Hi Adam
You said:
"A few comments by Gary and Tom made me wonder - how many of you guys are Christians and how do you reconcile your belief with a hoped for future in Space?"

J--I believe in fundamental truths, such as: Space, Mass, & Energy were "created".
Also I believe that the statement in the Koran "they do not listen" is correct.
Furthermore I believe that what Jesus said on the cross is still true, he said "they do not know what they do".
I certainly hope that traversing space will become as easy as airplane flights today, and the sooner that occurs the better.

A--"The question seems relevant because of the alarming popularity of the apocalypic series "Left Behind" and related works which posit an end to human history in not too many years."

J--Now if you consider that "they do not listen" and "they do not know what they do" and "they" have polluted the atmosphere with great amounts of radioactivity, then it is conceivable that the end of the world, as we know it, is imminent.

A--" To me that might explain a lot of the lack of long-term commitment to Space I see in US politicians."

J—I would hope that the politicians would try to save themselves by finding another planet to live on if they thought that the world was going to end.

A--"For me the Preterist interpretation of the Second Coming doctrine makes the most sense - that the whole business was a symbolic expression of how first century Jews saw the end of their old Temple-based religion. With the Temple gone they literally felt they were in a New Age ushered in by JC. Hence we're here to stay on this planet - no divine bail-out/restart if we mess it up."

J—If you were a divine being or even an extraterrestrial capable of transporting humans to your home planet, would you do it? After all, if your planet was peaceful, these war mongers would surely mess things up.

A—"These days I am an agnostic on religion, but the fate of Christianity still concerns me - concerns us all with the "crusade" rhetoric being flung around by Muslims and Christians alike."

J—Again the famous words "they know not what they do".
If people would learn to listen and talk to each other without arguing, it would help.
If people would learn to LIVE by the ten commandments, it would help.

A—"So any thoughts guys?"

J—There you have some thoughts from me.
Johannes