Posted on 06/29/2011 7:35:26 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
An Oregon man, believed to be a follower of Harold Camping and in jail for allegedly shooting a co-worker last week, wanted to punish the victim for mocking the California preacher’s rapture prophecy, emerging developments suggest.
A 39-year-old man from west Eugene, Dale O’Callaghan, shot his co-worker, 33-year-old Jerry Andrews, in the shoulder June 24, calling him “one of those Satanic” people, according to a sworn affidavit filed in Lane County Circuit Court by Eugene Police Detective Ben Hall.
O’Callaghan and Andrews, co-workers at LHM Hydraulics for several years, had argued occasionally over Harold Camping’s prediction that the rapture would cause the end of the world beginning May 21, which turned out to be false, The Register-Guard quoted the victim’s mother, Robin O’Brien, as saying Tuesday.
The suspect, who had no adult criminal record until then, had been teased at work about his apparent belief in the rapture predicted by Camping, who spent millions of dollars on over 5,000 billboards and 20 recreational vehicles carrying the Judgment Day message.
O’Callaghan “expected to be taken up in the rapture, and it didn’t happen … He’d been getting some ribbing from the guys in the shop, and I guess he simmered over that,” O’Brien was quoted as saying. She added that her son did not want to speak with journalists.
While the two were not on bad terms, the suspect took it personally when the victim and other co-workers teased him in recent weeks over his belief in Camping’s prediction that Jesus Christ was to return to Earth May 21, the victim’s mother added.
However, the suspect’s father, Ronald O’Callaghan, said his son was not a believer in Harold Camping.
Investigators said the accused used a .357-caliber revolver to shoot Andrews once in the shoulder area as they first saw each other at work on the morning of June 24. O’Callaghan is in the Lane County Jail facing a felony charge of first-degree assault.
The bullet traveled across Andrews’ upper back and became lodged behind his left shoulder and “just missed paralyzing him,” his mother said, adding that he suffered a fractured shoulder and a fractured vertebra. Andrews is being given an outpatient treatment.
LHM Hydraulics, where the two work, is owned by the suspect’s parents.
The suspect insisted on having a lawyer at the time of police interrogation, but when he was taken to Circuit Court Monday he said he didn’t want representation by an attorney. However, after Judge Charles Zennaché explained that the mandatory minimum sentence for the crime was seven and a half years in prison, he finally agreed.
O’Callaghan is apparently one of the hundreds of people who actually believed Camping’s prediction would come true. Some of his followers sold their homes, left their jobs or donated their life savings in anticipation of the rapture of 200 million Christians to heaven.
Camping, 89, who has been preaching what he believes to be God’s word in the Bible through Family Radio for over 50 years, still insists that his prophesy was not false and that it was just off by five months. Camping and his believers are now preparing for the rapture on October 21.
Dale, why couldn’t you wait until October 21st? :-P
Please tell me that idiot Camping didn't make a third prediction...
wouldn’t satisfaction that his friend would have then be “left behind” been enough?
RE: Please tell me that idiot Camping didn’t make a third prediction...
To make a long story short — HE DID after May 21 did not pan out claiming a miscalculation. Oct 21 is the next date to watch according to him.
I can see the headlines now: “Rapture Interrupted By Gun Fire Millions Flee”
Oh for Pete's sake! You'd think that after missing the mark twice and being partially paralyzed by a stroke shortly after the second attempt (you can't convince me that God didn't have a hand in that, Camping is a false prophet who's bringing shame upon God's holy name and we all know how particular God is about His name), he'd go back and reread that portion about no man knowing the day or hour and maybe, I don't know, repent and admit he was wrong!?!
This idiot is giving all of us a bad name.
I'm not tracking here Cronos, what's Oct. 21st?Please tell me that idiot Camping didn't make a third prediction...
Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
"This time for sure, Rocky"
Oct 21st? Hope I am not flying on that day on a 747 with Christian pilots!
RE: Oct 21st? Hope I am not flying on that day on a 747 with Christian pilots!
LOL, you can rest assured that ONLY A HANDFUL of Christians even believe Harold Camping.
The man is so stubborn that any attempt by Christians from various churches to plead with him to stop this prediction nonsense ( and there were many of them ) just falls on deaf ears.
You should worry only if one of Camping’s followers is the Pilot :)
Proof that followers of Harold Camping were seriously deceived and sadly some remain deeply deceived and void of the truth of the rapture which is not a predictable date event.
Sad also to observe that others deny the truth of the catching up (rapture); these too have been deceived by vain religious false doctrines.
This would be very funny if it didn't affect so many people's lives so badly like in this article
At first, back when he did this in '94 or whenever it was, this was just slightly embarrassing and a little amusing. When he did it again back in May, it was slightly annoying and more than a little embarrassing but the amusement had ended. Now, after Camping has been told repeatedly by several different Christian leaders from several different denominations, this is beyond old and the annoyance has turned into a real problem but there's very little we can do about him other than combat his false teachings with the truth, which can be done by all parties without getting mired in deep Eschatological debate. I have to admit though that the Apostolic Churches have the upper hand here in that they could mete out Church discipline far easier than the Protestant Churches can. That's the down side of each Church being independent, doctrine cannot be easily enforced.
I don't think we can "do" anything about Harold Camping -- as I said it would be funny if not for the trouble he's causing people like here in this story.
One can only teach people and publicize it in the media that people should pray and live their lives like each day is their last.
Instead should publicise the right teachings (very difficult to get it on the media) and do damage-control, i.e. when the MSM goes overboard saying "look at what Christians believe", a Christian says "I'm Christian and I think Camping is a conman"
While I was a teenager back in '94 too, I've been interested in Eschatology since I was about 8 or 9 so I remember distinctly the swarm of conmen that came out around the late 80's and early 90's. The first Gulf War stirred up a massive number of them, to be honest, and it's taken years for the commotion to die back down and serious study to resume. There's been some good come of it, as more believers are prone to check the teachings against Scripture now, but that's if they don't reject it out of hand completely. Camping was a minor player back then, but unlike most of the rest of them, he just didn't take the hint.
Honestly, at this point about the only thing that would surprise me would be for God to not take him due to the amount of damage that he's done to God's name. I'm not wishing death on the man, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him drop dead of a heart attack or stroke any day either.
One thing that you did say though cannot be repeated enough. Even though we may disagree on the End Days or other aspects of the faith, we can all agree that we are commanded to remain faithful in prayer and to live our lives as if it were our last day on Earth. Like the saying goes, yesterday's gone and tomorrow's not promised so live for the Lord today.
I agree, basically, but I wouldn't say that Camping is a conman. I'd say he's deluded, severely mistaken and a false teacher who will not hear sound council, but I don't think Camping was saying what he was saying for profit though, at least not that I could see. Maybe I'm being too lenient on him, maybe not, I don't really know.
May 21st to October 21st is indeed 153 days and where he got that from in that whole story i’m not sure.
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