Not Fundie, per se, but I Expect Fundie Sightings Here

[GenerationCedarchip]

I had to go up to Richmond for work and while I was there, I flipped through the Richmond paper.  Looks like there will be a prepper expo going on just north of them all weekend.  It's open to the public and admission is $10. 

It's not specifically a fundie event, but based on the speaker list and the overlap between preppers and fundie churches (especially in central VA), I suspect it will appeal to that community.  I find some of the prepper stuff interesting, though my family wasn't really into that subculture as some of my friends' were. If I didn't already have plans, I might check it out.  Here's the info if any of our VA/DC folks are interested:

http://www.emergencyprepperexpo.com/#!fredericksburg/c1hl8

 

 

[thebestusername]

Oh yes fundies are nothing if not prepared for disasters. I tried to figure out why and then I realized it's probably because a huge natural disaester would confirm the philosophy of "living in city= bad /living in inbred redneck village=good"

[Howl]

Dollars to donuts Jim Bakker is going to be there trying to sell 50 gallon drums of over priced powdered beans, silver solution and talking people into buying a lot in his retirement community.  This guy is the energizer bunny of prepper/real estate scams. 

[August]

Best place in VA for fundie spotting is Colonial Williamsburg.

[feministxtian]

Oh Shit...there's one in Hampton next summer....that will be a great one for fundie-spotting. Every prepper and fundie from Williamsburg to Petersburg will be there, along with some nuts from NC.

[Anonymousguest]

I have never known a connection between preppers and Christian,  I had never even heard that term before that family had their kids removed last year,  or when ever or was. I know lots of"fundies" but no peppers. They seem counterintuitive to me. Shouldn't they be trusting for God to provide? Or just preparing to go to heaven? 

[feministxtian]

I raise hell on a Christian message board regularly...and those people are AFRAID! Afraid of Muslims, afraid of POTUS, afraid of losing their guns, you name it, they're afraid of it. I said something about why are you so afraid to die if you believe you're going to heaven and they tried SO hard to justify their fears...and yes, many of them are preppers too.

[Jingerbread]

1 hour ago, feministxtian said:

I raise hell on a Christian message board regularly...and those people are AFRAID! Afraid of Muslims, afraid of POTUS, afraid of losing their guns, you name it, they're afraid of it. I said something about why are you so afraid to die if you believe you're going to heaven and they tried SO hard to justify their fears...and yes, many of them are preppers too.

What can you expect from people raised to FEAR the person they think is supposed to love them the most?

[ALM7]

I live in the bulls-eye of the bull from hell (weather wise). It's not uncommon for us to experience EF3's,4's & the deadly/destructive EF5's during tornado season. Traditional basements tend to leak in our red dirt soil, so we have underground metal shelters.  I personally allow a month supply of food, water, medical supplies, alternate energy source etc. The emergency response is fantastic in OKC, however; living in a major suburb may create navigational problems due to structural debris in roads, utility lines down, trees etc., so we prepare for the long haul. In spite of numerous deadly tornadoes, Post Office massacres, the home grown terrorist bombing of our Federal building, OKC is a pretty nice place to live. I suppose our bombing is one of the main reasons radicalism terrifies me. I'm disabled, however; I am a survivor. It felt strange to type that 20 years later.

[salex]

15 hours ago, Anonymousguest said:

I have never known a connection between preppers and Christian,  I had never even heard that term before that family had their kids removed last year,  or when ever or was. I know lots of"fundies" but no peppers. They seem counterintuitive to me. Shouldn't they be trusting for God to provide? Or just preparing to go to heaven? 

The few Christian Preppers I've run across are Post or Mid Tribulation believers.. They expect that the anti christ will take over  before they are raptured out, and they will be stuck unable to buy or sell anything without the mark of the beast. Alternately, they are convinced the US government is going to put all christians in concentration camps, soon, so they will need to bug out. 

 

[Howl]

16 hours ago, ALM7 said:

I live in the bulls-eye of the bull from hell (weather wise). It's not uncommon for us to experience EF3's,4's & the deadly/destructive EF5's during tornado season. Traditional basements tend to leak in our red dirt soil, so we have underground metal shelters.  I personally allow a month supply of food, water, medical supplies, alternate energy source etc. The emergency response is fantastic in OKC, however; living in a major suburb may create navigational problems due to structural debris in roads, utility lines down, trees etc., so we prepare for the long haul. In spite of numerous deadly tornadoes, Post Office massacres, the home grown terrorist bombing of our Federal building, OKC is a pretty nice place to live. I suppose our bombing is one of the main reasons radicalism terrifies me. I'm disabled, however; I am a survivor. It felt strange to type that 20 years later.

I had recently moved back to Texas and had not much thought about tornadoes when an EF5 struck the community of Jarrel, TX, in May 1997, about 30 miles from where I was living at the time.  There were aerial photos of the damage.  In one instance, all that remained of a house was a slab; no debris, no cars, no trees, NO NOTHING.  That made the strongest impression on me and maybe the first time I really understood the power of nature in general and tornadoes in particular.  

You are realistic, self sufficient and prepared for an emergency, knowing that things will eventually get back to normal with a functioning police force to maintain order and civil government to rebuild infrastruture.  Preppers fear it will deteriorate into total chaos.  What I despise about people like Jim Bakker is that they manipulate fear and then prey on frightened people. 

I'm amazed that people seem to have forgotten that one of the first instances of domestic terrorism was the bombing of the Murrah Federal building by one of our own citizens, whose hatred of the US government was fueled by Ruby Ridge and Waco (Branch Dividians).  I had to refresh myself and was shocked to read the magnitude of the damage: 

Wikipedia

Quote

The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Bldg in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. Carried out by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the bombing killed 168 people and injured more than 680 others. The blast destroyed or damaged 324 buildings within a 16-block radius, destroyed or burned 86 cars, and shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings, causing an estimated $652 million worth of damage.

@ALM7, not to pry, but are saying you are survivor of this incident? 

[ALM7]

2 minutes ago, Howl said:

I had recently moved back to Texas and had not much thought about tornadoes when an EF5 struck the community of Jarrel, TX, in May 1997, about 30 miles from where I was living at the time.  There were aerial photos of the damage.  In one instance, all that remained of a house was a slab; no debris, no cars, no trees, NO NOTHING.  That made the strongest impression on me and maybe the first time I really understood the power of nature in general and tornadoes in particular.

The force of nature is amazing. I remember the news reports of the Jarrel tornado. As a rule, I'm not one to easily show emotion, however; when I see reports of the Jarrel, Joplin, Greensburg, the super outbreak of 2011 in the south/southeast, and the many tornadoes in my state, I can't help but cry. Those harmed by disasters are so hopeful and positive, however; we know the aftermath of the destruction they must face.

Yes, I arrived the area early to meet a client at the Federal Courthouse, across the street from the Murrah Building. My saving grace was being on the south side of the Murrah building at the time of the explosion.

 

[Anonymousguest]

20 hours ago, salex said:

The few Christian Preppers I've run across are Post or Mid Tribulation believers.. They expect that the anti christ will take over  before they are raptured out, and they will be stuck unable to buy or sell anything without the mark of the beast. Alternately, they are convinced the US government is going to put all christians in concentration camps, soon, so they will need to bug out. 

 

Ah, yes that makes sense I guess.  I don't believe we have enough information to take such a firm stance on any one eschatology. My church does not either, except to formally reject preterism.

I suspect I am not a survivor and will go in the first wave of any apocalypse. I just can't imagine killing other people to protect a food or water source,  and I'm not interested in living a life of isolation in the country waiting for The End.

[GenerationCedarchip]

On 12/13/2015 at 7:11 PM, salex said:

The few Christian Preppers I've run across are Post or Mid Tribulation believers.. They expect that the anti christ will take over  before they are raptured out, and they will be stuck unable to buy or sell anything without the mark of the beast. Alternately, they are convinced the US government is going to put all christians in concentration camps, soon, so they will need to bug out. 

 

I've also known some who don't so much fear what will happen with the anti-christ, but fear that the govt doesn't take threats to the power grid seriously enough. They are convinced that the US will have its grid destroyed and this will lead to a period of mass chaos for at least a year.

On another note - turns out that my cousin's employer had a booth at Prepper Expo. They're not a Prepper business per se, but sell stuff that would be prepper friendly.  From my cousin's FB page, it sounds like there was an interesting crowd there, everything from self-sufficiency/homesteader types to conspiracy theorists to some of the more separatist fundies.  And yes, Young Living had a booth for anyone interested in alternatives to the medical system.

[Antimony]

On 12/12/2015 at 6:05 PM, August said:

Best place in VA for fundie spotting is Colonial Williamsburg.

Really?
I lived there for four years (take a wild guess here). I never saw any fundies save for your run of the mill street preacher taking advantage of a crowded public space once. I almost started yelling back at one once and my boyfriend at the time had to get me away. I can't remember what he said but it really pissed me off. 

I have however been in this exact building a lot. It's a pretty nice expo space. Grocery store right next to it. 

[feministxtian]

7 hours ago, Antimony said:

Really?
I lived there for four years (take a wild guess here). I never saw any fundies save for your run of the mill street preacher taking advantage of a crowded public space once. I almost started yelling back at one once and my boyfriend at the time had to get me away. I can't remember what he said but it really pissed me off. 

I have however been in this exact building a lot. It's a pretty nice expo space. Grocery store right next to it. 

William & Mary?

The fundies show up usually BEFORE tourist season or after. I've seen them at Busch, Yorktown and even VaBeach.

FTR: I grew up in Newport News. I'm a proud "Harvard by the Highway" graduate.

 

[sawasdee]

On 12/13/2015 at 7:11 AM, salex said:

The few Christian Preppers I've run across are Post or Mid Tribulation believers.. They expect that the anti christ will take over  before they are raptured out, and they will be stuck unable to buy or sell anything without the mark of the beast. Alternately, they are convinced the US government is going to put all christians in concentration camps, soon, so they will need to bug out. 

 

I have obviously led a very sheltered life. This is a level of idiocy that I have never heard of, let alone encountered.

[clueliss]

I have a Mormon friend who is a prepper of sorts.  And 2 non churched christian/semi christian friends who are.  The mormons seem to be way into this stuff.

[Anonymousguest]

Mormons are required bytheir prophet to have a certain amount of food and goods stored up for each household member.  

[salex]

8 hours ago, sawasdee said:

I have obviously led a very sheltered life. This is a level of idiocy that I have never heard of, let alone encountered.

Ah, there isn't a day on my fakebook that someone doesn't post on fema camps where christians will be sent, the "fact" that our government bought lots of guillotines to use on Christians, and when I said one person's plan for the muslims sounded like german concentration camps i was corrected in that Christians would be put in concentration camps.... 

I have told them that guillotines seem an inefficient method of mass murder, but apparently they link it to some verse.  NOTE, this is my Fakebook that i created to follow our fundies.... not my real life friends.  

For your reading pleasure:

\http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2015/01/26/connecting-dots-christian-beheadings-fema-camps-fm-39-40-guillotines/

New World Order Soon: FEMA Camps For Christians, Gun ...

http://www.knowthelies.com/node/9767

 

Or just google FEMA camps Christians and you'll be amazed how many results you get.  

[sawasdee]

3 minutes ago, salex said:

Ah, there isn't a day on my fakebook that someone doesn't post on fema camps where christians will be sent, the "fact" that our government bought lots of guillotines to use on Christians, and when I said one person's plan for the muslims sounded like german concentration camps i was corrected in that Christians would be put in concentration camps.... 

I have told them that guillotines seem an inefficient method of mass murder, but apparently they link it to some verse.  NOTE, this is my Fakebook that i created to follow our fundies.... not my real life friends.  

 

Super weird....

[sawasdee]

Has any politician, in the US, at any time, at any level,expressed any anti Christian sentiment that would lead to concentration camps and death? No? Didn't think so. So where is the mass paranoia coming from? There are places where it is dangerous to be WWB (walking while black) but not, I think, any where WWC is a threat.

These people have an imagination that would be more at home in Hollywood than in normal society. They really, truly, scare me, as their influence seems to be increasing all the time. (I'm still reeling, after several years, that all the scientific evidence for evolution can be completely ignored, and a construct where the world is less than 7,000 years old substituted - and be the only 'truth' taught in some schools and they think they are persecuted?.).

[Maggie Mae]

I don't know very many religious preppers. The people I know are more anti-government involvement types. Not necessary religious in nature, just "well, I paid for this land, don't tell me what I can and can't build/hunt/grow/do," which I agree with to an extent. (I agree with sustainable hunting laws, don't understand the purpose of telling people what plants they can and can't smoke/grow in a greenhouse, think HOA's are POS designed to keep "undesirables" out, etc. Basically, if you are responsible and not harming others (and I realize this is kind of subjective, as I think introducing/keeping invasive species is harming others), then the government should leave you alone.) 
 

However, because I am kind of a worrier, it's REALLY important to have at least a few days of supplies in case the supply chain gets interrupted. For most of the US that could be a few days worth of food and some water (or a plan to find fresh water and purify it). In my location, if something were to happen that disrupts the two ways that food gets to my state, we'd be pretty SOL. There is only so much food stored (I think enough for about 1/3 of our population), and the grocery stores have only so much food on their shelves (about 3 days in my city).  I also think that responsible parents should have things like fire drills/earthquake drills, etc at home. It's kind of weird when people talk about their "bug-out" drills, though. My dad had us practice fire drills and we talked about where to go and what to do. But I was talking to someone who actually wakes his kids up in the middle of the night to practice "bugging out" which seems strange to me. 

 

I don't understand the people who think that the government will come for Christians, thought. That's got to be some sort of remnant from that terrible 90s series "Left Behind." 

 

 

[ALM7]

I think preppers fall into at least 4 categories. 

 

#1 The "true believers" of Biblical prophecy, conspiracy theories, etc. They exhibit great distrust and fear of anyone that doesn't subscribe to their particular brand of religion. I feel this group is dangerous, because they are repeatedly elected into Local, State and Federal Government. They're on our school boards, general community committees, and local business steering panels. They refuse to accept the rights of others.  

 

#2 The "patriots" that aren't necessarily religious fanatics, however; have a deep seeded hatred and distrust of their government, everything is a conspiracy with this group. The Southern Poverty Law Center  www.splcenter.org addresses the extremism of this political thought. Concerning the issue of their influence and power, some in this category overlap into the above example #1.

 

#3 Then there's those of religious faith, perhaps they attend a church that's not considered as extreme as group #1. However; they occasionally hear the gloom doom message of this group. They flip through their cable channels and hear the message of the John Hagee types. If they don't investigate these radicals, they may take what they say at face value. So now they're afraid. They decide to error on the side of caution, they are simply scared to death. I do feel it's their responsibility to closely examine the validity of these zealots. However; for some reason they choose to fearfully follow.

 

#4 Finally, those that feel the need to be adequately prepared. If one lives in areas that must deal with natural disasters. For example; hurricanes, flood zones, mud slides, forest fires, extreme winter weather, and in my case, tornadoes. You prepare accordingly, depending on ones threat, and you weigh in the general response time of emergency management. In no way would I ever fault someone for not preparing for emergencies.  We each have our own individual circumstances. Personally, I prefer a one month supply of water, food, medical, alternate energy etc., I want to have enough for those I'm responsible for, as well as neighbors that may need a helping hand. 

 

All in all, there are various reasons for preparedness. In my opinion, group #1 and #2 are irresponsible and dangerous.

 

Very Special Note: Never forget a hearty supply of Dark Chocolate!

[Antimony]

16 hours ago, feministxtian said:

William & Mary?

The fundies show up usually BEFORE tourist season or after. I've seen them at Busch, Yorktown and even VaBeach.

FTR: I grew up in Newport News. I'm a proud "Harvard by the Highway" graduate.

 

Yepyep. I stayed all 3 summers between semesters and one summer after graduation (they do love to hire recent grads for short term jobs.)

We went to Yorktown a lot but usually during beer fests and to go to the beach. Non-fundie activities. We only did Busch during HallowScream so I can see why they wouldn't be there...
 

I have never heard the phrase "Harvard by the Highway" though.