Particular Judgment, Last Judgment, and Weekend Grilling

My household's had two breaks in routine this weekend: I didn't grill burgers; and today my oldest daughter and I went to watch Thor. We enjoyed the movie, by the way.

But we didn't have an earthquake, major or otherwise, over the weekend.¹

Apparently nobody experienced a big earthquake yesterday. Which probably surprised quite a few folks who took Mr. Harold Camping, and Mr. Camping's 'May 21, 2011 is Judgment Day' prediction, seriously.

The latest 'End Times prophecy' gave me a reason to post about serious matters, like particular judgment, and the Last Judgment. I also wrote a little about the 'Rapture,' a 19th-century notion that's part of American culture: but which is very much not Catholic teaching.

Rapture Lite

I started running into 'End Times' predictions in my early teens, long before I became a Catholic. By the time I was in college, I recognized them as a sort of recurring silliness.

I'll grant the the notion of 'good Christians' being swept up to Heaven, followed by Jesus coming and making folks who didn't go to the 'right' church suffer, is dramatic. But being dramatic doesn't make something true: as the Terminator movies show.

When folks 'really believe' something that's overtly bogus, it's hard to keep a straight face. For me, at least. Which helps explain something I said during my college days:

"...Then, as now, End Times were nigh. There were signs and portents, and all that. During one rehearsal, when the topic came up again, I suggested that maybe the Rapture had already happened.

"And we were the ones left.

"My fellow-singers didn't like that too much...."
(May 20, 2011)

Quite a few folks made jokes about the latest Camping/Family Radio 'Rapture'/Judgment Day prediction. One of my favorites is a prank I wouldn't recommend actually doing:

"Rapture prank: On Sat. take your unwanted clothes, shoes, them on sidewalks/lawns around town. RT @webvixn"
(Steve Farnsworth, @Stevology, on Twitter (May 21, 2011))

Then there was a short list I found on another fellow's blog:

• "The upside of being left behind on May 21 2011"
  drawntocatholicism (May 20, 2011)

Some of the jokes reminded me of the old "Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company" crack.² And that's almost another topic.

I'm about as sure as I can be, that Heaven won't be filled with preachy, humorless, members of some exclusive club. And, although you may have run into a humor-deficient Catholic, the Church doesn't seem to have a problem with humor. St. Philip Neri, and all that. (March 15, 2011)

Moving on.

Particular Judgment, Last Judgment: They're Real

I've opined about the particular judgment - the serious face time with God we get at our death - and the Last Judgment. Much more to the point, I've posted links to discussions of each in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Plus supporting verses from the Bible:

• Particular judgment
  • Catechism of the Catholic Church
    • 1021-1022
    • 1051
  • Bible
    • Matthew 16:26-27
      • And see footnote 23 on Matthew 16:28
    • Luke 16:22
    • Luke 23:43
    • 2 Corinthians 5:8
    • Philippians 1:23
    • 1 Timothy 1:9-10
    • Hebrews 9:27
    • Hebrews 12:23
• Last Judgment
  • Catechism
    • 668
    • 673
    • 677
    • 1001
    • 1038-1041
  • Bible
    • The Song of Songs 8:6
    • Matthew 25:31-32, 46
    • John 5:28-29
    • John 12:49
    • 2 Corinthians 6:2
    • 2 Thessalonians 1:10
    • Titus 2:13
  (from May 20, 2011)
  

Bottom line, for me? I take the Bible seriously. I have to, I'm a Catholic. I also take Tradition and the Magisterium seriously, for the same reason. (October 2, 2008)

I'm a Catholic because I decided to join the Church my Lord established. And that's another topic.

Related posts:

• "Harold Camping, Family Radio, and Common Sense"
  (May 21, 2011)
• "Last Judgment: Attendance Mandatory"
  (May 21, 2011)
• "Rapture Lite"
  (May 20, 2011)
• "Oh, Rapture! Here Come the End Times - Again"
  (May 20, 2011)
• "Zombie Apocalypse: CDC's Tongue-in-Cheek Disaster Preparedness Advice Post"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (May 19, 2011)

Post in another fellow's blog:

• "The upside of being left behind on May 21 2011"
  drawntocatholicism (May 20, 2011)

In the news:

• "Life goes on: Doomsday believers on the morning after"
  Jessica Ravitz, CNN (May 22, 2011)
• "Doomsday Prediction Fizzles Out"
  Associated Press, via FoxNews.com (May 21, 2011)
• "Doomsday church: Still open for business"
  Annalyn Censky, CNNMoney.com (May 19, 2011)
• "Christian radio group marks May 21st as judgement day"
  Weird News, The Miami Herald (May 20, 2011)
• "D.C. Department of Transportation Warns No Work After 'Rapture' "
  FoxNews.com (May 19, 2011)

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¹ There was an earthquake in (under, actually) Alexandria, Minnesota, a few weeks ago. Earthquakes in Minnesota are infrequent, but not unheard-of. See:

• "Earthquake in Alexandria, Just Down the Road"
  (May 1, 2011)

² The "Hell for the company" quote's connected with Mark Twain and Sir James Barrie. And a collection by Barrie. (September 11, 2010)