Comment by tines
4 days ago
The Rapture isn't doom for the people who believe in it though (except in the lost sense of the word), whereas the AI Apocalypse is, so I'd put it in a different category. And even in that category, I'd say that's a pretty small number of Christians, fundamentalist or no, who abandon earthly occupations for that reason.
I don't mean to well ackshually you here, but there are several different theological beliefs around the Rapture, some of which believe Christians will remain during the theoretical "end times." The megachurch/cinema version of this very much believes they won't, but, this is not the only view, either in modern times or historically. Some believe it's already happened, even. It's a very good analogy.
Yes, I removed a parenthetical "(or euphoria loop for the Rapture believers who know they'll be saved)". But I removed it because not all who believe in the Rapture believe they will be saved (or have such high confidence) and, for them, it is a doom loop.
Both communities, though, end up reinforcing the belief amongst their members and tend towards increasing isolation from the rest of the world (leading to cultish behavior, if not forming a cult in the conventional sense), and a disregard for the here and now in favor of focusing on this impending world changing (destroying or saving) event.