans is to have stewardship of the world God created, just being a "consumer" kinda seems like shirking the job. If I am unlike Cain & believe I am my brother's keeper, then I will find ways for us to live and work cooperatively as a community and within our environment. I am not talking about shunning technology like the Amish, but admiring their independence as a community & their ability to exist indefinitely through sustainable living & cooperation.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

From the book "A Christian Approach to Doomsday Prepping."


Living off the Grid.

The Grid is Gone Back to Never Was

We need to understand that in the days of Jesus and the apostles there was no “grid.” The “grid” is a modern invention based on modern technology, modern economy, modern energy sources, and modern political structures. Even 150 years ago there was no grid. What preppers are suggesting is that if, and I mean if, by some calamity of natural or human origin the “grid” ceased to exist and we were thrust back into the days of Jesus and the apostles: could you survive and keep your family alive? Could you survive without electricity, running water, indoor plumbing, and the local grocery store? These are all inventions of the last 200 years. For 4000 years prior to 1800 these things did not exist. People survived all that time without them. Could you? Prepping was a lifestyle to them. Prepping is what they did all day every day. They prepped for the week, the month, the growing season, the winter season, and well into next year. In some cases they prepped for years in advance. Every town and city had huge storehouses set up to hold massive amounts of grain, oil, and other goods. If you suggested to the people of antiquity that prepping was somehow non-spiritual or carnal, you would be patted on the head and considered the town idiot. If you did not prep in those days, you would starve or survive off the kindness of charitable persons. If you suddenly found yourself in the first century AD and suggested to the people of that day that (what we call) “prepping” was crazy and those that did it were faithless and full of fear...” well who knows what response you would get. Suffice it to say you would be the one on the outs with society and faith



So for the last 4000 years prepping was the norm. It was the rule. People did not prepare out of fear. They did not fill up the root cellar with crops because some calamity was coming. Nobody had to twist their arms and practically beg them to do what scripture and common sense demanded they do. They did these things because that was what everyone had to do to survive! Not out of fear but out of simple necessity. It was life. Only in the last couple hundred years has the notion appeared that the prepping lifestyle is socially weird (by the worldly), and unspiritual (by the religious). It is an entirely new attitude that only exists in this modern world of super markets, freezer trucks, and fast food restaurants. Therefore I submit to you that today’s opposition to prepping is a reflection of our modern living, culture, and economy. I suggest that this “faith” is not in God, rather this “faith” is in the modern age contrivances of Walmart and Exxon. Remove these modern contrivances, and truth and reality come crashing down on us.

 

[Hazrus]

Hi all, OP here. Some really interesting replies here and plenty for me to think about. Honestly, I thought it would be a bunch of crackpots with some wacky end-of-the-world scenario in their head. I am happy to be proven 100% mistaken!

 

[DawnInVirginia]

Growing up in a family that believed you were the only one responsible for yourself and your family, it was a learned habit. We had a large vegetable garden, fruit trees, Dad fished and on occasion hunted, Mother canned and dehydrated foods, knew how to sew, bake and keep us healthy or cure us from most basic ills, using old school homeopathic methods. Living in an area where hurricanes were a threat, we always had a "road trunk", basically a bug out bag, in the form of a trunk, for the entire family. It was located in the garage, ready to be tossed in the family station wagon. The house was also well stocked with cases of canned foods and water.

My first job as a wife and mother is to protect and care for my home and family, which means being prepared for just about anything. Whether it's a year supply of food, to a wide range of homeopathic remedies, to lethal protection and emergency communication, I believe I have prepared for most things.

My adult son is now following in his grandparent's and parent's foot steps.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

Thanks Didaskalos, that is interesting to know. My initial assumption was that people would think a rapture was imminent and they were prepping for that.

I assume you are in the USA?

No Raptures... first resurrection on the last day when the last trump sounds... none before.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

Kind of explains it all...
"A Christian Approach to Doomsday Prepping: Common Sense Talk about being Prepared for the Inevitable."