No Cause for Rapture

Harold Camping, an elderly preacher, Christian radio host and president of Family Radio from California predicted that the “rapture” would occur throughout the world on May 21st, 2011. He was wrong!

Through application of his “expertise” in biblical numerology, Camping predicted that some 200 million people would be raptured into heaven leaving the rest on earth until the end of the world on October 21st, 2011. In a display of sheer magnanimity, however, Camping predicted that those not raptured would simply cease to exist rather than burn in hell for all eternity. Very kind of him, I am sure!

Hopefully people will now stop listening to Mr. Camping and others like him who keep on predicting the “end of days”, damnation and burning in lakes of fire. It is pure nonsense. The fact that some people actually listen to this man-made rubbish rather than laugh themselves silly at these Mountebanks is serious cause for concern. It is time for the credulous among us to realize that people are making money from their fears (for example there were reports of people charging, and receiving orders, to care for the "raptured's" pets after they were gone). This is a racket and it needs to stop.

I wish these eschatological frauds (for there are many) would turn to their true calling, the hucksters that they are. They should be standing on a street corner, wearing sandwich boards predicting the end times while selling pencils from a cup! While most thinking people knew this “prediction” was rubbish, there were a small number who were truly frightened by the lies they were told; causing that anxiety and grief is unforgiveable.

I, in no way, wish to minimize the role that faith plays in the lives of many. It provides succor to a lot of people in need. However, how many times must we be subjected to the likes of Camping predicting the end of the world? How many times must we listen to the likes of Pat Robertson telling us that earthquakes in Haiti are God’s vengeance for pacts with the Devil or people like the late Jerry Falwell treasonously stating, while bodies still lay under rubble, that the USA had incurred God’s wrath that was demonstrated through the attacks of 9/11? How dare any of these people speak to us in this way?

I hope this recent debacle serves as a lesson to the world to stop giving any credence to attention seekers dressed in the guise of “men of God”. We can do much better than this!