This essay compares two texts, Rapture Ready…Or Not? by Terry James, and Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults, by Janja Lalich. The thesis of this paper is that these two texts are diametrically opposed to one another in their assumptions, observations, arguments, and conclusion. While Rapture ready assumes a predetermined end, Bounded choice dismisses the view as irrational. This essay will compare and contrast these two texts along certain dimensions.
More specifically, this essay explores how Rapture Ready presents a millenarian view. Millenarianism is a cross cultural concept that emphasizes the establishment of a 1,000 year reign by Christ. According to millenarianism, time and history are all moving towards a predetermined conclusion: the End Times, or the Apocalypse, with salvation waiting for Christians and eternal hell for those who do not believe in Christ. This stands in contrast to the text in Bounded Choice, which assumes that a true believer is characterized by ideologies, commitments and social structures. In other words, Rapture Ready and Bounded Choice represent entirely different and even rival intellectual traditions.
Rapture Ready…Or Not?, by James assumes that the world is moving towards a climactic crisis as foreseen in the Bible. The crisis makes it difficult to identify a true believer. When people doubt their faith due to trials, some become confused as whether to continue with their faith or abandon it hence leading to a crisis of faith. As a result, virtually everything today – economically, politically, and culturally – fits into the configuration of the end of the world (hitchens, 2007). For example, James notes that for the apocalypse to happen there must be a preliminary condition of a one world government, or a new world order (Robert, 1984). This imposes a kind of Satanic regime on the world, forcing it into its inevitable cataclysmic conclusion. According to this interpretation of prophesy, Jesus Christ cannot return unless certain conditions have been met, including the construction of a “Luciferian” new world order, to use the language common to the Christian racism group known as the Christian Identity movement. The movement recognizes only a specific group as the true descendants of Abraham, mostly the Europeans (Mohr, 2012). At the macro level of world politics, for example, the construction of this kind of authoritarian regime should be visible, with all kinds of events and developments working toward that end.
James considers the current forms of international organization, such as the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the Trilateral Commission, to be the forerunners of the predicted new world order. One of those United Nations initiatives is called “Agenda 21” which is a global comprehensive plan of action to be taken by governments on any human impact to the environment. James is convinced that this is a nefarious project: “Agenda 21 describes in detail how the UN plans to centrally govern a global society by binding world governments to its plan to control the lives of every human being – all under the guise of being good stewards of Mother Earth” (136). This implies that the needs of the current generation must be met without interfering with the future generation’s ability to meet their needs. Here, there is a sense of duplicity: “Using environmentally noble language, it seeks to have centralized control over all human activity” (133). It is important to note that for many Christians; the new world order will be constructed upon layers and layers of deception and cannot be otherwise, as Satan is after all the father of lies.
Another important element in James’ text is the notion of conspiracy, subversion, and infiltration. For him, Agenda 21 is not what it appears, and its architects are being deceptive. In other words, Agenda 21 did not emerge in its own right, and it is not an independent or autonomous set of policy proposals. Instead, Agenda 21 is just part of a larger and wider network of an authoritarian new world order which emerged to combat diseases, poverty and environmental destruction.
For James, international politics is merely reflecting the prophecies of the Bible, especially of the Book of Revelation. Everything that happens in the news, particularly involving Middle Eastern politics, is a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. As James says, the “worldwide desire for peace and safety might well be a key signal of just how near is that moment of the Rapture” (150). He also refers to “God’s prophetic timeline” (160), which correlate the age prophecies end and the current events. In terms of the international actors and their battle lines, James invests a lot of faith and value in Israel. For him, Israel is not just another country but part of God’s plan: “All is being drawn toward the valley of Megiddo and the land God promised would be Israel’s forever” (162). It follows from this view that, for James, Israel is good and its enemies are evil. Even the United States, a close ally of evil, can be culpable of deviating from God’s plan when it considers the Palestinian position for example. As James claims: “America and the world face a deadly future because of their treacherous dealings with God’s chosen people” (162).
The assumptions and conclusions in Rapture Ready are not captured by Janja Lalich. Surely, Lalich would criticize James for “cultic thinking” and for being part of a movement or tradition in which “leaders and members alike are locked into a self-sealing system in which every aspect and every activity confirms the validity of the system” (246). She addresses the need to know more about the true believer’s mentality as they take violent measures in the name of a cause. In other words, Lalich might accuse James of engaging in tautological, circular thinking, and in force fitting each and every domestic or international news development into scripture. Here, it is also possible to note that prophesies can be made to happen, that is, certain elements of those in power, aware of prophesy, can intentionally try to fulfill it, rending the original prophecy true on a superficial level but just part of a deception on another level. It becomes a deception as what is truly false is forced into a truth by forcing happenings that would fulfill certain prophecies.
Lalich would also consider James as part of a movement, or even a cult, as his thinking is common throughout the Christian fundamentalist movement and can even be seen in the fictional Left Behind series. As Lalich notes, such a belief system tries to place itself beyond criticism or reproach: “transcendent belief system: group doctrine was inviolable and came down from on high” (251), and Lalich would see in James’ worldview somewhat of an “ideological barricade” and “totalizing discipline’ (252). James seems personally convinced and adamant about his position, which conforms to that Lalich would expect: “… the cult member responds to the power of the group’s beliefs and enjoys the strength of collective commitment. She believes she has found meaning and purpose. Yet this requires a commitment that demands single-mindedness, a way of thinking characterized by dogmatism and rigidity, and no identity outside the context of the group” (255).
While James surely thinks that his approach is correct, the certainty he holds about world events and their future direction would be considered by Lalich as showing cultish thinking and reflective of a rigid world view, and as part of “closed thinking and self-sealing systems” (263). Lalich continues as follows: “Thus in closed, self-sealing groups, not only is rationality bounded, as it is in all environments; but further, choices are bounded” (259). Therefore, since James’ system is self –sealed, human is left with one choice and cannot think for himself.
Christopher Hitchens, a writer and commentator on religion in his book God is not great
maintains that religion is a lie, and that the scriptures were written for self-serving purposes, namely, to control societies and offer a sense of false hope. Hitchens even considers religion to be a kind of disease, and those who believe in it to be suffering from mental illness. He does not support the predetermined end as in the Rapture ready by James since this is controlled by religion. As he puts it, his overall take on the religious claim is that is just another barstool opinion: “What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence” (32). As Hitchens continues: “God did not create man in his own image. Evidently, it was quite the other way about, which is the painless explanation for the profusion of gods and religions, and the fratricide both between and among faiths, that we see all about us and that has so retarded the development of civilization” (56).
Hitchens also weighs in regarding international political topics. For him, Israel is just another rogue regime that violates UN Security Council resolutions and not some sacred or divine representation of God on earth. He would not see international organization as Luciferian but rather as simply the product of the wrong people at the wrong time, with the wrong agenda. His beliefs therefor concur with that of Lalich when it comes to freedom of choice. For Lalich and Hitchens, some things are just wrong (war, dictatorships) and do not necessarily fit into a larger battle of good versus evil fulfilling scripture.
In summary, Rapture Ready…Or Not? and Bounded Choice represent completely different and incompatible narratives. The former is a religious treatment of contemporary political topics, and the latter is a condemnation of such thinking. The final text by Christopher Hitchens is a strong condemnation of religion.
References
Hitchens, Christopher. God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. New York: Atlantic Books, 2007.
James, Terry, Rapture Ready…Or Not? (Course Reading)
Lalich, Janja, Bounded Choice: True Believers and Charismatic Cults (Course Reading)
