A rapture belief is a generic type of religious belief. Rapture does not necessarily involve God. Quite the opposite, in fact: anyone can have a rapture belief. Please note that this article is my original research and no sources are cited.
Necessary elements of a rapture belief
- An event is coming within our lifetimes.
- The event is going to happen whether we like it or not.
- We will be beneficiaries of this event.
- Our lives will be better afterwards.
- We just need to wait it out.
Examples of rapture beliefs
- The Heaven's Gate cult believed they were going to be raptured to a spaceship somewhere behind Comet Hale-Bopp.
- Many New Agers believe a "consciousness revolution" will happen in the year 2012.
- Many adherents of transhumanism have an atheistic rapture belief. They think that technological advancement will lead to immortality within our lifetimes.
- Some ultra-right American Christians, of course, have the specific Christian rapture belief.
- A similar belief evolved out of Mahayana Buddhism, the claim that a Buddha named Maitreya will appear on an overpopulated Earth in the future and lead the entire population to enlightenment.