Seattle Atheists collect for "Rapture Relief Fund'

A fringe Christian group has been busy lately warning the world about the coming Rapture, which it claims will be here on May 21.

California-based Family Radio is spearheading the cause and has purchased billboards around the country asking commuters to mark May 21 on their calendars. They say that's the day when Jesus will return and true Christians will be spirited off to heaven, leaving the rest of the population to suffer through the last five months of their lives until God destroys the Earth on October 21.

If the prognosticators are right, then some of us are in big trouble.

With that thought in mind, a local group called Seattle Atheists is now taking donations for a "Rapture Relief Fund" to help those who are left behind.

"To help us help you, we've created 'Rapture Relief,' an aid fund for the unfortunate people left behind," said John Keiser of Seattle Atheists. "When you give to this fund, Seattle Atheists will use the money to help survivors of any Armageddon-sized disaster in the Puget Sound area."

Keiser and the 280 other members of Seattle Atheists have already raised $800 for the fund, and they hope to have $5,000 by May 21.

If Family Radio is wrong and the world survives, Seattle Atheists will donate all the money from the relief fund to Camp Quest, which teaches children about science and critical thinking.

"It just dawned on us that this is really dumb stuff and these people are really showing a complete lack of critical thinking," Keiser said. "We wanted to highlight that and highlight the need for critical thinking, which is why we decided to make it a fundraiser for Camp Quest."

Seattle Atheists will be out raising money for the fund at several upcoming events, including an end-of-the-world party scheduled for May 21 at Dorky's Arcade in Tacoma at 8 p.m. Members will also be present in the University District for StreetFair on May 21-22 and they'll be at Westlake Park on May 23-27.