cult rapture: waiting for the end of the world

virginia legislature bans microchip implants as 'mark of the beast'
from allgov: Requiring individuals to have medical implants placed under their skin isn’t just a potential violation of someone’s civil rights - it’s downright satanic. Republican Mark Cole, a member of Virginia’s House of Delegates, is sponsoring legislation that would prevent employers or insurance companies from forcing people to get implants because he thinks the microchips could amount to the Antichrist’s “mark of the beast” mentioned in the Bible. “My understanding - I’m not a theologian - but there’s a prophecy in the Bible that says you’ll have to receive a mark, or you can neither buy nor sell things in end times,” Cole told The Washington Post. “Some people think these computer chips might be that mark.” Some of Cole’s colleagues in the Virginia legislature have been left shaking their heads over the idea. Democrat Robert Brink compared the concern to the likelihood of asteroids striking the earth or giant alligators roaming underground sewers. He also said that California’s legislature passed a similar ban, and that alone was reason enough for Virginia to avoid doing the same thing. “If Virginia is starting to use California as our legislative role model, it’s a sign that our legislative apocalypse has arrived,” Brink told the Free Lance-Star. Nevertheless, Cole’s bill was approved by the House of Delegates last week.

flashbacks: armageddon it, armageddon time!, west virginia offers licenses for those who fear 'the beast', farmers see 'mark of the beast' in rfid livestock tags & teacher claims fingerprinting is ‘mark of the beast'

americans stock up to be ready for end of the world
from guardian: Unlike the 1990s survivalists, preppers come from all backgrounds and live all over America. They are just as likely to be found in a suburb or downtown loft as a remote ranch in the mountains. Prepping networks, which have sprung up all over the country in the past few years, provide advice on how to prepare food reserves, how to grow crops in your garden, how to hunt and how to defend yourself. There are prepping books, online shops, radio shows, countless blogs, prepping courses and prepping conferences. John Milandred runs a website called Pioneer Living, which is one of the main forums for discussing prepping. It provides a range of advice for those who just want to store extra food in case of a power cut, to those who want to embrace the "off the grid" lifestyle of America's western pioneers. "We get inquiries from people from all walks of life. We had a principal from a school asking us to talk to their children. We have doctors and firemen and lawyers," he said.

flashback video: in hard times, some flirt with survivalism

caring for pets left behind by the rapture
from businessweek: Many people in the U.S.—perhaps 20 million to 40 million—believe there will be a Second Coming in their lifetimes, followed by the Rapture. In this event, they say, the righteous will be spirited away to a better place while the godless remain on Earth. But what will become of all the pets? Bart Centre, 61, a retired retail executive in New Hampshire, says many people are troubled by this question, and he wants to help. He started a service called Eternal Earth-Bound Pets that promises to rescue and care for animals left behind by the saved. Promoted on the Web as "the next best thing to pet salvation in a Post Rapture World," the service has attracted more than 100 clients, who pay $110 for a 10-year contract ($15 for each additional pet.) If the Rapture happens in that time, the pets left behind will have homes—with atheists. Centre has set up a national network of godless humans to carry out the mission. "If you love your pets, I can't understand how you could not consider this," he says.