Harold Camping, the crazy...I mean, man behind Family Radio (another wonderful example of the religious' talent in naming) states that in just under three months from today the Christian Rapture will occur with the ultimate destruction of the world occurring five months later on October 21st. He has discovered this through years of careful examination of the bible. Combined with his own interpretations, arguments and calculations that makes one wonder just how long he has been off his medication, Camping came to the final date in a method he calls "infallible". I think perhaps he should have spent more time studying a dictionary instead of religious texts.
But even a great theologian such as Harold Camping makes mistakes now and then. Take his earlier prediction that the end of the world would occur on September 6, 1994. He claims that he originally thought 2011 would be the date, even back when he made his first prediction, but a few of the bible verses he was examining messed up his calculations.
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| The bane of Mathematicians worldwide. |
But what some would see as an embarrassing snafu, not to mention proof that his holy text is anything but infallible, Harold Camping just saw as confirmation of his previous interpretations of the signs. He was then certain of 2011 being Judgment Day. As for how he can be so certain, he claims that it is because:
I know it's absolutely true, because the Bible is always absolutely true.
Huh...I suppose we should tell that to the geologists, geneticists, archeologists, biologists and ever other member of the scientific community who has been wasting their time with proof when all they had to do was flip open some haphazardly arranged religious text.
Though this does make me wonder what his excuse is going to be come May 22 when he is, unfortunately, still on the air. Is he going to claim some new factor has been brought to his attention that he had overlooked so that he can come up with a new date? Will he say that he just wasn't one of the 2-3% who will be chosen? He won't be able to claim that people prayed hard enough to get god to give us some extra time as Harold Camping's message is all about its certainty and how to question it would be to question the will of god (of course, what else is prayer than a way to tell god that you could do a much better job then him). I actually look forward to his excuses as well as to hear what his roving masses have to say about it all.
3 comments:
This reminds me of the Homer Simpson thought it was doomsday... Except, you know, it actually was. I sure hope someone goes up to God and does what he did in putting off the world's destruction.... And then he woke up and it's a dream... Or is it?
Is he going to claim some new factor has been brought to his attention that he had overlooked so that he can come up with a new date?
That's what these bozos always do. There have been so many of these asinine Biblical "end of the world" predictions, and in every case when the appointed date arrives and the "prophet" perceptively notices that the world is still here, he goes back to his calculations, finds an error, and announces a new date. Camping will do the same.
Though one would think after his last correction, Camping's followers would wise up a bit. But then again, so many have given away so much and only feel connection to others when they are around other doomsday believers that I would be surprised if they could go back to their normal lives. Some of these people have been on the road spreading the word for years, this is all they know now.
Not to mention that being part of such a limited community gives them a sense of purpose of being special. I would actually be surprised if it is even about the prophecy anymore. Not to mention how many of his more dedicated followers are most likely people with untreated mental illness...
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