The antichrist(s)

[wickedlazy]

Thoughts on who or what the anti-christ is, was or will be?

Reading up on it, I'm leaning towards the idea that the anti-christ is an organisation or group of people.

I don't know much about prophesy in the bible or other religious texts, but it has always fascinated me.

The anti- christ is a christian/abrahamic concept. A bogey man invented to keep people in a state of fear.

For me satan is as real as god- both are imaginary.

Donald Trump.... Though on second thoughts, that affords him way too much power

Or maybe he's just a misunderstood old horny god...........

I always had a bit of a soft spot for Lucifer, wasn't he kicked out for not agreeing with god or something? Terry Pratchetts Good Omens is a great novel about the antichrist.

The "anti-christ" is a neat bastardisation by the chirch of many old pagan gods, none of them particularly malevolent.

Cernunnos, Odin, pan, the green man, the origins of "satan" has a very rich tapestry.

silver-fish.hubpages.com/hub/Who-is-the-Devil

Wasn't Herne a later version of Cernunnos?

That's where Satan gets the whole cloven feet from I guess.

Herne too- yes.

And a very clear route from the old man of the forest to modern day Santa Claus, complete with a team of reindeer.

It makes me smile to se all these so called christians laying offerings of food and drink done on the hearth alter to a pagan god.

There are some sections of the christian church that see santa claus as a danger because of the pagan aspects. In fact christmas itself is seen ( rightly so) as being primarily heathen.

I live in Scotland where the christian church banned celebration of christmas for over 300 years as it was seen as a pagan festival. Christmas only became a public holiday here in the 1950s.
It was a criminal offence to be caught celebrating christmas, and prosecutions dis happen.

I didn't know that about Scotland banning Christmas. Fascinating.

I love Christmas but am not a Christian

I love christmas too WhenSheWasBadSheWasHorrid, and like most people celebrate in a secular way with pagan leanings.

The symbols and rituals many of us use at christmas time are very unchristian. The tree ( in fact the bible warns against the practice of decorating yule trees like "heathens" Jeremiah 10. 1-5). We put up stockings, enjoy the Santa myth, complete with reindeer, we feast, hang mistletoe, decorate with holly and ivy, make Yule logs, hang lights, eat fruit cake, give gifts.
My house at christmas ( like most people I know) has no mention of jesus.

goblin I'm learning loads. Didn't know the bible warned against decorating Yule trees. I'm going to lurk on here incase any other little nuggets crop up

Christmas was banned for a few years in England too in the 1600s, because it had " no biblical justification", and a time of wasteful and immoral behavior"

An organisation? Really? I can't say that that possibility had ever occured to me.

Do you have any suspicions?

Organisation?

The Cheese society maybe? East Kent Morris men? British Orthodontic Society?

How could the Cheese Society be the antichrist?! Surely the cheesemakers are blessed. And if they're not, they should be.

I'm open to considering the possibility that we can't identify the antichrist because there isn't one.

OK maybe not the cheese society- how about the Baltimore Fountain Pen Society?- even the name sounds creepy. Bound to be some less than holy people hanging out there.

OP- are we getting close to the mark?

Christmas was also banned in various parts of the British Isles in the past because it has always been a big feast (as in celebration) in the Catholic church and therefore was also considered a Papist abomination.

Historically when the Reformation was first getting off ground the Pope was considered to be the anti-Christ by people like Martin Luther (although he wasn't exactly a great guy himself what with his hatred of Jews).

The church in Scotland banned a lot of things. As the saying goes "you know that somewhere out there a wee free minister is worrying himself sick with the thought that someone somewhere is enjoying themselves"

Surprising that noone has suggested Jeremy Corbyn yet, having seen the vociferousness of some of his haters!

Antipasti still makes me snigger like a schoolgirl when I see it on a menu.

From John's Gospel:

25Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

One possible interpretation of this admittedly ambiguous passage is that Mary of Clopas is the Auntie Christ.