# What if all professed Christians disappeared? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 31, 2013, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589 "2013-12-31T20:45:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/61 "2014-01-01T14:47:30Z")
I would freak out and question myself and my beliefs. I would find this compelling evidence of something supernatural. Not absolutely conclusive proof, but still pretty convincing. Yeah, the Christians could have been swooped up by aliens. But I wouldn’t be able to work out in my head how the aliens could be so discriminating and stealthy. So I’d probably go to the nearest empty church and try to make myself believe _something_. I imagine that others would do the same. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/62 "2014-01-01T15:09:04Z")
We would all have a lot of cars to pick from. [In Case of Rapture](http://www.pinterest.com/pin/48061920993956750/) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/63 "2014-01-01T15:12:05Z")
Is there any chance of somebody panicking and nukes getting launched? ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/64 "2014-01-01T15:36:47Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Is there any chance of somebody panicking and nukes getting launched? I doubt it. There wouldn’t be enough Americans left with access to nuke codes to launch them even if they wanted to, and other nations with nukes, rather than panic, would be celebrating. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/65 "2014-01-01T15:37:08Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Is there any chance of somebody panicking and nukes getting launched? Why? A bunch of people disappear. For some, it may be most of their friends for others, not so much. I suppose many would panic, well the whole world would panic, but enough to launch missiles? At whom? How long would it take to make the connection that the missing where ‘Christians’? Czarcasm - Your premise could make an interesting book. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/66 "2014-01-01T15:41:56Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I doubt it. There wouldn’t be enough Americans left with access to nuke codes to launch them even if they wanted to, and other nations with nukes, rather than panic, would be celebrating. I was thinking the same thing. Though not the celebrating so much. Confusion for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/67 "2014-01-01T15:55:42Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Is there any chance of somebody panicking and nukes getting launched? Sure, there are several scenarios: 1. Some surviving officers in the United States or Britain or France decides the disappearance of most of their country was due to an enemy attack and launches a retaliatory strike. 2. Russia, which lost a lot of people, anticipates a Chinese invasion and launches a pre-emptive strike. 3. Israel, which lost its strongest ally, anticipates an attack by its neighbours and launches a pre-emptive nuclear strike. 4. India or Pakistan decide that the disappearance of several major powers gives them an opportunity to attack the other. 5. North Korea decides the disappearance of America gives them the ability to invade the south, starting with a nuclear strike on Seoul. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/68 "2014-01-01T15:57:19Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I was thinking the same thing. Though not the celebrating so much. Confusion for sure. There’d be confusion at first, but as it begins to sink in that the US is suddenly no threat to any other nation, I think even its most fervent allies, with the possible exception of Israel, would be absolutely thrilled. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/69 "2014-01-01T16:05:35Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > How long would it take to make the connection that the missing where ‘Christians’? Certainly less than a week (i.e. the interval between Sundays). Probably no more than a couple of hours, really - because there are places where Christians (real or just professing) are expected to turn up for work for/with non-Christians - military and hospital chaplains, for example - their sudden absence would probably be enough to start people looking. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/70 "2014-01-01T16:06:05Z")
Would the racial proportions in the U.S. change and, if so, in what way? ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/71 "2014-01-01T16:12:58Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Sure, there are several scenarios: > > 1. Some surviving officers in the United States or Britain or France decides the disappearance of most of their country was due to an enemy attack and launches a retaliatory strike. At whom? > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > 1. Russia, which lost a lot of people, anticipates a Chinese invasion and launches a pre-emptive strike. Why would they assume the Chinese? > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > 1. Israel, which lost its strongest ally, anticipates an attack by its neighbours and launches a pre-emptive nuclear strike. With no significant losses of its own, why would they launch a strike? Israel surely knows that if any of its neighbors has the ability to devastate America, Israel would be the first target, so with no intelligence as to a possible culprit, who would they strike against? Iran? Why? For the Hell of it? > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > 1. India or Pakistan decide that the disappearance of several major powers gives them an opportunity to attack the other. Really, the disappearance of the US as a world power would change things so significantly that it would cause nations like India and Pakistan to reassess their priorities. I think jumping to nuke their neighbor would be very low on that list. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > 1. North Korea decides the disappearance of America gives them the ability to invade the south, starting with a nuclear strike on Seoul. Hmm…NK is a wild card, so who the Heck knows what they’d do? An attack on SK from NK would be an urgent concern in this scenario. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/72 "2014-01-01T16:24:57Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Would the racial proportions in the U.S. change and, if so, in what way? Certainly. African American and Hispanic populations would be diminished to much lower percentages than Whites and Asians. [According to this US Census data for 2012](http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html), African Americans are 13.1 percent of the US population and Hispanics 16.9 percent. I think both populations would drop to 1 to 2 percent of all people who are left, if that. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/73 "2014-01-01T16:28:47Z")
I’m thinking the United Nations would be a right mess for various reasons-I don’t see it surviving. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/74 "2014-01-01T16:46:24Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > If more than 2 billion out of the 7 billion people suddenly disappear, I think the resultant chaos would be fairly unpredictable, to say the least. I think it would be _somewhat_ predictable. It would correlate quite strongly with the percentage of professed Christians in a country, up to a point - the point being if practically all of the people in a country were professed Christians. (You can’t have much chaos if there is hardly anyone left.) In the Americas, the chaos would be extreme, except in those parts of Latin America where practically everyone is Christian. An economy with half or more of your population gone is missing too many people in too many different roles to keep running - our society is so interdependent. When most of the people working at every power plant in the U.S. are suddenly not there one morning, the people still here are gonna be pretty well screwed. Similarly for most of the people who keep our food distribution system running. China, India, the Islamic world ought to be okay. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/75 "2014-01-01T16:54:23Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > China, India, the Islamic world ought to be okay. I wonder how the Islamic world would react to such an event, and what assumptions might be made on their part about the event. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/76 "2014-01-01T17:25:53Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I wonder how the Islamic world would react to such an event, and what assumptions might be made on their part about the event. Like most religious folks- they would see it as a sign that their belief system was ‘right’ and that their deity ‘smote’ the non-believers - it is doubtful that they would see it as ‘the christians were right all along’ I’m still trying to understand the mechanism of the disappearance - if I were inline at the local walmart - and the cashier was a professed christian - what would I ‘see’ ? is there anything left behind ? (dust, clothes, little geo-metric cubes ??) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/77 "2014-01-01T17:33:39Z")
> [@simster](#): > > I’m still trying to understand the mechanism of the disappearance - if I were inline at the local walmart - and the cashier was a professed christian - what would I ‘see’ ? > > is there anything left behind ? (dust, clothes, little geo-metric cubes ??) They would be there, and the next fraction of a second they(and their clothes) wouldn’t. No pop, no flash, no dust, no geo-metric cubes. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/78 "2014-01-01T17:33:56Z")
> [@simster](#): > > … geo-metric cubes … As distinct from other kinds of cube? ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/79 "2014-01-01T17:37:59Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > As distinct from other kinds of cube? Like [this](http://www.startrek.com/legacy_media/images/200303/tos-050-two-enterprise-crew-me/320x240.jpg), by any other name, a ‘cube’. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589/80 "2014-01-01T18:25:14Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Is this so confusing that a title change is necessary? I thought the OP would be sufficient enough explanation, but some here seem to be confused as to what the topic is: What happens if all who claim to be of a certain religion(in this case, Christianity), no matter how sincere their claim is, disappear suddenly from the face of the Earth, and we _never_ find out what happened to them. If you want to talk about who might or might not deserve to be “Raptured”, Great Debates is probably the place to go. I think this is the most confused premise you’ve made. You’re saying what if a bunch of people disappear, but there is no saying how many and the dividing line is certain to be arbitrary. Maybe 10% of Americans are gone, maybe 50%,maybe 90% or more. At one end it doesn’t change much, but at the other end the country is suddenly empty. I don’t think there is much difference between a professed bible thumper and a professed atheist. If a Muslim horde were outside a city, atheist can try to make the case they’re not together, but good luck with all those Christmas time purchases on their credit card statements. But to play along. Some major metro areas like New York maintain a good deal of their population thanks to diversity. I guess some real estate deals would open up. And the good news is no corpses to dispose of. Move right in! Most of middle America would be deserted. Native Americans who have resisted assimilation could reclaim it. Only they may be outnumbered by Indian guest workers and consultants. Israel would be feeling alone in the world. An island would be easier to defend, so they may want to think of calling Ireland or England the new promised land. It could be better to leave quickly or leave after the region has become radioactive from defending it alone. The Christian music and gospel charts would be wide open for new acts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-all-professed-christians-disappeared/677589.md?page=5)