Have Ben Carson’s Comments Doubting the Rapture and Hell Contributed to his Decline?

[InTheLight]

When the political press writes the obituary of Ben Carson’s campaign — assuming his recent staff shake-up doesn’t lead to a stunning revival — the retired neurosurgeon’s foreign policy problems almost undoubtedly will be cited as the cause of death.


That might be only partially right, though. Another Carson flub that has flown below the radar is his confusing end-times theology, which he initially tried to explain in an interview with our Sally Quinn in a story that ran Dec. 1.


Here’s the key passage:


He dismisses the “Rapture” — the idea, embraced by many evangelicals, that at some point before the last days described in the book of Revelation, many Christians will literally be, as predicted in the New Testament, “caught up together … in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”


Carson doesn’t share that view. “I don’t see any evidence for that in the Bible,” he says.


He also does not believe in hell: “I don't believe there is a physical place where people go and are tormented. No. I don’t believe that,” he says.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-rapture-and-hell-contributed-to-his-decline/

 

[Zaac]

He's a lightweight with much less experience than the GOPers complained about Obama having back in 2008.

I contribute his decline to people recognizing just how off he is and borderline sociopathic.

 

[kyredneck]

borderline sociopathic

You want to explain your thinking on that? What's he done for you to diagnose him with sociopathy?

 

[Zaac]

You want to explain your thinking on that? What's he done for you to diagnose him with sociopathy?

I believe I answered this several weeks ago. it's a combination of his responses to certain questions and the way he responds. There's an "offness" that I've seen a handful of times before from doing some volunteer work in a mental hospital years ago.

I could be wrong. But hopefully he will dwindle back into his book tour and medicine and stay away from politics.

 

[poncho]

I'm not interested in talking about Ben Carson.

 

[kyredneck]

Well, I think he's a mild mannered foreign policy imbecile, but I don't think he's sociopathic. A lot of high IQ types come off as 'distant' or 'detached'. And I do think he's very intelligent, but not the kind of smarts to make a good POTUS.

 

[Zaac]

I'm not interested in talking about Ben Carson.

Me either. I figured he would be a washout last year when all the talk pundits started pushing the whole "Draft Ben Carson" movement.

I swear, if they say it on talk radio, the folks in the GOP just roll with it. Rush, Sean or one of the Fox News talking heads can say something and suddenly it's a GOP movement.

 

[Zaac]

Well, I think he's a mild mannered foreign policy imbecile,

Wow. That's ...mild.

but I don't think he's sociopathic.


A lot of high IQ types come off as 'distant' or 'detached'. And I do think he's very intelligent, but not the kind of smarts to make a good POTUS.

Well, interestingly enough, you should see the eyes of some of those children when I say to them we’re going to have to open your head up and take out this tumor. They’re not happy about it, believe me. And they don’t like me very much at that point. But later on, they love me . . .

There's something severely wrong with him.

 

[preachinjesus]

I doubt his theological views are a principal reason why he's declined. Maybe they are part of an underlying reason, but not the major reasons. Usually when one candidate goes up in the polls others go down (unless its Chicago...) so with the meteoric, and seeming sky's falling, rise of Mr Trump, other candidates have to fall.

That said, Dr Carson is a fine man but this is exactly why highly intelligent people have trouble with public office. He wants to note the nuances in laws and plans, but the media is unable to comprehend nuance and have interest in supporting it. Also, his views on foreign policy and other serious Presidential issues have worked against him.

Good guy, but he's never been a serious contender. Just a momentary fascination.

What is happening with Trump...well folks, I think the public fed up with career politicians and this is the result. I'm not at all a fan, but this will be interesting to watch.

 

[FriendofSpurgeon]

I doubt his theological views are a principal reason why he's declined. Maybe they are part of an underlying reason, but not the major reasons. Usually when one candidate goes up in the polls others go down (unless its Chicago...) so with the meteoric, and seeming sky's falling, rise of Mr Trump, other candidates have to fall.

That said, Dr Carson is a fine man but this is exactly why highly intelligent people have trouble with public office. He wants to note the nuances in laws and plans, but the media is unable to comprehend nuance and have interest in supporting it. Also, his views on foreign policy and other serious Presidential issues have worked against him.

Good guy, but he's never been a serious contender. Just a momentary fascination.

What is happening with Trump...well folks, I think the public fed up with career politicians and this is the result. I'm not at all a fan, but this will be interesting to watch.

Agreed. Probably doesn't have much to do with this - though perhaps this could have hurt him with some evangelicals/fundamentalists. BTW, doubt that other GOP candidates (save Huckabee and Cruz) believe in the rapture either.

 

[Zaac]

Agreed. Probably doesn't have much to do with this - though perhaps this could have hurt him with some evangelicals/fundamentalists. BTW, doubt that other GOP candidates (save Huckabee and Cruz) believe in the rapture either.

Would be just another reason that none of them can have my vote. I'm frankly tired of folks masquerading as Christians every 4 years in order to get votes, but when you really look at them, they are as bad as the JWs.

 

[poncho]

What it all comes down to IMHO is Donald Trump knows how to talk "fourth grader" better than Ben Carson.

 

[beameup]

Carson is Seventh-day Adventist.