Harold Camping...Again

[Townhallsavoy]

The gist: Camping says he was wrong in his calculations.  October 21st is the real date and we should all be prepared.  He claims to not be concerned with financial advice, yet his organization is worth $104+ million.  His company is neighbors with a palm reader. 

My question - This guy is obviously taking advantage of stupid people by inciting fear that the world is going be violently affected on a certain date.  How is this legal? 

I mean, if I said, "I'm going to blow up New York City with a bomb because it's overpopulated, and anyone who agrees with me should donate to my organization," I would be arrested for terrorism.

He says, "God is going to blow up the earth with natural disasters because it's full of sin, and anyone who agrees should donate to my organization," and it's okay?

OAKLAND, Calif. — As crestfallen followers of a California preacher who foresaw the world's end strained to find meaning in their lives, Harold Camping revised his apocalyptic prophecy Monday, saying he was off by five months and the Earth actually will be obliterated on Oct. 21.

Camping, who predicted that 200 million Christians would be taken to heaven Saturday before global cataclysm struck the planet, said he felt so terrible when his doomsday message did not come true that he left home and took refuge in a motel with his wife. His independent ministry, Family Radio International, spent millions — some of it from donations made by followers — on more than 5,000 billboards and 20 RVs plastered with the Judgment Day message.

Follower Jeff Hopkins also spent a good deal of his own retirement savings on gas money to power his car so people would see its ominous lighted sign showcasing Camping's May 21 warning. As the appointed day drew nearer, Hopkins started making the 100-mile round trip from Long Island to New York City twice a day, spending at least $15 on gas each trip.

"I've been mocked and scoffed and cursed at and I've been through a lot with this lighted sign on top of my car," said Hopkins, 52, a former television producer who lives in Great River, NY. "I was doing what I've been instructed to do through the Bible, but now I've been stymied. It's like getting slapped in the face."

Camping, who made a special appearance before the press at the Oakland headquarters of the media empire Monday evening, apologized for not having the dates "worked out as accurately as I could have."

Through chatting with a friend over what he acknowledged was a very difficult weekend, it dawned on him that instead of the biblical Rapture in which the faithful would be swept up to the heavens, May 21 had instead been a "spiritual" Judgment Day, which places the entire world under Christ's judgment, he said.

The globe will be completely destroyed in five months, he said, when the apocalypse comes. But because God's judgment and salvation were completed on Saturday, there's no point in continuing to warn people about it, so his network will now just play Christian music and programs until the final end on Oct. 21.

"We've always said May 21 was the day, but we didn't understand altogether the spiritual meaning," he said. "The fact is there is only one kind of people who will ascend into heaven ... if God has saved them they're going to be caught up."

It's not the first time the 89-year-old retired civil engineer has been dismissed by the Christian mainstream and has been forced to explain when his prediction didn't come to pass. Camping also prophesied the Apocalypse would come in 1994, but said later that didn't happen then because of a mathematical error.

Monday, rather than give his normal daily broadcast, Camping took questions as a part of his show, "Open Forum," which transmits his biblical interpretations via the group's radio stations, TV channels, satellite broadcasts and website.

Camping's hands shook slightly as he pinned his microphone to his lapel, and as he clutched a worn Bible he spoke in a quivery monotone about some listeners' earthly concerns after giving away possessions in expectation of the Rapture.

Family Radio would never tell anyone what they should do with their belongings, and those who had fewer would cope, Camping said.

"We're not in the business of financial advice," he said. "We're in the business of telling people there's someone who you can maybe talk to, maybe pray to, and that's God."

But he also said that he wouldn't give away all his possessions ahead of Oct 21.

"I still have to live in a house, I still have to drive a car," he said. "What would be the value of that? If it is Judgment Day why would I give it away?"

Apocalyptic thinking has always been part of American religious life and popular culture. Teachings about the end of the world vary dramatically — even within faith traditions — about how they will occur.

Still, the overwhelming majority of Christians reject the idea that the exact date or time of Jesus' return can be predicted.

Tim LaHaye, co-author of the best-selling "Left Behind" novels about the end times, recently called Camping's prediction "not only bizarre but 100 percent wrong!" He cited the Bible verse Matthew 24:36, "but about that day or hour no one knows" except God.

"While it may be in the near future, many signs of our times certainly indicate so, but anyone who thinks they 'know' the day and the hour is flat out wrong," LaHaye wrote on his website, leftbehind.com.

Signs of disappointment also were evident online, where groups that had confidently predicted the Rapture — and, in some cases, had spent money to help spread the word through advertisements — took tentative steps to re-establish Internet presences in the face of widespread mockery.

The Pennsylvania-based group eBible Fellowship still has a website with images of May 21 billboards all over the world, but its Twitter feed has changed over from the increasingly confident predictions before the date to circumspect Bible verses that seem to speak to the confusion and hurt many members likely feel.

Camping offered no clues about Family Radio's finances Monday, saying he could not estimate how much had been spent on getting out his prediction nor how much money the nonprofit had taken in as a result. In 2009, the nonprofit reported in IRS filings that it received $18.3 million in donations, and had assets of more than $104 million, including $34 million in stocks or other publicly traded securities.

Josh Ocasion, who works the teleprompter during Camping's live broadcasts in the group's threadbare studio sandwiched between an auto shop and a palm reader's business, said he enjoyed the production work but he had never fully believed the May 21 prophecy would come true.

"I thought he would show some more human decency in admitting he made a mistake," he said. "We didn't really see that."

Related topics: harold camping

http://blog.al.com/wire/2011/05/radio_host_harold_camping_says.html

[AUTiger1]

This guy is a great troll, he gets people to give him money for being wrong.  Ohhhh, Kool-aid and it's red!

[wesfau2]

[GH2001]

People like this clown have been using religion as an income for years. People that drink his kool aid deserve that they get.

[Vandy Vol]

The gist: Camping says he was wrong in his calculations.  October 21st is the real date and we should all be prepared.  He claims to not be concerned with financial advice, yet his organization is worth $104+ million.  His company is neighbors with a palm reader. 

My question - This guy is obviously taking advantage of stupid people by inciting fear that the world is going be violently affected on a certain date.  How is this legal? 

I mean, if I said, "I'm going to blow up New York City with a bomb because it's overpopulated, and anyone who agrees with me should donate to my organization," I would be arrested for terrorism.

He says, "God is going to blow up the earth with natural disasters because it's full of sin, and anyone who agrees should donate to my organization," and it's okay?

http://blog.al.com/wire/2011/05/radio_host_harold_camping_says.html

That article is wrong.  Because I wanted to see how much of a nutbag this guy was, I went to their website (before May 21) to see why they chose the date.  Long story short, it was a bunch of numerology bullshit that predicted the following:

The rapture would occur on May 21, 2011.  The rapture is a date of judgment.  Those found worthy will be saved and taken off of the earth to be with God (similar to how Enoch was taken to heaven at the age of 365 in the Bible).  Those found not worthy will be left on the earth in "torment."  This would continue until October 21, 2011, at which point the world would be destroyed.

So, Camping never thought that the world was going to end on May 21; he just thought that he would be taken to heaven with every other "real" Christian.

Based upon comments that he made Monday evening, he is not claiming that his calculations were off, but that the judgment that occurred on Saturday was an "invisible" or "spiritual" judgment, not a physical one that we noticed.  So, he is now claiming that the judgment did occur on May 21, and that the end of the world is still occurring on October 21.

[Snaggletiger]

Is October 21st on a Saturday?  Who do we play that day?  If it's an out of town game, I'm good.

[Vandy Vol]

Is October 21st on a Saturday?  Who do we play that day?  If it's an out of town game, I'm good.

It's a Friday.  Assuming the world does end, everyone will miss the Auburn game at LSU the next day.

[AU_Tiger_2000]

It's a Friday.  Assuming the world does end, everyone will miss the Auburn game at LSU the next day.

I always knew drunk cajuns would be behind the Armageddon.

[AUJarhead]

It's a Friday.  Assuming the world does end, everyone will miss the Auburn game at LSU the next day.

And Auburn will forever be the defending national champion.  I can live with that.

[Saniflush]

  I can live with that.

Well no, actually you can't.

[AUJarhead]

Well no, actually you can't.

Today, you people are no longer maggots. Today, you are Marines. You're part of a brotherhood. From now on until the day you die, wherever you are, every Marine is your brother. Most of you will go to Vietnam. Some of you will not come back. But always remember this: Marines die. That's what we're here for. But the Marine Corps lives forever. And that means YOU live forever.

[Saniflush]

Today, you people are no longer maggots. Today, you are Marines. You're part of a brotherhood. From now on until the day you die, wherever you are, every Marine is your brother. Most of you will go to Vietnam. Some of you will not come back. But always remember this: Marines die. That's what we're here for. But the Marine Corps lives forever. And that means YOU live forever.

YOU WILL LEARN. I WILL TEACH YOU.

[Buzz Killington]

It's a Friday.  Assuming the world does end, everyone will miss the Auburn game at LSU the next day.

This could be a good thing.

[GH2001]

That article is wrong.  Because I wanted to see how much of a nutbag this guy was, I went to their website (before May 21) to see why they chose the date.  Long story short, it was a bunch of numerology bullshit that predicted the following:

The rapture would occur on May 21, 2011.  The rapture is a date of judgment.  Those found worthy will be saved and taken off of the earth to be with God (similar to how Enoch was taken to heaven at the age of 365 in the Bible).  Those found not worthy will be left on the earth in "torment."  This would continue until October 21, 2011, at which point the world would be destroyed.

So, Camping never thought that the world was going to end on May 21; he just thought that he would be taken to heaven with every other "real" Christian.

Based upon comments that he made Monday evening, he is not claiming that his calculations were off, but that the judgment that occurred on Saturday was an "invisible" or "spiritual" judgment, not a physical one that we noticed.  So, he is now claiming that the judgment did occur on May 21, and that the end of the world is still occurring on October 21.

So in other words, another excuse for Mr. Camping to attempt to save face. The guy is a joke and is borderline senile.

In other news, a bear shit in the woods at some point yesterday.

[Snaggletiger]

Dude's 147 years old.  He's milking everything he can before he takes a dirt nap.

[Vandy Vol]

In other news, a bear shit in the woods at some point yesterday.

But the more important question is:  Was he saved on Saturday?

[Buzz Killington]

One of our resident farkmeisters really needs to get on this immediately.

[djsimp]

So, didn't Harold predict today the world would end....again.....again?

[AUJarhead]

So, didn't Harold predict today the world would end....again.....again?

Shit, I forgot it was happening today.

[djsimp]

Shit, I forgot it was happening today.

Me too. I should take the rest of the day off and make a run for the whiskey.