Is doomsaying or fear mongering a tactic used by the religious Zealots to gain more members?

Went to church and heard "the end is near...so you must save yourself, and get on the right path to God's Kingdom".
How many times have you heard the end is near, armageddon is among us, or (my personal favorite) as this system draws to a end?

Is it just me or is this a clever tactic to infuse the atheistic mind with doubt and gain allegiance to the cult...ahem excuse me, religion?

Exactly! I think all the NWO stuff doomsday 2012 all of that crap is used to scare people and get new members. I thought we were about to grow as humans and step away from religion but they seem to be growing recently.

People care more about their relationship with jesus than they do about others in society.

I think there are people with innate positive and innate negative biases...natural optimists and natural pessimists, as it were. Both are useful in society. You probably need more optimists than pessimists in society, but there will always be a need for worst-case-scenario thinkers.

Like all other humans, they get snared and caught up in all kinds of things that might be destructive, delusional, or untrue, and a pessimistic bias is no guarantee of wisdom even in bad times. Optimists get snared by loopy pyramid schemes and pessimists get skewered by...well, I'll let you fill in the blanks on that one.

Yes the end is near!
Nearer then it was a year ago, a week ago and closer then it was yesterday!
Even if you believe that someday in the distant future the sun will explode, then the end is near(er) then it was.
It is only by GOD's grace that He has not come yet.

AND you can not save yourself... if that is what they told you then they are wrong...only GOD can save..

If anyone wants to know the truth...it's out there.. not in every Church...only some.. and the truth is not disclosing UFOs.

Wakeup people.. don't you see? The Church does not "need" you. God does not want your money. Do you truly thing the GOD who made and owns EVERYTHING needs your money??? GOD wants your free will to worship HIM. If HE wanted robots which were created to worship Him He already had those in the angels.. which He created just for that purpose.

Is the end near...yes...how near.. well maybe as close as your next breath. Or as far as 10 lifetimes.
But it is closer then it was yesterday.








[edit on 20-6-2010 by ccsct203]

[edit on 20-6-2010 by ccsct203]

reply to post by packinupngoin


It seems like such rhetoric of the churches goes against your grain.
That begs the questions, why were you in church if you don’t agree with it?

If you feel it is a suggestion put out by religious zealots to “infuse the atheistic mind” then why worry about it?

The last thing you should be doing is going somewhere that grinds your gears.
If you feel like something should be done then perhaps you can send out flyers to said cult members. Or perhaps you can stand out on public sidewalk in front of the cult members temple and protest. Hopefully in doing that you may be able to infuse the cultist mind with doubt.

In any case there seems to be just as many atheists out there spouting off about 2012 and the end being near as there are religious cult members. Just look here on ATS. How many here on ATS are fear mongering on a daily basis? How many DOOMSDAY threads have you read?

How does that work then, supposing that a large percentage of atheists are proposing the end of life; how does an atheistic person infuse the mind of another atheist?

Whether you believe in God or a god or not is really irrelevant, its entirely up to you.

If people want to find comfort in obviously stressful times by finding like minded people how is that wrong?
Indeed would you not do the same thing, supposing you are an atheist, would you not go to your family and try to at least enjoy your life as best as you can in the time you have left in life?

I just find it to be a NON- Issue really.

There is more than just doomsaying from religious and conspiracy theorists.

1. If you dont file your W2 on April 15th the IRS can give ya trouble
2. If you fail to appear for a traffic citation a warrant for your arrest will be made.
3. If you dont pay your mortgage your house will be taken
4. If you dont pay your utilities you will be cut off
5. If you dont work you will not eat or live


I could go on but it would fill a full page.

Fear mongering (hidden in a few tricky words like "consequences" "responsibilities, and obligations")

It is still based in fear.

Seems to me, there are just as many non-believers spreading the message of doom, 2012, Nibiru, alien invasion, NWO, Illuminati, Bilderbergers, and even Armageddon as there are religious people spreading it.

I bet that even ATS is helping to spread it to get more members... good for ad revenues.

Truth be told...we are all pretty much doom-sayers...some are religious and some are not.

reply to post by packinupngoin


"How many times have you heard the end is near, Armageddon is among us, or (my personal favorite) as this system draws to a end?"

Actually I have head FAR more we’re all gonna die rhetoric from predominantly Atheistic or agnostic forums and websites. Obviously the end of the world i.e. “YOUR DEATH” is something that sells as good as sex. It is a tactic to be sure but it is NOT a clever one as stated in the OP.

If that’s the case then it is just you.
If I had more time I would actually post a extensive list of Doom saying doom scientists proclaiming the fall of humanity. But do I really need to perform the obvious? Hell just the other day a biologist said we will all be dead in 100 years.

OMG!! I better hang up the religious hat and jump on to the atheistic band wagon so I can get some of that good ol fashion NON- Consequential life I have been missing out on.

I mean if we'er all going to be extinct in 100 years I'll most probably see the beginning to middle of that traumatic event. In other words the end is near.

Truth is, WHO CARES? Whether you die in the apocalypse or have a blood clot hit your brain in a few seconds, the end is all ways near.

Big deal. NO CLEVER TRICKS NO INFUSION OF MINDSETS, just life nothing else. Just people trying to get by the best they can with what they have emotionally mentally and even spiritually.



[edit on 20-6-2010 by snowen20]

[edit on 20-6-2010 by snowen20]

Of course it is. Although during certain "crusades" some would use the feeling of worship which induced comfort which if used with fear is powerful.

Sometimes these meetings would have supernatural "effects" Iwouldventure to guess as even those who are not worshiping could be effected.

I was...I was "slain in the Spirit" when I tried to not be effected...I hit the ground like a rock falling off a cliff.

The very ideas that are presented induce fear and the instinct to survive is fierce to say the least.

You will then see the leader try to move to the message during these moments although most leaders will generally mess things up.

I was working/helping a Charismatic preacher who had worked with Katheryn Kuhlman back in 1981 in Pasedena, Ca (she, KK.. was awesome died in 76)
whose name was Brent who could walk without disturbing the Spirit..very rare.
He died of aids....of all things and nobody really knew what the disease was.

Those meetings have no fear...but I would say that very many induce fear.lol

[edit on 21-6-2010 by whiteraven]

I need to add that at certain meetings nobody present could deny a supernatural presence.

Sometimes it was very very heavy. I would often observe the leadership (part of my duties..lol) during this time and I need to say that some of those Okie and Ozark backwoods preachers seemed to be able to recognize it and they would fully understand that It..The Holy Spirit..was as independent of them, independent of the music, independent of the message....and they would do the craziest things lol....very rare and those old hillbilly preachers were not professionals.

Anyhow that was a wake up for me as I was raised in and around hippies and bikers so these Southern folk got my interest.lol They were not your run of the mill preachers. Lived as they saw fit by the Good Book.lol