Last week, when I glanced through a new proposal from Iggy Dybal, an atheist, real estate broker and a founder of the KC Freethinkers, I thought it was little more than a tongue-in-cheek mockery of Biblical prophesies.
"If you are a Christian who believes in The Rapture and has pets, please, take notice," Dybal wrote in his announcement. "A few atheists in Kansas City are starting a 'Rapture Pets' service to take care of pets when Rapture happens and righteous Christians are taken up in heaven and we atheists are left behind... So, if any of you are anticipating Rapture and you know you'll be taken up during this time, please, think about your animals who will suffer and may die a painful death of starvation, thirst and neglect while the Tribulation Times are happening."This is no joke. Dybal is dead serious.
For the past year, Dybal and fellow skeptic Cole Morgan have been ramping up the visibility of area atheists. They helped fund a provocative billboard in Overland Park, sponsored a family during the holiday season and even jumped into freezing cold water to make a point about global warming. Their latest idea -- Rapture Pets -- isn't entirely their own.
Dybal says he saw the concept on the Internet and thought it would be a productive way for charitable atheists and god-fearing Christians to come together for a common purpose: the care of animals when the Second Coming has swept away believers and stranded their pets among the heathens.
"This is not a joke," Dybal says. "I'd like to see if we can team up with Christians and Christian churches who understand Rapture and, when Rapture happens, maybe they could assign their churches to us and we can use the church for a dog shelter.
"If a church decides to assign a building for us, everybody in that church gets covered," Dybal continues. "But they'll have to give us their addresses, their dog's medications and also we would like to insure that every churchgoer consider giving us their cars, their homes, their bank accounts, anything, because we'll need all of that to take care of the animals. They won't need it. We will."
The terms of payment will be flexible, Dybal explains and, right now, the logistics are still a little vague. But the KC Freethinker already has called several churches, floating the concept and testing the waters. Several pastors said they don't believe in the Rapture; another noted that God will provide for pets during the End Times. One, Dybal says, expressed "cautious curiosity."
The most pressing priority is finding a believer who buys their idea and helps them spread the word. "My goal is, I would like to find a Christian who truly believes in the Rapture and truly loves animals and would like to be on this team, because the idea comes better from a Christian than an atheist," Dybal says.
But how can Dybal and his animal-loving atheists prove that they're not praying for redemption behind closed doors? "Every month or every week the members of this group will have to click on Web site and verify that they have been blaspheming, and they still have not accepted Jesus," Dybal says.
And, who knows? Maybe caring for Christian pets will benefit the damned. "Everyone wins," Dybal wrote in his proposal. "God will be happy with the atheists and may have an air conditioning unit installed in their particular section of hell to make it easy on them."
There's no Web site yet, but here's the e-mail: Rapturepets@gmail.com
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OMG!! My favorite comments are by Candice and Susan4110... HAHAHAHAHA... I'm gonna die because I laugh so hard!
I emailed Bart Centre, the owner of this pet rapture service and told him that I was Christian and it was my understanding that it is illegal to sell a service which you believe that you will never have to deliver. He became very angry and emailed me a note with a link for me to connect to. He said the link was his �lawyer� He lied.
It was not a link to a lawyer at all it was link to a picture of a sex toy molded in the shape of Jesus the Christ. Keep in mind this guy Bart Centre does not know who I am nor whether I am 15 or 50 years of age. Shame on him. He does not have Christians best interest at heart and he is a dirty old man, in my opinion. They are mocking Christians and God
Caroline,
We don't have to believe in Rapture in order to offer services to Christians and their pets.
My dog is an atheist and will have no problems playing with Christian dogs.
It's the "peace of mind" for the Christian who maybe Raptured any minute - don't you care about the pets they'll leave behind?
Do you have pets you think may suffer needlessly should Rapture happen tomorrow? Please, contact us at RapturePets@gmail.com and we'll be glad to take care of them when it happens and when you are gone.
Let's also talk about your house, your car, your bank accounts, 401K, retirement, stocks, etc.
Imagine what inflation will be like? Maybe you can talk to your pastor at church and we can appropriate the church when rapture happens for the pet shelter? Automatically, every church's members pets will be eligible.
Please, continue praying to your god for us - I am looking forward to A/C unit in my portion of hell.
IGGY
This actually made the Best of Craigslist back in June of 2008. It was only the second post from KC to make the BOCL roster - our current total is four.
If you don't believe in GOD then how can you believe in the rapture???? This is ridiculous. I am a Christian and I will continue to pray for non believers/believers in rapture but not GOD????
Wait a minute--pets don't go to Heaven?!? Nobody ever told me that before. If my dog and cats aren't welcome in Heaven (I don't care about the fish 'cause they're not real animals) I think that I'm going to stop worshiping the Christian God. Anybody know what religion allows pets into their Heaven?
Excellent idea, even though the word 'Rapture' isn't in the Bible, even so the well-being of our pets is worth considering.
I do trust God will provide for our Pets during the second coming, I also think as Christians we should take action because God doesn�t always provide (good) things for free (Faith without works is dead). As Christians we can�t be lazy. God will be orchestrating the safety of the planet (Rev. 6:8).
Is it reasonable to assume that my fishing nursery in Missouri will be protected?
God�s word compels me to use my common sense; my fish nursery (even though it is in Missouri) will be at risk if left unattended (Rev.16:3-4).
Remember Jesus said a person is worth more than a sparrow, so Christians should consider the well-being of their pets; maybe as Christians we should prepare and pray; after all at times, I have witnessed the death of my beloved pets at the hands of sin.
Remember the story about the power of prayer. In a town, flood waters were coming. Families were to evacuate. The Christian family said, �our God will protect us.� and so stayed in their home. The waters came, the sand bags failed, the family moved to the attic. The waters continued to rise; the family moved to the roof, the only reprieve left the diseased infested waters. A rescue boat came, yet the family turned it, again affirming their faith �our God will protect us.� The waters rose unto the roof, a helicopter came and hovered over the roof, yet the helicopter rescue was refused. As the water reached the peak of the roof, the Father of the household cried out, �God will you not save us?� God answered, I gave warning before the waters came, I sent a boat, and then a helicopter; I have answered your prayers, but your turned me away three times.
Could God be providing what we Christians need, Iggy Bybal and company?
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