The Christian rapture didn't happen as predicted, but a lot of you still feel like we're living in end times. Why is that?
Right now - from religion to climate change to doomsday prepping - there's a lot of talk about the end of the world. And, yeah, there was a lot of joking (and some believing) this week that the rapture would happen, but this all points to a broader feeling a lot of us have: that something has to change. But what?
In this episode, Brittany is joined by culture writer
Joshua Rivera and national writer for Religion News Service
Bob Smietana. They answer those questions and get into why the rapture is so appealing to Christians and non-Christians alike. And how Christian beliefs about the end of days are seeping into all of our minds.
(0:35) The story of how The Rapture went viral
(3:57) What even is The Rapture?
(6:32) Why The Rapture is so alluring to Americans
(11:45) Why 4 in 10 Americans believe we are in the end times
(13:32) How TikTok contributes to our anxiety about the apocalypse
(15:19) How Evangelical beliefs fuels MAGA policies
(17:15) Why all of us - regardless of faith - think the end is near
Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram:
@bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at
npr.org/podclub.
Learn more about sponsor message choices:
podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
