Apocalypse believers await end, skeptics carry on

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By GARANCE BURKE, Associated Press


OAKLAND, Calif. – They spent months warning the world of the apocalypse, some giving away earthly belongings or draining their savings accounts. And so they waited, eagerly or anxiously, on Saturday for the appointed hour to arrive.

When 6 p.m. came and went at various spots around the globe, and nothing extraordinary emerged, Keith Bauer — who hopped in his minivan in Maryland and drove his family 3,000 miles to California for the momentous occasion — tried to take it in stride.

"I had some skepticism but I was trying to push the skepticism away because I believe in God," he said in the bright morning sun outside the gated Oakland headquarters of Family Radio International, whose founder, Harold Camping, has been broadcasting the apocalyptic prediction for months. "I was hoping for it because I think heaven would be a lot better than this earth,"

But he added, "It's God who leads you, not Harold Camping."

Bauer, a tractor-trailer driver, took off for California last week, figuring that if he "worked last week, I wouldn't have gotten paid anyway, if the Rapture did happen." He plans to hop back in his minivan and begin the cross-country drive back Sunday with his wife, young son and another family relative.

The May 21 doomsday message was sent far and wide via broadcasts and web sites by Camping, an 89-year-old retired civil engineer who has built a multi-million-dollar nonprofit ministry based on his apocalyptic prediction. According to Camping, the destruction was to have begun its worldwide march as it became 6 p.m. in the various time zones.

At Chicago's Millennium Park, hours before that time arrived locally, people continued to take photographs of the famed Cloud Gate as they do every other Saturday — and many saw the prediction about Judgment Day as something of a joke.

"I guess the whole school thing was a waste of time," said Sarah Eaton, a 19-year-old college student visiting the city from St. Paul, Minn.

Mena Bishara, 24 of Houston, said if he did believe it he sure wouldn't be walking around the park with his sister.

"Skydiving," he said. "Or I'd buy a motorcycle."

The Internet also was alive with discussion, humorous or not, about the end of the world and its failure to occur on cue. Many tweets declared Camping's prediction a dud or shared, tongue-in-cheek, their relief at not having to do weekend chores, pay their bills or take a shower.

The top trends on Twitter at midday included, at No. 1, "endofworldconfessions," followed by "myraptureplaylist."

Camping's radio stations, TV channels, satellite broadcasts and website are controlled from a humble building sandwiched between an auto shop and a palm reader's business. Family Radio International's message has been broadcast in 61 languages. He has said that his earlier apocalyptic prediction in 1994 didn't come true because of a mathematical error.

"I'm not embarrassed about it. It was just the fact that it was premature," he told The Associated Press last month. But this time, he said, "there is...no possibility that it will not happen."

Camping believed that some 200 million people would be saved, and that those left behind would die in earthquakes, plagues, and other calamities until Earth is consumed by a fireball on Oct. 21.

Christian leaders from across the spectrum widely dismissed the prophecy. One local church was concerned that Camping's followers could slip into a deep depression come Sunday.

Pastor Jacob Denys of Milpitas-based Calvary Bible Church planned to wait outside the nonprofit's headquarters on Saturday afternoon, hoping to counsel believers who may be disillusioned if the Rapture does not occur.

"The cold, hard reality is going to hit them that they did this, and it was false and they basically emptied out everything to follow a false teacher," he said. "We're not all about doom and gloom. Our message is a message of salvation and of hope."

As the day drew nearer, followers reported that donations grew, allowing Family Radio to spend millions on more than 5,000 billboards and 20 RVs plastered with the doomsday message. 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.

Marie Exley, who helped put up apocalypse-themed billboards in Israel, Jordan and Lebanon, said the money helped the nonprofit save as many souls as possible.

She said she and her husband, mother and brother were glued to the television on Friday night waiting for news of an earthquake in the southern hemisphere. When that did not happen, she said fellow believers began reaching out to reassure each other of their faith in the prophecy.

"Some people were saying it was going to be an earthquake at that specific time in New Zealand and be a rolling judgment, but God is keeping us in our place and saying you may know the day but you don't know the hour," she said Saturday, speaking from Bozeman, Mont. "The day is not over, it's just the morning, and we have to endure until the end."

Camping, who lives few miles from his radio station, was not home Saturday at midmorning.

But Sheila Doan, 65, Camping's next-door-neighbor of 40 years, was. She said the worldwide spotlight on the prediction is far more attention than Camping's 1994 prediction got.

Doan said she is a Christian but that she doesn't buy into his views and is not among his followers.

"I wouldn't consider Mr. Camping a close friend and wouldn't have him over for dinner or anything, but if he needs anything, we're there for him," Doan said.

[Hal-9000]

Have you ever noticed with these people believing in doomsday dates...that it never really comes for anyone else, other than the doomsday believers?

So I guess part of it is right.I'm thinking of the comet cult where they all killed themselves and each other.For them, the day did arrive.......

[Teh One Who Knocks]

They just had a spokesman for the church on the news...said he was wrong about it starting at 6 PM local time in every time zone. It's supposed to start at midnight Jerusalem time, so that means it will happen in about 2 hours and 20 minutes :thumbsup:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Have you ever noticed with these people believing in doomsday dates...that it never really comes for anyone else, other than the doomsday believers?

So I guess part of it is right.I'm thinking of the comet cult where they all killed themselves and each other.For them, the day did arrive.......

I never thought of it that way :-k

[Hal-9000]

self fulfilling prophecy in the saddest sense of the term :(

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Now I'm not a bible scholar or anything, in fact I'm not even religious, but doesn't the bible say something to the effect that no one can know when the beginning of the End of Days will start except God?

[DemonGeminiX]

:-s

A volcano erupted in Iceland.

[DemonGeminiX]

Now I'm not a bible scholar or anything, in fact I'm not even religious, but doesn't the bible say something to the effect that no one can know when the beginning of the End of Days will start except God?

Yeah it does. Several passages in different spots of the New Testament. One of the Gospels and Thessalonians, I believe. That effectively makes people like Camping false prophets.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

:-s

A volcano erupted in Iceland.

Too early :hand:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Yeah it does. Several passages in different spots of the New Testament. One of the Gospels and Thessalonians, I believe. That effectively makes people like Camping false prophets.

That's what I thought

[Hal-9000]

It depends what part of he bible you read and what interpretation is taken from it...the usual suspect is Revelations for any 'serious' prophecy edicts

They talk about 2000 years from the time Christ first walked the Earth.So since most of the bible's main structure was passed by word of mouth for approximately 300 years after Jesus died,
before being committed to paper, anything to do with specific dates is going to be dicey at best.


eg.

Jesus lives and dies - 0

Bible is assembled and written - 0 + 300 years

Prophecy date about rapture and second coming - 0 + 300 years + 2000 (or 1700?)


In my mind Jesus walked/died, bible talks about 2000 years of peace after that time, then the second coming in two millenia.Also talks about the antichrist showing up around the same time (Battle Royale?).
One of the scariest prophecies talks about a world leader with X amount of letters in his name, who will in effect be the antichrist.The timing on that one is around now........

[Hal-9000]

Yeah it does. Several passages in different spots of the New Testament. One of the Gospels and Thessalonians, I believe. That effectively makes people like Camping false prophets.

false prophets are mentioned in a lot of sections of the bible...something to watch for and beware I believe

[DemonGeminiX]

Beware of those that quote scripture as well. The Devil can quote scripture too. And today we'll be reading from the book of Luke...

[Hal-9000]

discussing theology with a demon..ffs

:facepalm:


you had me there for a minute....

[Teh One Who Knocks]

discussing theology with a demon..ffs

:facepalm:


you had me there for a minute....

http://i.imgur.com/aauXb.gif

[Hal-9000]

*srpinkles salt around thread*

[Teh One Who Knocks]

So when it comes down to it, the beginning of the End of Days is hinted at in the bible, but there is no exact date given :-k

[DemonGeminiX]

Ok, the first passage is Matthew 24:36:

But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

You can find the same or similar text in Mark 13:32

Acts 1:7:

He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.

I couldn't find it in Thessalonians. My bad.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Those are rather vague :-k

[DemonGeminiX]

So when it comes down to it, the beginning of the End of Days is hinted at in the bible, but there is no exact date given :-k

Nope, there is no specific date. Not explicitly stated nor implied in the slightest. Anyone who claims a date is a false prophet. The scripture says to remain vigilant in your belief, because you never can know when it will come.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Nope, there is no specific date. Not explicitly stated nor implied in the slightest. Anyone who claims a date is a false prophet. The scripture says to remain vigilant in your belief, because you never can know when it will come.

Gotcha :thumbsup:


So why do people keep falling for people like Camping? :wha:

[DemonGeminiX]

Those are rather vague :-k

Not really. Those are the specific passages concerning the answer that was posed: "When will the end come". No one ever quotes the passages leading up to those specific passages. There's like 2 full paragraphs in Matthew, including a short parable.

[Hal-9000]

One thing has always fascinated me about the bible and the story of Jesus.

You have to think about the time it occurred.The civilized world was run by Romans and most cultures (along with the Romans) worshiped multiple pagan gods or gods of astrology if you will.
It was accepted to pray to one god for good health and another god for good weather.

Then...a guy shows up and says - NO, there is only one true god.And in the ensuing 300 years, a tome of scriptures is assembled, talking about multiple instances of how the one true god is in everything
and that every thing else that was formerly believed is hogwash.

It was monumentally brave if nothing else...what always picks at the back of my mind is the why.Why would a guy like Jesus come along, enlist some help and then do everything he can to spread the word about something
he knew damn well would upset most of the world? There was definitely no gain in it for him, as a matter of fact he knew that he would probably die for it.

The parables and the message in bible are complex.They are certainly not a 'Comet Cult' shortform of an idea of religion, like most of these newer cults of Reader's Digest Christianity.The story of the bible from start to finish is an elaborate set of writings based on things that happened before Jesus was born, things that occurred with him and his disciples and things that occurred and will occur after his time.

So again why? It wasn't like Jesus brought a small message of change pertaining to the existing gods of the time...he brought a rich tapestry of stories, lessons and rules that went so far against the norm, they couldn't be ignored.It's the inherent confidence of the background of the bible that makes me think.And the absolute lack of personal gain for the bearers of the message.

To me, at the very worst, the bible is a handbook for learning how to treat others and yourself better throughout life.For a fairy tale it's far too elaborate for me to accept that it's all bunk.

[DemonGeminiX]

Gotcha :thumbsup:


So why do people keep falling for people like Camping? :wha:

Because they're idiots. They don't read the bible themselves or they pick and choose what they want to believe in. Some people are genuinely hoping that this world will come to an end because, face it, it's not that great of a place to be in and they want something better. Could be tons of reasons.

[Hal-9000]

It could be argued that some crazy dictator with his fingering hovering over a nuke button is an instrument of God's will.
We often hear that maniacal terrorists have heard the voice of God and are following His instructions..in effect, their faith is the catalyst, not the actual whisperings of God.

Faith is one of the most powerful and also one of the most destructive abstract entities on this planet.I truly hope if there is a God and He does want to impart His will upon us,
that we recognize the message is true and not open for interpretation.

[DemonGeminiX]

One thing has always fascinated me about the bible and the story of Jesus.

You have to think about the time it occurred.The civilized world was run by Romans and most cultures (along with the Romans) worshiped multiple pagan gods or gods of astrology if you will.
It was accepted to pray to one god for good health and another god for good weather.

Then...a guy shows up and says - NO, there is only one true god.And in the ensuing 300 years, a tome of scriptures is assembled, talking about multiple instances of how the one true god is in everything
and that every thing else that was formerly believed is hogwash.

It was monumentally brave if nothing else...what always picks at the back of my mind is the why.Why would a guy like Jesus come along, enlist some help and then do everything he can to spread the word about something
he knew damn well would upset most of the world? There was definitely no gain in it for him, as a matter of fact he knew that he would probably die for it.

The parables and the message in bible are complex.They are certainly not a 'Comet Cult' shortform of an idea of religion, like most of these newer cults of Reader's Digest Christianity.The story of the bible from start to finish is an elaborate set of writings based on things that happened before Jesus was born, things that occurred with him and his disciples and things that occurred and will occur after his time.

So again why? It wasn't like Jesus brought a small message of change pertaining to the existing gods of the time...he brought a rich tapestry of stories, lessons and rules that went so far against the norm, they couldn't be ignored.It's the inherent confidence of the background of the bible that makes me think.And the absolute lack of personal gain for the bearers of the message.

To me, at the very worst, the bible is a handbook for learning how to treat others and yourself better throughout life.For a fairy tale it's far too elaborate for me to accept that it's all bunk.

There's a lot of different ways to look at the Bible. For one thing, consider this (playing the devil's advocate here): At the time the books of the Bible were written, the people were under Roman rule, and standard Roman literature about their pagan gods and heroes were written as epics, much like the Greeks wrote about their gods and heroes. All in the same style: gods and heroes performing impossible feats. Lots of embellishments. Did Achilles, Perseus, Hercules, Aeneus, etc etc really do all of these wondrous things? Now look at the Bible. Notice something about the style in which it's written? That's right, it's just like the Roman and Greek epics. It was the style of the age. So did Jesus really come along and do all of these wonderful things? Or were they all just embellishments in the style of writing that was popular back in the day?

I've said it before and I'll say it again: You cannot prove these things. It's a matter of faith. It's what you believe in your heart.

[Hal-9000]

Gotcha :thumbsup:


So why do people keep falling for people like Camping? :wha:

Along with what DGX said, some people need a message...they're looking for something and if a charismatic person comes along, says the right words...they believe 100%.

There was a show on TV that looked at why people get sucked into cults.They found that usually there is a personality type that has been damaged from a past event or a deeper flaw
that makes them susceptible to the allure of the group setting, the leader's message and just fitting in somewhere.People with clinical depression, former drug addicts and people who
have lsot either a spouse or family member due to divorce or death...are susceptible as well.The cult leaders recognize that some people have a void in their lives and often target them.

[Hal-9000]

There's a lot of different ways to look at the Bible. For one thing, consider this (playing the devil's advocate here): At the time the books of the Bible were written, the people were under Roman rule, and standard Roman literature about their pagan gods and heroes were written as epics, much like the Greeks wrote about their gods and heroes. All in the same style: gods and heroes performing impossible feats. Lots of embellishments. Did Achilles, Perseus, Hercules, Aeneus, etc etc really do all of these wondrous things? Now look at the Bible. Notice something about the style in which it's written? That's right, it's just like the Roman and Greek epics. It was the style of the age. So did Jesus really come along and do all of these wonderful things? Or were they all just embellishments in the style of writing that was popular back in the day?

I've said it before and I'll say it again: You cannot prove these things. It's a matter of faith. It's what you believe in your heart.

devil's advocate *sniggers*

That's another thing that makes me wonder...if Jesus never existed, why has the bible survived for so long in our culture? (aside from absolute greed by some forms of the church).
I believe that even if Jesus wasn't the man the bible says he is, he certainly did something way back when to make an impact and to get people to notice him.Putting all writing embellishments of the time aside, there was an awful lot written about the guy.

He was either a stellar magician or had a Godlike (ha ha) charisma when he spoke to people...

[pepo]

http://www.tu-pc.com/fondos/media/3550.jpg

[DemonGeminiX]

devil's advocate *sniggers*

That's another thing that makes me wonder...if Jesus never existed, why has the bible survived for so long in our culture? (aside from absolute greed by some forms of the church).
I believe that even if Jesus wasn't the man the bible says he is, he certainly did something way back when to make an impact and to get people to notice him.Putting all writing embellishments of the time aside, there was an awful lot written about the guy.

He was either a stellar magician or had a Godlike (ha ha) charisma when he spoke to people...

Do you see how some celebrities flock to the Church of Scientology? Do you notice how some people are so devoted to aforementioned celebrities? How do you know something similar couldn't have happened back in the day?

Not saying that that is what happened.... I'm just saying there are many different paths that this vehicle could have driven to make it's current destination.

I gotta run. See ya later.

[AntZ]

Churches that teach from the bible have always reminded everyone that the end will come in the "twinkling of an eye"! Bible scholars/preachers DON'T know when the end will be, that's why they teach that "YOU" must be ready and have your affairs in order. The second thing that's taught is to avoid the false profits that contradict the bible! Like these people that said it will end today and that it's in the bible??

[Godfather]

Don't worry guys... if you couldn't think of a Rapture joke for the facebook status...



there's always tomorrow

[deebakes]

0 wanks...

[Loser]

Meh, it gave me a reason to :wank: more then usual.....just in case....:lol:

[deebakes]

:lol:

[Loser]

How many men are gonna wake up with a sore penis tomorrow? :lol:

[deebakes]

at least 1 that i know of :oops:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

So, has it happened yet? :-k

[DemonGeminiX]

:-s

Has anyone gone missing?

You know what really must suck? Being someone who whole-heartedly believed that this was really going to happen - believing that God's chosen would be whisked away yesterday in the blink of an eye to be saved - and not being one of the saved, having to stay on Earth to witness and be subject to what you believed was going to be the hell of armageddon in the next 5 months.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

That would be awesome...I wish I knew someone like that because I'd be fucking with them so bad :lol:

[Goofy]

I have a hangover......... it's not the end of the world though :)

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/dl58p.jpg

[Oofty Goofty]

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x406/Oofty_Goofty/Apocalypse_vasnetsov.jpg

I didn't see any of these guys riding down my street yesterday

[Southern Belle]

http://is200.imagesocket.com/thumbs/2011/05/22/noonepngrmv2.png (http://www.imagesocket.com/view/2011/05/22/noonepngrmv2.png)

[Deepsepia]

Spending a lot of hours on the road, from time to time I listen to evangelical radio, just to see "what's on" . . . I've actually heard Camping a bit, never seen his picture.

His principal attraction is his voice, very distinctive, and his peculiar theology. He goes on about something he calls the end of "the Church Age", always has. I'm not really sure what he means by that, but he and his listeners get into these complicated tangles of theology . . . it always sounded like middle school students arguing over the tax code. Very confusing and detailed chronologies of what was going to happen in the "last days" are probably the largest part of what I heard from him . . .

FWIW he never sounded particularly "Christian" to me . . . I'd say he reminded me of the Mormons, he referred to [some of] the same people and books as Christians, but with a spin so different that it seemed he had his own religion.

[Joebob034]

:yawn: