Few Americans were worried about being left behind following the May 21 Judgment Day predictions of Harold Camping, a new poll reveals. Not that they weren’t secretly ready for a Rapture.
Only 2 percent of Americans were convinced The Rapture would happen this past Saturday and nearly 66 percent think The Rapture won’t happen in their lifetime, according to a Public Policy Poll.
Americans positively perceive their manifest destiny, however. Regardless of actual theological believes, 65 percent responded that St. Peter would wave them through heaven’s gates should the Biblical Rapture occur in their lifetime. Only 13 percent of Americans knew their heathen sins would have them left behind and a fifth of Americans are Doubting Thomases — unsure either way.
As a unique and essential element of Christian theology, it’s unsurprising that godless liberals were less likely than conservatives to believe The Rapture was imminent, although a third of “very liberal” Americans believe they’d still make it into heaven. Both conservatives and liberals, however, are hedging their cosmic bets at 83 percent and 89 percent, respectively, believing The Rapture will not occur in their lifetime.
With that sort of confidence in their personal lives, PPP asked Americans to then judge the fates of top political celebrities. Despite the poll evenly split between liberals and conservatives, 44 percent believe President Barack Obama would be raptured, perhaps finally proving Rolling Stone magazine’s prophecy of the Second Coming of Luke Skywalker. Thirty percent of Americans were undecided about Obama’s chances and only 26 percent were convinced that the president’s long-form salvation certificate is a fake.
Sarah Palin proves to be as theologically divisive as she is politically. Thirty-five percent think Palin would be taken in The Rapture, 32 percent said “no” and another 34 percent weren’t sure. Newt Gingrich, unfortunately, appears to bare the mark of the beast in the eyes of most rapture-ready voters. His favorability ratings are the lowest of any potential candidate, on earth or as it is in heaven.
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