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Betting Against the End of the World
The Atlas Society - The Center for Objectivism ^ | May 17, 2011 | Edward Hudgins

Posted on 05/18/2011 1:24:23 PM PDT by Ed Hudgins

Throughout human history and especially in recent centuries, cults of all kinds have predicted the end of the world. You’ve probably noticed that they’ve all been seriously wrong.

The latest such silliness has come from 89-year-old Harold Camping’s Family Radio network of 66 stations. Based on his study of the Bible, Camping calculates that doomsday will be on Saturday, May 21, 2011.

Christianity is particularly prone to such nonsense. After all, the Book of Revelation is all about doomsday, though with details from a clearly delusional mind. The “son of man” appears out of the clouds with a two-edged sword coming out of his mouth: that makes it tough to eat and talk! He has seven stars in his hand: a star is a million miles in diameter and a million degrees at its core, making things pretty hot and crowded on the Earth. You get the picture.

American history is full of cults that saw no future for the world. Starting in 1843, William Miller and his followers predicted a dozen doomsdays. One would think that after the first few predictions failed, followers of the cult would disappear. Remarkably, more such cults and followers followed.

The problem is not only found in fringe Christian sects. The landscape of the twentieth century is littered with the failed predictions from a plethora of mystic and New Age groups. The members of the Heaven’s Gate flying saucer cult, to get ahead of the game, all committed suicide.

Rich Suckers

What is perhaps most disturbing about the adherents to cults that make such failed predictions or, more generally, are as crazy as March hares, is that they are not just the most poor, ignorant, or downtrodden in society.

(Excerpt) Read more at atlassociety.org ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: armageddon; doomsday; endoftheworld; judgementday
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To: Larry Lucido

The MODs have spoken.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2722423/posts


61 posted on 05/20/2011 12:05:16 AM PDT by Salamander (I'm your pain.)
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To: Ed Hudgins
Why the Dinosaurs Disappeared
62 posted on 05/20/2011 5:01:17 AM PDT by SC DOC
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To: SC DOC

Love it!


63 posted on 05/21/2011 6:32:26 AM PDT by Ed Hudgins (Rand fan)
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To: Larry Lucido; humblegunner; Eaker; Allegra; TheMom; TheOldLady; 50mm
Well 6:00pm local time in New Zealand has come and gone and my friends down there report no Rapture, earth collapsing under their feet, sky opening with fire and brimstone or the like. One was planning to ask Jesus to do the water into wine trick but now is forced to procure a bottle for dinner from his own stash.
64 posted on 05/21/2011 6:39:52 AM PDT by Ed Hudgins (Rand fan)
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To: Ed Hudgins; humblegunner; Eaker; Allegra; TheMom; TheOldLady; 50mm; Larry Lucido; ...

It is written: “Verily, until the last blog is pimped, I shall not release the kittens of destruction. And I will then strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Overlord when I lay my vengeance upon you!” Ezekiel, I think.

May the 4th, er, may the 21st be with you.


65 posted on 05/21/2011 7:08:58 AM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: Ed Hudgins

Do not ping me.


66 posted on 05/21/2011 7:27:14 AM PDT by TheOldLady
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To: Ed Hudgins; All

67 posted on 05/21/2011 7:49:22 AM PDT by Bean Counter (If Obama is the answer, how stupid was the question??)
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To: Larry Lucido
So it turns out that Harold Camping’s prophecy was just pulp fiction!
68 posted on 05/21/2011 7:50:53 AM PDT by Ed Hudgins (Rand fan)
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To: TheOldLady

LOL


69 posted on 05/21/2011 7:57:46 AM PDT by Vendome ("Don't take life so seriously... You'll never live through it anyway")
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To: Larry Lucido; humblegunner; shibumi; TheOldLady; Bean Counter; paulycy
Lol. Here's another one:

"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a pimp rise up out of the sea, having seven blogs and ten threads, and upon his threads ten excerpts with blog links, and upon his links the name of the blasphemous blog.

If any man have an ear, let him hear

And he deceiveth them that dwell on Free Republic by the means of those excerpts which he had linked to his blog in the sight of all; saying to them that dwell on the Free Republic, that they should click on his link, which would take them to his blog, and give him hits.

Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the blog: for it is the number of a pimp; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."

From Revelation somewhere I think. :-)

70 posted on 05/21/2011 9:51:29 AM PDT by DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis (Want to make $$$? It's easy! Use FR as a platform to pimp your blog for hits!!!)
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To: Bean Counter

Stolen. ;-)


71 posted on 05/21/2011 9:52:04 AM PDT by DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis (Want to make $$$? It's easy! Use FR as a platform to pimp your blog for hits!!!)
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To: DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis

72 posted on 05/21/2011 9:54:30 AM PDT by humblegunner
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To: DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a pimp rise up out of the sea"

And the rangemaster declared the line to be hot, and we did
then joyously blow him away before he had cleared the water.

73 posted on 05/21/2011 9:57:20 AM PDT by humblegunner
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To: humblegunner
Heh heh. Good one.

Here's an alternate ending:

"And I saw the pimp, and all the blogpimps of the earth, and their supporters, gathered together to make war against Jim Robinson and FRee Republic, and against the Pimpbusters.

And the pimp was taken, and with him the blog that wrought hits for him, with which he deceived them that dwell on Free Republic, and them that supported his pimping. These were cast alive into a lake of zot burning with brimstone."

74 posted on 05/21/2011 10:22:26 AM PDT by DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis (Want to make $$$? It's easy! Use FR as a platform to pimp your blog for hits!!!)
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To: DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis; humblegunner

That’s good work right there!


75 posted on 05/21/2011 1:13:25 PM PDT by Eaker (The problem with the internet, you're never sure of the accuracy of the quotes. Abraham Lincoln '65)
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To: Eaker

:-D


76 posted on 05/21/2011 2:29:06 PM PDT by DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis (Want to make $$$? It's easy! Use FR as a platform to pimp your blog for hits!!!)
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To: TheMom; shibumi; Larry Lucido; TheOldLady; 50mm; Eaker; Allegra; Salamander; ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-ckrqXquvM

Early protests to the evil rapture, DIE DIRTBUCKET.. die!


77 posted on 05/21/2011 2:42:57 PM PDT by humblegunner
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To: humblegunner; shibumi; Larry Lucido; TheOldLady; 50mm; Eaker; Allegra; Salamander; ...

Well, it’s 6PM EST and I’m not raptured, so I guess I’m stuck with you guys for the bad times to come. WooHoo!


78 posted on 05/21/2011 3:12:26 PM PDT by 50mm ( I don't use drugs, my dreams are frightening enough.)
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To: 50mm

I’m waiting for about another hour to get my new Yamaha Raptor!


79 posted on 05/21/2011 3:21:10 PM PDT by humblegunner
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To: Ed Hudgins
Apparently you missed the multiple posts where the owner of Free Republic, Mr. Jim Robinson, states that "Free Republic is pro-God".

Blogpimping, in and of itself is boorish behavior, but pimping your blog and and insulting the belief system of the website's owner is exceptionally bad form.

80 posted on 05/21/2011 3:23:03 PM PDT by FourPeas ("Maladjusted and wigging out is no way to go through life, son." -hg)
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