DOOMSDAY PREPPERS

[jayjay]

Hi. On our tv at the moment, there are a lot of episodes of "Doomsday Preppers", people preparing for the end of the world, be it financial collapse, disease, nuclear terrorist attacks, etc. Being raised to believe in the 'rapture', there was no need to worry, because, well, won't be here. But, now I realise the rapture is not scriptural.

 So, what are peoples opinions on 'prepping' for the possibility of a 'doomsday' scenario??

Yes, some views are extreme, but, a lot makes sense. I don't see myself as an extremist with an arsenal to overthrow a small country, or a whole underground bunker town, but feel that it won't hurt to have that little bit extra in case it does hit the fan.

[TheMathematician]

YOu should have a regular emergency supply kit made and stocked, regardless of any doomsday or the like.

Here is a list, for those interested, http://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/documents/files/checklist_1.pdf


Beyond the kit you should already be keeping, nope, nothing special for a doomsday i say

[adampjr]

I absolute hate those doomsday preppers TV shows, and here's why. It portrays these people as if they are preparing for some specific event that could happen. And then of course people who don't find such and such an event all that likely make fun of them and such. But that all misses the point.

I do not "prepare" for a solar flare disaster or a Mayan apocalypse. The reason it might makes sense to run through certain scenarios in your head is to make sure you have everything, but you prepare for events that are inherently unpredictable - not something you know about and are waiting to happen.

So, I don't have an emergency medical kit for the zombie apocalypse, I have one for any situation in which I might need one. I have guns and ammo, extra food, extra water, an generator, some extra cash, etc etc for ANY time I might need it.
IOW, it really doesn't matter what you are preparing for - in almost every situation the basic needs are the same.

[Asteriktos]

The whole thing doesn't seem very Christian to me.

[islandbird]

If you think about it, we face emergencies large and small every day.  Especially if you have children or elderly living with you, it behooves you to stay prepared.  Emergencies like hurricanes, bad storms & power outages are common place.  And God forbid we ever have to deal with house fires or other household dangers.  It makes sense to be aware of these things and to prevent & prepare as much as possible.  If nothing else have a week of water, non perishable foods, candles and flashlights/ batteries available.  A battery radio is a good idea too.  During the last hurricane our cell phones did not work at all so keeping a landline may be wise.

I know Jesus said not to worry about what we will eat, drink or wear in the future, but I can't in good conscious not have sufficient food and water in the house for the kids!

[Eastern Mind]

I keep reading this as, "doomsday peppers"

[yeshuaisiam]

I think to be prepared is smart, but much of what I have heard of on that show goes very extreme.

If you embrace the blessings of the creation that God made for us, rather than relying on corporatism to feed you, you don't have to prepare.

For instance, if you have chickens that a free range, that lay fertile eggs (that you can eat or hatch), they will feed you.  If you have a garden, that can feed you as well.  Goats will provide milk, butter, cheese, cream, (this can all be made into soaps, shampoos etc.)  Gardens can provide a lot as well.

If you are "trapped" in an apartment, try to become "not trapped" and grow what you can on a balcony, or create a "pirate garden" in some woods somewhere.   If you are in a suburban house, a lawn can feed you if planned right.

No need for 500,000 rounds of ammo, a tank in your driveway, and 20 machine guns.   Water & food embraced as created, (catchment and food production), along with a means of defending it, is about all you'd need.

God created us all we need, most of us have abandoned it.

[Shanghaiski]

The whole thing doesn't seem very Christian to me.

Could you elaborate, please? What, specifically, doesn't seem very Christian?

[Anastasia1]

No need for 500,000 rounds of ammo, a tank in your driveway, and 20 machine guns.   Water & food embraced as created, (catchment and food production), along with a means of defending it, is about all you'd need.

God created us all we need, most of us have abandoned it.

:\ Let's be realistic though. Burt Gummer was the coolest character in Tremors for a reason.

http://youtu.be/3xeHPdm7e-Y

[vamrat]

No need for 500,000 rounds of ammo, a tank in your driveway, and 20 machine guns.   Water & food embraced as created, (catchment and food production), along with a means of defending it, is about all you'd need.

God created us all we need, most of us have abandoned it.

:\ Let's be realistic though. Burt Gummer was the coolest character in Tremors for a reason.

http://youtu.be/3xeHPdm7e-Y

I like to think there is a little bit of Burt in all of us!

[Kerdy]

I keep reading this as, "doomsday peppers"

  Me too!

[Kerdy]

ll you need is a months supply of food and water and enough ammo and guns to take the rest from everyone else.

[genesisone]

If you are "trapped" in an apartment, try to become "not trapped" and grow what you can on a balcony, or create a "pirate garden" in some woods somewhere. 

I haven't tried this myself, so I can't be an example here, but what about offering to care for a senior citizen's yard in return for a share of the garden's produce?

[Asteriktos]

The whole thing doesn't seem very Christian to me.

Could you elaborate, please? What, specifically, doesn't seem very Christian?

A couple things come to mind...

First, there are the passages about not worrying about tomorrow, not worrying about clothes and food and such. I agree that a balance needs to be struck, by most people, and that such verses shouldn't be blindly applied in a strict and constant way. Nonetheless, I wonder if it's going a bit too far in hoarding supplies because sometime unknown, somewhere unknown, someone unknown might do something unknown that would be sorta bad. When exactly are these verses applicable?

Second, I don't understand what people will do, or think they'll do, should something really happen. Are they going to shoot their desperate neighbor for trying to break in and steal some water so their kids don't die of dehydration? Are they just going to keep them locked out? Again, maybe the passages about giving your cloak or walking a 2nd mile or whatever aren't generally applicable in our daily lives, but if not in such dangerous/desparate situations, then when? But if you do share, how long do you think your stock of supplies would last?

For some reason I find a different approach more... I dunno... not exactly in tune with the Scriptures mentioned, but perhaps at least more helpful in real life situations (not just hypothetical doomsday scenarios). Perhaps a community should have a community storage, where water, food, etc. is kept. When a disaster like a hurricane strikes, this stuff can be shipped to give relief, and handed out to those in need. Then the community can start again. Should something doomsdayish ever really happen, then ok, everyone who is a citizen in the community gets an equal share of what is currently then stored.

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