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25% of Americans believe Jesus will return in 2007

apnews.myway.com — And 35% believe the draft will be reinstated in the coming year. These are the results of an AP poll in which Americans predicted a gloomy year ahead.

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  • Ifishbein, on 10/12/2007, -15/+135I'm not surprised since 80% of Americans who can name the 5 members of the Simpson family can't name the 5 parts of the 1st amendment.
    • smojo12, on 10/12/2007, -15/+120I'm one of those 80%.
    • atdigg, on 10/12/2007, -7/+64Big deal! If there would be a show with 1st amendment 2 times/day at TV and it would be funny people will know it by heart.

      Interesting what those 25% will think at the end of 2007.
    • Ulisses, on 10/12/2007, -21/+141"Interesting what those 25% will think at the end of 2007."
      That Geezus didn't come because they hadn't killed enough homosexuals and abortionists in '07.
    • DJCult, on 10/12/2007, -0/+89@atdigg: then 25% of Americans will believe Jesus will return in 2008.
    • scratched, on 10/12/2007, -41/+2I think you mean 5 of the rights given by the Bill of Rights...
    • UrlorJkron, on 10/12/2007, -33/+2Actually it has 6 parts.
    • D3koy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+19No, he's right...5 rights by 1st amendment, 10 amendments in the Bill of rights....
    • blapierre, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8That says nothing about Americans. You would need to know how many Americans can name the 5 members of the Simpson family also.
    • blapierre, on 10/12/2007, -2/+25@scratched

      The Bill of Rights doesn't "give out" rights. It just enumerates some of the rights that all humans are born with that the government must not violate.
    • simondotcalvin, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12@scratched

      The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments, Corky. The first amendment gives citizens the rights of free religion, assembly, speech, petition, and press.
    • mrwiggl3s, on 10/12/2007, -15/+1Hah

      People cant name another thing the first amendment says besides freedom of speech
    • Emanji, on 10/12/2007, -13/+6in other news, exit polls said that Al Gore won the 2000 Election
    • sirloin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+43I live down the street from Jesus.
      Jesus Martinez
    • polyGone, on 10/12/2007, -35/+31Christianity is Stupid.
    • Hindu_Wardrobe, on 10/12/2007, -13/+6@Sirloin
      TELL HIM I SAID HI!! omg JESUS!!
      lol, Jesus kicks ass. God doesn't, but Jesus does.
      Come on. He has *got* to be a stoner. Just look at him! Long hair, always wants peace, loves everyone... yep, stoner.
    • Ramble, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2I can't name any of them.
      Then again, I'm not an American.
    • h2d2, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11I hope his abilities weren't overstated or exaggerated...

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScfUjvE1NCg
    • netsui, on 10/12/2007, -12/+3GO GOD!!!1!1!!!!11!!!!!!!
    • jasonsbytes, on 10/12/2007, -13/+22@polyGone: Christinaty isn't stupid; it's just that a lot of the people who claim to be Christians are...

      @Ulisses: Jeses never spoke on the topic of homsexuality. He did say to love all as you love yourself. This includes homosexuals and everyone else. And for those stupid Christians who think homosexuals are the enemy... Well the bible says to love thy enemy, so there's no way around... A true Christian must not hate homosexuals or anyone else.
    • Kamill85, on 10/12/2007, -15/+10"25% of Americans is retarded" -SP
    • slicedoranges, on 10/12/2007, -15/+31This just in: 25% of Americans are stupid
    • kuzotz, on 10/12/2007, -9/+4690% of Americans believe that Jesus was White.
    • polyGone, on 10/12/2007, -16/+16@Jasonytes

      Christianity is based on magic, which doesn't exist. That is stupid.
    • Y0tsuya, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18"I live down the street from Jesus."

      Hey me too. My gardner is named Jesus. He told me he'll be visiting relatives in Venezuela so I'd have to wait until he comes back in 2007 to have my hedges trimmed.
    • maiku00, on 10/12/2007, -6/+38this makes me ***** SCARED. I can't believe it, how could this be true? One quarter of America is THIS far removed from reality? I mean, I know that a vast majority are pretty clueless, but they actually believe this? Insanity.

      AFK to throw up
    • dagonweb, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8So here the evidence a large part of the US are in fact psychotic schizofrenics.
    • arduenn, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1675,000,000 people can't be wrong... Or can they be?
    • UrlorJkron, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2"Congress shall make no law (1) respecting an establishment of religion, (2) or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; (3) or abridging the freedom of speech, (4) or of the press; (5) or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, (6) and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

      Six points.
    • Sube6491, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8People can come up with statistics to prove anything. Forfty percent of all people know that, Kent.
    • AegisGFX, on 10/12/2007, -14/+8Actually Jesus returned to my pants last night, he lives between my balls.
    • aristotle0dude, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1@polyGone: Stop proving that you are developmentally challenged by talking about matters you know nothing about. Ignorance breeds fear.
    • Ifishbein, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I forgot to mention that about 17% of Americans voted for Bush. That explains the majority of those who believe that Jesus will come back.
    • treelovinhippie, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10"75,000,000 people can't be wrong... Or can they be?"

      Shows the power of a cult.

      You can be guaranteed that those people will be manipulated by their leaders and in-turn their political leaders in this new year. Pretend to be all Christian and secure those potential 75million votes. Then from that stems all the ***** that flies up when religion tries to infiltrate politics. ID will be pushed into schools, evolution will be pushed out, abortion will be made illegal, *****-sexuality will be made illegal etc.

      Religion is seriously holding mankind back from its potential.
    • zonk3r, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2@ blapierre
      The Bill of Rights doesn't "give out" rights. It just enumerates some of the rights that all humans are born with that the government must not violate.

      But only in America. Some American properties need not apply (ex. Gitmo).
    • MysticalMatt517, on 10/12/2007, -9/+10@Jasonytes

      Agreed! It's nice to hear a voice of reason on here for a change... Digg is full of people who hate Christianity just because it's "cool" to do so... I wish they understood that the real faith is vastly different from what many "Christians" portray...

      Let's hypothetically say God is real for a second... Let's also say he gave us free will... Is he then responsible for what stupid people do "in his name"? It took me a long time to understand that.

      Will Jesus return in 2007? Who knows... I remember my Grandma saying everyone thought Jesus was coming when Pearl Harbor happened. It's pointless to worry about that right now...

      Right now there are homeless that need shelter.
      Right now there are hungry that need food.
      Right now there are hurting people that need help.
      Right now the world needs to be shown some love and peace.

      Right now there's a lot more to be worried about as a follower of Christ than politics, the end times, and when Jesus is coming back.
    • gmarks, on 10/12/2007, -5/+4"I'm one of those 80%"
      In other news, subtraction died. 
    • polyGone, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11@MysticalMatt517

      If your so concerned, go out and do something. Praying is a weak attempt at making yourself feel better about not doing something other than hoping.

      Ohh and to whomever said that being atheist is "the cool" thing to do....it isn't.....try saying that out in public......................Christianity is the cool thing to do. The only reason there aren't more atheists in the world is because at one point in time, not all that long ago, you would be killed for saying such. I think if more people read their religious texts, instead of parroting their preacher, they would have a different view of their "beliefs". Some day education will expunge beliefs in magic. It will unfortunately take many generations to filter it out. Make no mistake, religion is what people made up to explain things before they knew of other methods.
    • polyGone, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3"Stop proving that you are developmentally challenged by talking about matters you know nothing about. "

      --Believing in magic is maladaptive. Try reading the bible or any other religious text for that matter. Jesus = Fairies = Santa = Snow White

      "Ignorance breeds fear."

      --Kind of like the fear of god. Excellent, you've proven my point for me. The earth is older than 10k years man....I think it is you that is ignorant.
    • Corrosionx, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8Christianity is not stupid, it's evil.
    • netsui, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1GO GOD!!1!!!!11!!!!!!!!

      /sarcasm
    • TheWorm, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Coincidently, at least 1/3rd of Americans are retarded.
    • Tiak, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4@aristotle0dude

      And fear breeds anger, and anger breeds hate, and hate breeds suffering. Suffering breeds the dark side... So, through simple logic, the 25% of ignorant americans holding this opinion are sith lords.
    • MysticalMatt517, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1@PolyGone

      "If your so concerned, go out and do something. Praying is a weak attempt at making yourself feel better about not doing something other than hoping."

      Who says I'm not doing something? You made some assumptions about me mighty fast there... You don't even know me... If we passed on the street you wouldn't even know who I was, yet you have the guts to personally attack me by saying I'm "just praying" and not "doing" anything?

      FYI one point of my post is that real Christians do "Do Something".
    • DigiRaven, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Who comes up with these statistics?

      And why are these lame articles on the front page of digg?
    • patonw, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Coincidently, at least 1/3rd of Americans are retarded."

      ah, but did you know that studies show 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the world's population.
    • tralalaa, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0wee
    • JonnyTrombone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@UrlorJkron you combined the first two. The freedoms guaranteed by the 1st amendment are: religion, assembly, press, petition and speech.
    • sigginike90, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1It's not really shocking numbers, 25% of usa are evangelic. God i hate that crappy country... But it's not like any other country is any better, all of them suck.
    • thefirstenemy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I wonder, of the 25%, how many support Bush.


      I bet there is a strong correlation.
    • skylights, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Here's a correlation for you: 25% of Americans also think the sun goes around the earth.

      http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2004_11/005208.php

      The same 25%? Yeah, probably.
  • kevinmotel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+59A lot of people think that the world will end in 2012 due to some calculation of the Mayan Calendar . My Christian fundamentalist friend (and I'm an atheist, so our conversations are interesting, to say the least) is sure the Rapture will come in his lifetime. I, needless to say, am not so sure about that.
    • Railer, on 10/12/2007, -30/+10Mayans, Jews, Christians, Environmentalists, everyone has their belief system for the world ending. Best way to make money: World is going to end, but if you give me money, lots of it, I can fix it.

      Just remember don't be stupid and predict far enough into the future to so you'll be dead before the sheep figure it out.
    • d00ley, on 10/12/2007, -2/+25The Mayan Calendar ends on December 21, 2012.
    • scott1, on 10/12/2007, -6/+30It seems like some Christians want apocalypse to happen, during their lifetimes.That's something they should not want to live to see. And if it does happen their going to regret it.
    • mc7winkie, on 10/12/2007, -5/+20I hate all those left behind books and I'm a good devout Catholic. Everyone who believes those are inspired by the Bible are ridiculous. In the Bible it says NOTHING about people being left behind.
    • trunkster, on 10/12/2007, -12/+7Don't just listen to what your priest says. Matthew 24:40-42 talks about the rapture.
    • CopperFalcon, on 10/12/2007, -2/+20@scott1

      I suspect that most of the people who want the Rapture simply want to make to heaven without that icky business of dying. Others simply hate the world and everyone who inhabits it (and before you digg me down for being too mean to fundamentalists, just read http://www.rr-bb.com/).
    • MASTERPL, on 10/12/2007, -23/+4@mc7winkie catholics are not Christians. Believing in the physical assumption of mary, her ever virgin status despite birthing many more children, calling a sinful non married priest "father", and worshiping idols are some of the reasons YOU and probably all catholics WILL be left behind.
      You can't just ignore scripture because it goes against your religion. Read the New Testament, and leave the cult.
    • simondotcalvin, on 10/12/2007, -9/+2Come the rapture, this H2 will be abandoned (as will the paralyzing guilt of leaving future generations with a planet that's been completely *****)
    • Manhigh, on 10/12/2007, -6/+2Wow...
    • howea, on 10/12/2007, -5/+0Tis true ... "His" rapture is coming at the end of "his" lifetime
    • DisposableRob, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12"I hate all those left behind books and I'm a good devout Catholic."

      Hardcore Evangelicals don't consider Catholics to be "real" Christians. Read this: http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0071/0071_01.asp
    • DisposableRob, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21@MASTERPL
      "You can't just ignore scripture because it goes against your religion."

      So how often are you stoning bad children and disrespectful slaves?
    • awm4, on 10/12/2007, -5/+11Many people in the early Christian churches thought that Jesus would return during their life time as well. Paul wrote to them and told them to be patient. Here we are 2000 years later. And people are still certain that Jesus will return during their Generation. The Bible states that no one knows the hour in which the savior will return. I believe that he will return. I also believe for certain that I have no idea when that will be. I just want to be prepared if it were today
    • shithead7, on 10/12/2007, -9/+5@MASTERPL

      Quit spreading your protestant, bible belt fud.
    • jasonsbytes, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5@Scott1: actually, if someone is really a Christian and the rapture occurs while they are alive, they will never have to die... So it makes sense that a true beliver might want it to happen in their lifetime...
    • kseymore, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3@Trunkster

      You said, "Don't just listen to what your priest says. Matthew 24:40-42 talks about the rapture."

      Please read the passage you quoted in context... you don't want to be taken away in what you here call a "Rapture" ! Those taken away are people who perish as did those in the flood! Who does the story say was left behind after the flood? Read what Jesus is actually saying:

      “they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away... two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left” (Matt 24:39-41).

      So contrary to how some popular writers switch the wicked and the righteous in their novels, I would think a Christian wouldn't want his life to be "taken away" but rather "Left Behind" !
    • mc7winkie, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4I love it when Protestants try to call BS on me and what not. To make them shut up all I ask them is this. Who was the first Pope and who made him the first Pope? Where did your Bible come from? Why are you missing books from the Bible? I also tell them that we don't worship Mary. We instead honor her willingness to fulfill Gods work through her. BIG difference. I hate the hate and just want to clear up a few misconceptions that many Protestants come up with.
    • hawkeye17, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3People are losing their friggin' minds in this country.
    • Tiak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Just to correct, technically that's only the shorthand notation of the Mayan callendar... Saying it ends in 2012 is like saying that the gregorian callendar rolled overin the year 2000 because we write "-00" more often than "2000".
    • nbcivic, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I can't wait till 2012, you know, when that day passes by and absolutely nothing happens.
    • gahzinia, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2mc7 -
      "I love it when Protestants try to call BS on me and what not. To make them shut up all I ask them is this. Who was the first Pope and who made him the first Pope? Where did your Bible come from? Why are you missing books from the Bible? I also tell them that we don't worship Mary. We instead honor her willingness to fulfill Gods work through her. BIG difference. I hate the hate and just want to clear up a few misconceptions that many Protestants come up with."

      I'm confused. First off, why do you want people to shut up, rather than have a logical conversation(ok, some people aren't capable of having logical conversations)? How does asking those questions make Protestants shut up? Anyways, to answer the questions -
      Two possibilties for the first pope. The first pope was either Constantine or Peter (Matthew 16:18)
      Appointed by either himself (Constantine) or Jesus (Peter)
      Our Bible came from God through the prophets and later disciples, pretty much the same way your's did.
      The books missing from the Protestant version are the Apocrypha. The reasoning there is that they were deemed (by people long since dead, so I can't go to them for clarification) to have not been divinely inspired.

      Umm.. ok.... you don't worship Mary. So?
      Fantastic that you honor her willingness to be lead by the Lord and pray to her(Hail Mary, full of Grace, blessed art thou... ), but then why not do the same for all of the priests, popes, missionaries, martyrs, ... that are lead by the Lord too?

      My issue is still though, why are you trying to get people to just shut up, and even if they don't know the answers to those questions (I'm sure I could ask you thousands of questions that you wouldn't know the answers to, just as you could ask me thousands of questions that I don't know the answer to), what aim of yours is that achieving?

      Anyways, masterpl definitely has some issues that need to be dealt with. As always, feel free to send me a private message (does digg even support that? I've never tried to yet...) to discuss this more.
    • mc7winkie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Ya, you could discuss it further by sending me an email which I have in my profile. But instead I will let you know exactly what I think of that not so clever or p-particularly accurate response. The first Pope was indeed Saint Peter. Ther is no way around it. It since there is no wa y of going around that fact then there is also no way of going around the fact that since Peter was the head of Christ's church then wouldn't that make the Catholic Church Christ's church? And to stop putting out questions that you may or may not know the answer to, yes. Furthermore, the Bible did not just plop down from the sky it was assembled together by a council of Catholic Bishops in the 4th century to compile the Bible as we know it. What strikes me is that the Jewish Rabbis in the 2nd century removed those books from the Torah that you refer to as the apocrypha because they wished to remove any references in the Bible that directly linked Jesus as the Messaih. Now, would you rather use the Old Testament that Christ used or the ones that was used to draw attention away from his glory? Furthermore those Bishops also decided which books were to be contained ion the New Testament because during the day there were many false Gospels floating around. So through this logic the Catholic Church gave you your present day Bible. You're welcome. And finally to the aspect of praying to Mary. Why would you not pray to those in heaven who are closer to God to intercede for you, or in other words go before God and ask him for you? I have established that they are closer to God and can readily communicate with him ,so they must also be able to make your prayers heard and have slightly more weight? That is why I pray to the saints that are in heaven ALONG with Christ the Father and the Holy Spirit. To put it another way. You might ask for some one to pray for you so that is what I'm doing. Except the people are already in Heaven. And to address one other issue that constantly bugs me is this. You do know that Martin Luther removed the books of Maccabes because it references to Purgatory?
      He also added the word "alone" into Romans 3:28 because he wanted to try and say that faith ALONE is means for salvation which it clearly contradicts in else parts of the Bible with this:
      "You see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." James 2:24
      And even here:
      "Faith without works is dead." James 2:26
      So thus is my conclusion. You should really examine the truth of the Catholic faith before you decide you're against it. Because when you look beneath the surface you see many things that were once hidden. If you would like to discuss this further email me. (my email is in my profile)
  • patik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14Interesting how 29% think we'll go to war with Iran or North Korea, but 35% think we'll have a draft. Where do they think we'll be sending those drafted soldiers? Iraq?
    • nesdude985, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Where do you see that?
      I saw 29% said we'll withdraw troops from Iraq, but it did not have an exact number about going to war with Iran or North Korea.

      However, I am sorry if I am mistaken.
    • hwulykthmapples, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1My moneys on Iran and Syria, I wish we'd concentrate on our own country for a while though.
    • fatlip, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1no need to wish, the way things are going.. a civil war in inevitable

      devout "warhawks are even starting to question the way things are run
  • 12340987, on 10/12/2007, -20/+1I say you can't poll less than .001% of a limited set of population and call it a poll-and if you don't like it you can git out.
    • thesauce, on 10/12/2007, -2/+28Actually, basic psychology/sociology will teach you that the general opinions of a small group of people will almost always reflect the opinions of the majority with a small margin of error.

      Then again, if they took this poll only using people out in West Texas, then it would be full of *****.
    • ahawks, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6@thesauce:

      Well psychology and sociology certainly recognizes that there are multiple subculters in our greater "American" culture.
      - rich, middle class, poor
      - white, hispanic, mexican, asian, etc
      - male, female
      - regional (metropolan vs rural)
      - regional (south vs north)
      etc, etc, etc.

      Sample size and sample distribution are both very very important in getting an "accurate" estimate. That's why picking phone numbers at random is a semi-decent polling solution. Except it leaves out people too poor to own a phone, or people who don't list their number, etc.
    • BrainCore, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1@thesauce
      Basic sociology and psychology will definitely not tell you that 0.001% of the population will accurately reflect the beliefs of the entire population. In fact, they are likely to tell you otherwise, particularly when dealing with political and religious issues.

      However, statistics CAN tell you that a sample of ~1000 people will most likely be an accurate reflection of the population 95% of the time. This is regardless of the population size, which is pretty nifty. Before you stop reading, this statistical analysis HINGES on the fact that the 1000 people that are sampled, are random. Random sampling is in fact the hardest thing for polling agencies to do.
  • Saeros, on 10/12/2007, -14/+5The Bible says 'no one' know when He will come back. I don't know too.
    • rationalist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1So, does that mean you are no one?

      Religious faux-logic FTW.
  • smojo12, on 10/12/2007, -14/+2Umm...

    "The telephone poll of 1,000 adults was conducted Dec. 12-14 by Ipsos, an international polling firm. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus three percentage points."

    I wouldn't say this is a poll of Americans. 1,000 people is really a small sampling if it's supposed to reflect the views of ALL OF AMERICA.

    As far as how I would answer the questions. I would be answering no to all of them except for the minimum wage question which I think congress will be raising it. The logical answer to most of those questions is no. We are going to have troops in Iraq for a very long time. We are not going to have a terrorist attack so stop being paranoid. Return of the Jesus will not happen unless its in movie form.



    • patik, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13Most polls are conducted with about 1000 people. As long as the sample is random, it should be relatively representative -- that's that the margin of error accounts for.
    • kakwakas, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5There's also something to be said about the polls all being done by phone. If someone asks you to do a poll over the phone, most of us will hang up. Of the few that agree, how many will just hang up after they ask if you think Jesus is going to come back in the next year?
    • d00ley, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3Polls are *****.
    • smojo12, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@kakwasas

      I'd probably start laughing at someone on the phone if they wanted an answer for Will Jesus return in 2007. I could not take a question like that seriously. It's just a bad poll..........plain and simple.
  • owls, on 10/12/2007, -9/+1So according to them only 70% of Americans think that global warming is going to get any worse!!!!

    ...I guess they're the 70% that watch the discovery channel
    • geekee, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3When the rapture comes, a lot less people will be on Earth, so the human effect on global warming will decrease.
  • freff, on 10/12/2007, -0/+17I swear, that people that I'm surrounded by on a daily basis are beginning to look less and less familiar to me.
  • tmibiker2, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2Blah blah blah
  • Max0rz, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3And what will they get for their beliefs? How will they change their lives?

    I've had all sorts of beliefs... and none of them changed a thing!
    • br549, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
      James 2:19
  • jackminardi, on 10/12/2007, -25/+3Muslims believe in life after death and I don't see any of you making fun of that.

    But of course it is ok to make fun of Christians because their religion is so stupid, right?
    • offput, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17You can believe in an afterlife if you wish. However, I reserve the right to ridicule you when you believe that all the dead of the world will come to life and be physically brought to heaven or hell as an apocalyptic battle of good vs evil scorches our planet.
    • reddevil3, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15That's because Muslims are a very small minority in the US. If they were the majority, diggers would be making fun of them.
    • hark, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Yes
    • pesh2000, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15Nope, the Muslim beliefs are plenty ridiculous also. But the Muslim vote doesn't put politicians into office. Most of the US is Christian, not Muslim.

      Most of the people who mock fundie Christians have no use for Islam, and mock fundie Muslims too.
    • CopperFalcon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Firstly, I see many people castigating Muslims for their beliefs in general. Secondly, the unjustified belief in an afterlife is recognized as such all over, especially at Digg. Thirdly, you are committing the tu quoque fallacy. Unsubstantiated Christian beliefs would be equally unsubstantiated no matter what sort of wacky beliefs others also had.
    • jackminardi, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1I have looked into most of your commenting history and i found examples where you defended a faith when someone made fun of it. THAT is the definition of hypocrisy.
    • hwulykthmapples, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9@ offput

      Can anyone say zombies? It's Time to Lock And Load.
    • Tiak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@jackminardi

      I have looked into that one comment, and realized you have FAR too much time on your hands.
    • rationalist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I love this - it's the "other religions are just as stupid as mine" defense.

      Don't bother refuting jackminardi's comment - it is it's own best rebuttal.
  • benbread, on 10/12/2007, -9/+2Am i missing something, what exactly is a draft? Draft Bitter, Draft of a story...?
    • mikester540, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Uh, a military draft? People are afraid that they will draft 19-25 year olds and send them off to war...
    • benbread, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Ahh, conscription ;)
    • D3koy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Doesn't the draft get 18 year old kids too?
    • trunkster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+318 year olds are the last to go, 19-25 first through each stage of the draft.
    • nixfu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Actually if I remember, the draft goes in this order:

      21,22,23,25

      THEN
      20,19,18

    • rationalist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Not everyone here is a native English speaker. Don't digg someone down for not understanding the term "draft".

      Not that many of the native speakers here do anything but butcher the language every time they type a comment...
    • benbread, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Actually, i am a native English Speaker, coming from the UK n'all - It's not really a word we use much over here.
  • FushBuck, on 10/12/2007, -0/+23I was just about to question this statistic -only 25% of americans believe the rapture is going to occur? I thought it was more like 44%. But then I read the rest of it -in 2007. Wow, just wow.

    Let me rephrase that, in case it didn't quite sink in.

    One out of four americans believe the rapture is going to occur next year.
    • zulugrid, on 10/12/2007, -9/+4Jesus coming back != the rapture
    • CopperFalcon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9You can just imagine what sort of plans they make for the future. I'd fear for them if they just skipped investments because they foolishly believed that Jesus would come back to carry them off before they got to retirement age. But when they disregard long-term damage (such as that caused by global warming) to the rest of the world because they believe that Jesus is coming any second now, that's when I fear for myself and my neighbors. They vote, and government policy is actually influenced by these nuts.
    • FrankieB078, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6There has never, ever been an instance of anything related to a rapture ever happening in history, and you nutjobs just think your going to disappear? Give me a BREAK.
    • listrophy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5You know what? If that many people really think Jesus is returning to Earth sometime in the next year, wouldn't that cause their behavior to become (more or less) saintly? I mean, if I was one of these 25% (which, despite being Christian, I am most definitely not), I would be kind to every single person I met. Where is all this kindness?

      No, I'm serious. If you thought the rapture/Jesus' return was very close, wouldn't you try to be good to others?

      As an aside, though I'm not in the rapture-is-nigh camp, I still try to be kind to everyone. You should try it too, if you don't already. It doesn't matter whether you're a devout Catholic, devout Muslim, or devout Atheist. We're still in this together.
    • aposter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@listrophy

      Remember, for many sects you can do what you want, and as long as you believe in Jesus and are truly sorry for your sins then they are forgiven. A metaphysical get out of hell free card, so to speak.
  • AmishRefugee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+17This just in, 25% of americans are retarded.... wait woah, that was in south park a few weeks ago, heh

    "The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. . . . They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. . . . I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened." -Jesus (Matthew 24:29-34)

    "For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." -Jesus (Matthew 16:27-28)


    if Jesus really is the messiah, you already missed him, considering he's infallible according to christians...
    • zulugrid, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3The English translation doesn't convey the meaning properly. That first scripture is stating that all those signs will occur during a single generation, as opposed to taking place over hundreds or thousands of years.

      The second scripture is also accurate. If Jesus Christ can be risen from the dead, who is to say he didn't choose some followers to "not taste death"?
    • AmishRefugee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4If you resurrect someone, they still taste death, and if people have been alive this whole time, i think we would know....

      If only christians actually read their own bible, they might see how ridiculous their religion has become...
    • nixfu, on 10/12/2007, -10/+2>This just in, 25% of americans are retarded..


      Yep...thats about the size of the hard core democratic left.
    • milo77, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@zulu
      Hopefully, someday you'll actually compare the dispensational interpretation you've been taught with what the scriptures actually say, and realize how horribly twisted your beliefs have become due to eisegesis.
    • IzeasGT, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Well, at first he was claimed to be the Jewish messiah. Then he got executed and the world was still a screwed-up place, so that hypothesis went out the window. Then some people more or less made up a new meaning for "messiah," which more or less split them from Judaism, and eventually a whole 'nother religion followed
  • offput, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Seriously? Seriously?!
  • clubmasta2, on 10/12/2007, -2/+27This just in, recent poll from AP finds those same 25% of americans are dumber than rocks.
    • SammyJr, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14In other news, out of the 25%, 100% of them unquestioningly support George W. Bush.
    • dlbear, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Right-o SammyJr, Bush is (deliberately?) doing everything he can to create an environment that closely resembles most of the descriptions of the "endtimes". He's their boy all the way.
    • jesterselv, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Seriously, who are these 25%? Penn and Teller's *****! on Showtime did an episode which shows how pollers twist peoples words around to gather their data. So polls are never acurate.
  • t0ny, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9I bet if Jesus did come back after about 30 mins he would be in a nut house saying "Please let me out! I'm really God's sun Jesus!", then they would say "Sure buddy take some more happy candy."
    • Niten, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yeah, it's too bad that people nowadays just aren't as susceptible to being persuaded that wild, unkempt preachers are messengers of god, as they were in millennia past...
  • Somniis, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Isn't there a group of Americans that think Jesus will return every year??

    ... and he never does!
    • D3koy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2So what time is Judgment day this year? I missed it last year...Wait, it isn't an annual occurrence?
    • pabloD, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4it's the same people. they keep getting proven wrong, so they keep pushing back the date. . .

      any day now. . . just you wait. . . you're gonna burn in hell. . .

      lol@christians.
    • JeremyTTU, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5VBScript:

      Function WhenIsJesusReturning()
      WhenIsJesusReturning = Year(Date) + 1
      End Function

      Sigh... its always changing... now they can just express it as a function so they are NEVER wrong...
    • dellis, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4@ JeremyTTU

      I am digging you down solely for using VBScript. Sure it may pay the bills for you, but don't make me ever look at VB or VB related things ever again.

      Try:
      http://www.ruby-lang.org
      http://www.python.org

    • JeremyTTU, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Ported to C#:

      static public DateTime WhenIsJesusReturning() {
      return DateTime.Now.AddYears(1);
      }

      Better?
  • glmory, on 10/12/2007, -1/+325% of Americans in the year 3005 also will believe the same thing.
  • greymaxcat, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13this just in: 95% of Americans think that 95% of Americans are stupid.
  • LePoissonDeNoel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Too bad that 25% probably isn't of a betting persuasion, because there'd be serious money to be made there.
    • drlha, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Hell if bookies were legal in this county, I'd open one up in every bible belt offering the best odds on the return of Jesus, the arrival of the Anti-Christ and the Rapture of anywhere in the world, and see the money come rolling in.

      That said, when money is involved people's real beliefs will come into play, and I'll bet that 25% wouldn't be taking that bet if you had to put $100 behind it.

      In the end the promise of the rapture just gives these idiots a good reason to ignore the environment and drive around in their Hummers and F-350s, because who gives a ***** about global warming if we're all going to be in heaven in 12 months?
    • vampares, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Amen to that.
      Take me to your Jesus.
  • hackman7, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1Statistics mean nothing. Please, my college stat class could teach anyone to change the outcome based on the sample size and bias population.
    • rationalist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Perhaps they should teach ethics in your college instead. I assume it's an American business school....
  • ismokedope, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3100% stoned.
  • swiftekho, on 10/12/2007, -2/+27It's the same 25% that approve of Bush in the approval ratings
  • ebolaworld, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9These same people thought the rapture would occur in 2006.
    • SPThom, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7...and 2005, and 2004, and 2000, and 1996, and so on, and so on.

      There have been doomsayers among Christians since the beginning of Christianity. *They* also were sure that he would return in their lifetime. Every year people believe it's the year and every year they're wrong. How's about Christians just live good lives and let whatever happens happen when it's going to happen?
  • p4nts, on 10/12/2007, -7/+3psh...
    i tried to tell everyone id be back..
  • Nougat, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Not that I think it's going to happen, but it sure would clear up a lot of things.
  • burningbush, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10Why must a species capable of so much allow itself to destroy itself. Faith in religions strips the individuals ability to think critically about the world in which he/she finds him/herself. As soon as a mass of people lose their ability to think critically, that's when the tyrants know the population is ripe for exploitation.

    Digg your heads out of the sand!
    • Leomarth, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7I gotta disagree to a point. If your religion asks you to blindly believe, then it strips you of critical thinking. However, there are religions out there that do not ask that of you.
    • burningbush, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@Leomarth

      Good point, I think I generalized there by quite a bit. I think what I mean to say is that monotheistic religions are a tenancy to strip the individual of critical thinking skills. It's not fair to say that all religion is responsible for that I guess. You are right, there are religions that do not hinder ones ability to think, such as Buddhism, taoism, and many others I am sure.

      I just wish people would stop handing over responsibility for their own lives over to "God" and mass, organized religions.
    • shotzky, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2burningbush, I really feel there is a lack of understanding about what religion is. I think I know this because I had to work through these same issues myself. Religion is not a way to absolve yourself of responsibility because God will take care of you. It places more responsibility on you because you know that you must answer to God, belief in a higher power makes it harder to ignore that nagging conscience you might otherwise put aside. Also, people are put off by the idea of "mass religion". It is true that there are many people who believe in Christ and call themselves Christians, but in my experience the religious experience that these people feel is very personal and individual. I know myself better after finding religion.
    • vampares, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Pull your opposable thumb out of your ass.

    • rationalist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Leomarth, name a religion that does not ask you to blindly believe. That is inherent in organized religion, is it not? If there were proof, it wouldn't be a faith system in the first place. Unless you redefine "religion" to the point that it does not have the commonly used definition.
  • Derrekito, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10So does this prove that at LEAST 1 out of 4 people in the U.S is retarded? (South Park)
    • maehem, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11I agree. However, the last election suggests that the number is closer to 1 in 2 Americans are retarded.
  • johnpombrio, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Depends on the questions. Asking someone a yes/no question about religion, you will probbly get the answer that the other person thinks you want to hear. Bias is rampant in such aritificial polls. No Digg.
  • dchaosdx, on 10/12/2007, -5/+12lol @ jesus
  • orbit1979, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18In the last century of the Roman Empire, it was all doom-and-gloom for those people as well. Many believed the world was coming to an end. Christianity flourished because it offered the illusion of a better place after death.
    • CopperFalcon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11And now you see why the leaders encouraged Christianity. Don't revolt against your God-given King! I mean, sure your life sucks now, but you'll be rewarded in the afterlife with a whole new King! No seriously, I'm not making this up and if you DARE question me, I'll have you burned to death at the stake, heretic.
    • LucasKane, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0I thought the Roman Empire was responsible for Jesus coming in the first place?
    • orbit1979, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2@ LucasKane:

      I'm not sure if your serious, but Roman authorities saw jesus as a trouble maker, a threat to the Roman state, and established authority. That threat became too intolerable. Most know the rest.
    • zephc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Billions of donkeys chasing an invisible carrot dangling just out of reach.
    • jasonprussell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3You mean "Jackasses", right?
    • zephc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@jason
      yeah, but I was just trying to be polite :-)
  • codyman, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3People say "Oh the end is near, the end is near".. but trust me, the ***** is going to have to get even thicker before Jesus comes along... right now I am sitting here in my home with no fear for my life... that would have to change first
  • Yareking, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16I think 25% are affected by mental illness
  • stev1e, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
  • FrankieB078, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6You know, Christian's have only been saying that Jesus was coming back for the past 2000 years, every year, every day for that matter.

    He ain't coming back. If you were Jesus, would YOU want to come back to us retards? I wouldn't.

    And these polls hardly reflect what the nation thinks. 1,000 != 450,000,000. Ridiculous to even ascertain that.
    • rgov, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4It's called a sample. If chosen randomly, the statistics they calculated should apply the nation as a whole. More people is more accurate, of course, but you'd these values are probably close to what you'd find.
  • Bitgod, on 10/12/2007, -8/+7I for one welcome our new Christian overlord.

    Oh wait, we already have Bush.
  • JayMcNasty, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13Jesus better be careful, he might get drafted.
  • marinist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"25% of Americans believe...."

    Does Jesus have to show up every time their prescription runs low?
    This is a job for your local pharmacist--not Jesus.
  • jasonprussell, on 10/12/2007, -5/+14Jesus was already here, we just hung him in Iraq. Do I have to explain everything to you people?
    • jackminardi, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2where you being sarcastic or did you just compare millions of people's Lord to an evil dictator?
    • jasonprussell, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8Well, the Lord has killed millions of innocent children & kittens. So I guess my answer would be yes, I was comparing millions of people's Lord to an evil dictator.
    • Mousse, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Saddam died for your sins
  • Zafras, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7They don't call them "the flyover states" for nothing...
  • Shaymus22, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2This is probably the best place and the best time to say the following:

    OMG

    &rimshot;
    Tip your waitress, I'm here all week!
  • SmartParts, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10I find it humorous how some people shrug off modern day explanations, but if it comes from the Bible it "Must Be Right".

    In Example,

    In Revelations, it states that John being exiled to Patmos "Had a Vision". Christians regard his accounts as what will come.

    BUT

    Let someone come forward today who had been exiled to an island and had "Revelations and Visions" about the future, and he will be labled as a crazy.

    Just my two pennies.
    • gert2, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1That's because for the most part, people who have visions nowadays are just making things up. Did you watch the Jesus Camp video? Those people are getting themselves worked up over things their (sub)conscious minds are creating.
    • polyGone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4gert.....they are all making it up....
    • stormgren, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@gert

      ...And those people two thousand years ago WEREN'T just making things up?
    • zachblume, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@Poly...You just summed up the whole ***** bible in one sentence!
    • gert2, on 10/12/2007, -5/+0Right.

      When John was given the Revelation, it was from God. He didn't make it up.
  • Bren, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I'm Canadian, and even I don't believe that 25% of Americans actually believe that Jesus is going to show up in the following year (again). Give me a break.

    At a minimum it sounds like the 1000 adults might have all been from one particular community..
    • CopperFalcon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+630% of Americans think that Bush is doing a great job and about 50% think that the world is about 6000 years old. Habeeb it.
    • Temp722, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm Australian, and I cannot believe that you, as a Canadian, don't believe that 25% of Americans actually believe that Jesus is going to show up in the following year (again).

      j.k.
      I had to say that.
  • Leomarth, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9JESUS SAVES!!! with coupons.

    Seriously folks, Jesus never lived, and will not be coming back. Get over it.
    • zachblume, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Oh he lived. Then he died. But he sure as hell is staying dead.

      Historians generally agree that Jesus WAS a person...the sane ones just don't believe in God.
  • daleksarewimps, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8These people are idiots.

    Everyone knows Jesus will come back in 2443 and most VHS tapes will be destroyed.
  • itseffinkasey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I believe Jesus will return in 2007, I need some hope but my government keeps taking all my hope away.

    /sarcasm
  • MrTea, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2We need a big, but positive change that will make us optimistic.
    • hwulykthmapples, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3New President?
    • zachblume, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Can Jesus be elected president? I wonder if the bible said if he will be over 32 when he is born again...and in the US...
    • Mearn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Let's hope he's over 35. Thirty-two won't do us much good until three years later.
  • Exero, on 10/12/2007, -9/+9Jesus & God don't exist, get a life people.
    • gert2, on 10/12/2007, -12/+9Dude. Jesus exists. You may not believe that he was the Son of God, but you're an idiot if you deny his existence.
    • beotch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Jesus does not exist, but he did exist. Now stfu. God never existed.
  • cliner, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2This made me LOL, for serious!
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