Estate Planning for Pets May Include Rapture Planning as Well
- Bart Centre founded Eternal Earth-Bound Pets, which offers a ten-year contract to rescue and care for abandoned pets after the rapture in exchange for $110, plus $15 for each additional pet.
- The service is based on the idea that because animals do not have a soul, they will not be raptured and will be left on earth with non-believers.
- Twenty-six rescuers across 22 states have signed up to adopt abandoned pets, and more than 100 people have signed up for the service.
- Centre admits that he came up with the service as a way to cash in on rapture believers.
Even though Centre believes he will never have to care for the pets, he does have to convince perspective clients that he will uphold his end of the contract should he be wrong about his beliefs:
He must reassure the Rapture crowd that his pet rescuers are wicked enough to be left behind but good enough to take proper care of the abandoned pets. Rescuers must sign an affidavit to affirm their disbelief in God—and they must also clear a criminal background check. “We want people who have pets and are animal lovers,” Centre says. They also must have the means to rescue and transport the animals in their charge.
Mike D. Paola, Caring for Pets Left Behind by the Raptur, Business Week, Feb. 11, 2010; see also Eternal Earth-Bound Pets, which has a page dedicated to frequently asked questions.
Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Wealth Counsel) for bringing this to my attention.