Natasha of the watch is thinking about Millenarianism

Her archives continue to be screwed up so it was posted Monday April 14th as Into the Breach.

So I'd like you to ponder, if you will, the political outcome of the absolute belief that at any moment God is going to wipe the slate clean of all His enemies. Even better, because you're such a righteous person, chances are that your enemies are included in the category of people to vaporize. And then you will be given (insert denominationally appropriate reward), and an eternal life at the right hand of God.

Nothing therefore needs to be done about pollution. The grandkids will be born into paradise. Nothing effective really needs to be done to correct global inequality, because the poor will get their reward as well. Endemic institutional corruption? Well, it says right here that the vast majority of people are wicked, and there's nothing that can be done about it.

And it occurs to me that if I were a powerful person whose goal was to commit larceny on a grand scale, I'd want as many people to believe some version of this claptrap as humanly possible. I'm not the first person to make this case, and it won't be the last time I bring it up, but it seems that the implications of it haven't managed to seep into the consciousness of mainstream society. Why not?

I have a similar family, although they often vote and my Dad might vote for a Democrat. My sister has just recovered from being a Republican, I think, because she finally experienced what they were doing to schools and how big business was really in charge. Except she supports this war, and remains a born againer. My brother and I are the liberals and he wants me to post real estate sites for Canada or New Zealand.