Posted on 05/24/2011 6:54:22 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The evangelical Christian broadcaster whose much-ballyhooed Judgement Day prophecy went conspicuously unfulfilled on Saturday has a simple explanation for what went wrong -- he miscalculated.
Instead of the world physically coming to an end on May 21 with a great, cataclysmic earthquake, as he had predicted, Harold Camping, 89, said he now believes his forecast is playing out "spiritually," with the actual apocalypse set to occur five months later, on October 21.
Camping, who launched a doomsday countdown in which some followers spent their life's savings in anticipation of being swept into heaven, issued his correction during an appearance on his "Open Forum" radio show from Oakland, California.
The headquarters of Camping's Family Radio network of 66 U.S. stations had been shuttered over the weekend with a sign on the door that read, "This Office is Closed. Sorry we missed you!"
During a sometimes rambling, 90-minute discourse that included a question-and-answer session with reporters, Camping said he felt bad that Saturday had come and gone without the Rapture he had felt so certain would take place.
Reflecting on scripture afterward, Camping said it "dawned" on him that a "merciful and compassionate God" would spare humanity from "hell on Earth for five months" by compressing the physical apocalypse into a shorter time frame.
But he insisted that October 21 has always been the end-point of his own End Times chronology, or at least, his latest chronology.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Another thing, Camping says the world will still end in 2011? Then why did he sign off on the lease on his radio station that doesn’t expire until 2012? Or is there a clause in Realty Law that says a lease survives the Rapure? any attys out there?
That's the logic that the anthropomorphic global warming doomsayers use. Jim Taranto dubbed Camping as the Christian version of Al Gore. He's right. There is little difference between the predictions of Camping and the predictions of the Church of Gaia, except Camping gets more ridicule than the AGW kooks.
Doomsday? We don’t need Harold Camping. We’ve got ObaMao.
Stupid as this is, there will be still be many idiotic people that believe in Camping. A certain number of people WANT to believe the rapture is coming soon, so they will attach themselves to any charlatan who says it is.
Camping is not a minister...he has gone 0 for 10 in predictions of the End, it’s said. It will soon be 0 for 11.
His radio licenses (up for renewal soon in some states) will probably not be yanked; the freedom of speech/religion,
and while there is a “hoax clause” in FCC rules, there has to be a lot of proof that people were greatly harmed, etc.
RE: there has to be a lot of proof that people were greatly harmed, etc.
Apparently Mr. Fitzpatrick, the man who spent $140,000 warning people of Camping’s calculated doomsday does not think he was harmed....
his “pastor” doesn’t know the Bible.
I think Camping said things along the lines of “it’s up to people whether or not to give away stuff” etc. In other words, don’t blame me.
The following page has various doomsday predictions at least up to 1997.
http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/RED_FEATHER/doomsday/1971-1997.html
>>Sep 27, 1994 Harold Camping, head of Oakland’s Family Radio and host of the station’s Biblical discussion talk show Open Forum, predicted the end in his book 1994? He calculated that the Tribulation would end on September 6, followed by the Last Day and the Second Coming of Christ between Sep. 15 and Sep. 27. (Camping p.526-7, p.531)
Sep 29, 1994 Harold Camping’s doomsday prediction #2. (Abanes p.95)
Oct 2, 1994 Harold Camping’s doomsday prediction #3. (Abanes p.95)
Mar 31, 1995 Harold Camping’s doomsday prediction #4. He gave up setting dates afterwards. (Abanes p.95)
(Note: old web page, again.)
from same source:
>>
Sep 13, 1988 Edgar C. Whisenant lightened the wallets of many a believer with his best-selling book 88 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Be in 1988. He predicted the Rapture between September 11 and 13 (Rosh Hashanah). After his prediction failed, he released another book: The Final Shout: Rapture Report 1989. (Kyle p.121, Abanes p.93)
Sep 15, 1988 After Whisenant’s prediction failed, he insisted that the Rapture would take place at 10:55 am on September 15. (Abanes p.94)
Oct 3, 1988 Incredulous that yet another prediction failed, Whisenant pushed the date of the Rapture forward to October 3. (Abanes p.94)
RE: his “pastor” doesn’t know the Bible.
Harold Camping does not have a “pastor”. He was stripped of his teaching position in his church way back in 1988.
For the past few years, Camping has been warning Christians to leave their churches because he believes they have all apostasized.
If this guy were an actor, and predicting the end of oceans instead of the end of the world, he would be treated as thoughtful, introspective and seen as wanting to do his part in creating a better world.
Anyone ask Camping why he’s stealing a decades old British comedy routine?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hJQ18S6aag
Camping has a huge radio presence in the USA with over 66 stations nationwide. Furthermore, his programs are broadcast WORLDWIDE.
Add this to the fact that he and his followers spent money saturating many major cities worldwide with his ads ( I know because friends in Manila and Australia tell me ) and you can’t ignore this news at all ( that is, if you still want to publish news ).
I had no idea he was so well known - thought he was similar to the local pastor in FL who burned a Koran and cashed in on huge media attention.
Okay - this guy is picking on ME PERSONALLY now. The most recent prediction was 3 days before my son’s 18th birthday. So we were truly concerned that my son wouldn’t make it to his majority and be able to vote conservative!
Then the guy changes his mind and chooses 3 days before my 55th birthday - so I won’t be able to take advantage of all the senior discounts!
I’m telling you - it is NO FAIR!
I don’t suppose... I know it’s asking a lot, it’s so much easier to just let crap fall out of your mouth or fingertips, than actually think....
.... that you know that thousands of programmers were working for about two years prior to 2000 to correct the very errors predicted. And that if not for their efforts we would have had some bad mojo.
Not to mention some uncorrected things.... such as a dam for instance.. did fail.
Nah. You carry right along with your bad self, always thinking that you know more than you do.
Sorry but you’re today’s typical toady. Far too many of you out there, ready to pipe in on any subject where you have the “popular hindsight” that was spoonfed to you by the media.
Lap, lap, lap, lap. Good kitty. Repeat back what you think you know now. Go on.
I must ask, did you buy WND Y2K food kits?
Heh. No. Just a bit extra food and water.
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