The Rapture was a bust, but it still feels like doomsday.

The Christian rapture didn't happen as predicted, but a lot of you still feel like we're living in end times. Why is that?

Right now - from religion to climate change to doomsday prepping - there's a lot of talk about the end of the world. And, yeah, there was a lot of joking (and some believing) this week that the rapture would happen, but this all points to a broader feeling a lot of us have: that something has to change.

But what? In this episode, Brittany is joined by culture writer Joshua Rivera and national writer for Religion News Service Bob Smietana .

They answer those questions and get into why the rapture is so appealing to Christians and non-Christians alike. And how Christian beliefs about the end of days are seeping into all of our minds. (0:35) The story of how The Rapture went viral (3:57) What even is The Rapture? (6:32) Why The Rapture is so alluring to Americans (11:45) Why 4 in 10 Americans believe we are in the end times (13:32) How TikTok contributes to our anxiety about the apocalypse (15:19) How Evangelical beliefs fuels MAGA policies (17:15) Why all of us - regardless of faith - think the end is near Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at .

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