Okay, Pastor Harold Camping...What NOW??

People put their money where they expect it to be of use & do them the most good, & those dedicated to an ideal have spent fortunes before to try to achieve their desire. That's human nature. It's just sad that he gambled on "air," as you put it. He has only established that he is ignorant, & thus should remove the title pastor from his name. He's not the first person to try this, by the way. Maggiepie "Words are the small change of thought." ~ Jules Renard, writer 1864-1910

I disagree, because he is teaching heresy. No pastor worth the title may do that. The bible says that if a prophet is wrong in anything, he is a false prophet, & wrong in all. He is not to be trusted unless he repents. Maggiepie "Flush twice; it's a long way to Washington." ~ Source unknown

Well, the pastor is still human so he's subjected to mistakes. A pastor shouldn't be perfect in the first place so taking away the "pastor" title is a bit too harsh of a punishment for him.

Oh, I just said it again for emphasis. Maybe a few people will listen.

Perzackly what I was trying to say. As usual, you came up with the simpler way to convey it. Hugs to you, Gerty! Maggiepie "Words are the small change of thought." ~ Jules Renard, writer 1864-1910

like I watch the news? unless I'm trying for weather you should know better - did look at the thunderstorm watch but that was it..

Exactly right. But have you heard what's happened to him since? Is he talking to the press at all? Where can he live? He has no money, now! I'd bet money that his disappointed, deluded followers won't take him in; this is twice he's screwed up on this "end" thing! Maggiepie "Words are the small change of thought." ~ Jules Renard, writer 1864-1910

DEBRA: And a good one! I've had it too. I've even joked that I'm a member of the world's biggest--& best!--fan club: the Church! (GMTA...) Maggiepie "Flush twice; it's a long way to Washington." ~ Source unknown

I won't call him a fanatic, as God Himself admires zeal, but unfortunately, he is an ignorant man. A pastor has no business teaching anyone about God when clearly he hasn't read his own bible, which spells it out for everyone: NO-ONE but God the Father knows when the world will end! Not exactly, at any rate. There are signs of the end times, but they cover several years, not a certain day. I just loathe ignorance. Perhaps this old man is too senile to understand what he's doing, or just managed to miss the parts that tell him outright NOT to do what he's doing? I don't know. Just say a prayer he hasn't wrecked too many lives. If you want the truth, you have to read the bible. And get a good biblical scholar to help you understand it. No-one should try to understand it alone. The bible says that... Maggiepie "In view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what really makes me angry is that they quote me for the support of such views." ~ Albert Einstein

I like that...God admires zeal! funny thing is, people see no problem with being a 'fan' (fanatical) of sports teams or entertainers...but being a 'fan' of (fanatical) about God is not acceptable. Just a thought...

The church in which I was reared believes in the Rapture, so I know all about those scriptures. However, I won't argue scripture, as I find it's pretty pointless. We just have different interpretations of the same words. The second part of your post, however, I'm totally in sync with you! It is a trick of the evil one that deludes some people into believing these deluded (& deluding) "prophets," & it does a great disservice to God & His more knowledgeable followers who don't fall into this trap. The weirdest thing about this phenomenon is that no matter how many times these people predict the end & are clearly proven incorrect, people know this, yet still follow them! What's up with that? The worst effect this kind of silliness has is due to the preponderance of the adherents to the evil one who spread their attitude widely, deriding all Christians & Christianity as though these comparative handful of mistaken followers of false prophets are somehow representative of ALL Christians & the Church itself. With hideous glee, they delight in smearing us all with this ignominy, & the close we get to the end of days, the louder & more vociferous they become, leading those who have never tasted of God to think they must be correct. I'd fret more about all this if I didn't trust in the ineffable mercy of God to judge these poor, stillborn souls lightly. And it would be wise for all knowledgeable Christians to pray for those who know nothing of Christ but the lies the evil one spreads, & for that matter, for the deluded followers of false prophets, & the "prophets" themselves. Maggiepie "In view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what really makes me angry is that they quote me for the support of such views." ~ Albert Einstein

How shall they know the truth if no one has the courage to speak it? If our PC world shoots down anyone who attempts to speak it? I agree, the evil one is very busy now a days. And the 'strong delusion' is gaining strength. I don't pretend to have all the truth. I don't pretend to always interpret things correctly. I don't pretend to always get it right when I act either. The difference I think, is in a yearning for truth. You'll never find truth when you don't want the truth.

True 100%.

Pretty sound advice, on the whole. The "1000 years" idea comes from an idiom which, properly translated, just means "a lot longer than you can really imagine." Too bad the people who don't properly study the bible lose out on things such as this. Maggiepie "Words are the small change of thought." ~ Jules Renard, writer 1864-1910

March? May? Sometime in 2012, anyway. That's a popular myth based on the Mayan calendar, which ends next year. However, what most don't know or understand is that the Mayans only meant to underline their belief that this would be a time of renewal--not an end-& that the calendar would simply start over again. But ignorance in all things religious abounds these days, both in Christianity & other religions. Yes, of course we're all still here, & no, we won't know when the last day is 'til we're living it. Christ means for us to live every day in such a way that if it's our last or the world's last, we'd be ready to go. That is, follow His teachings. Love God. Love one another. Acquire the Holy Spirit. Etc., etc. Maggiepie "Words are the small change of thought." ~ Jules Renard, writer 1864-1910

Stine I dont doubt that thats what scammers do. Maggie I havent seen a thing about him. People who follow people like him are just plian dumb

STINE: Where did you read that? I need to see that. Maggiepie "Words are the small change of thought." ~ Jules Renard, writer 1864-1910

LAKOTA: I have no idea what's happened to him. That's why I posted this discussion! I want some facts, not just speculation & rumor. Have you heard or read anything from a valid news source? If there's even been anything, I've somehow missed it. People who don't read & study the bible are wide open to be duped as Camping's followers were. They aren't the first, & with the dearth of religious education these days, they won't be the last. Ultimately, the followers were responsible for their ignorance. Why people believe such nonsense without double-checking to see if the "leader" knows what he or she is talking about? Laziness? Misplaced trust? Gullibility? I surely don't know. All I know is if they'd simply have read their own bibles, they'd have seen immediately that Camping was in serious error. Your guess is as good as mine why they didn't. Shrug.... Maggiepie "Words are the small change of thought." ~ Jules Renard, writer 1864-1910

It's tempting to just laugh at this "pastor," but when you realize that he has pulled people away from the true worship of God, & given the Enemy fodder to attack all Christians, it becomes serious, & he becomes a pitiable figure! About those calculations. I don't care how good their math is, I believe such people are ignorant of several things, among them that the current calendar is off by some 3 years or so from the calendar used in Biblical times. This is akin to the mathematical error of being off by one degree when measuring. It doesn't seem as though it would make all that much difference, but when you're miles away from the beginning point, there's a huge difference in where you end up compared to where you wanted to be! It's been said that the entire bible is written so that even a child may read it, & in fact, other than names, it has a base vocabulary of about 800 words. That still doesn't mean one may privately interpret it; the bible itself says we need someone who is wise & well-versed in it to help us understand it. But it was never intended to be obscure, with hidden codes, secret prophecies, etc. Those who seek for such things are incapable of understanding the blatant messages there in black in white for all to see. Here's a cliche: They can't see the forest for the trees! They remind me of people looking for "signs & wonders," those who don't reach for the deeper meaning, but look for a nearly "magical" answer to things. That's not the way Christ said we should be. I can't say whether Mr. Camping will go to Hell, as God knows his heart & I don't. I believe he is sincere, just horribly misled & ignorant. God is merciful. I doubt Camping did what he did out of hatred, & love does cover a multitude of sins, but he is dangerous to Christians & the Church, so he needs our prayers, that his eyes be opened to the truth, & that he & his followers actually read & study the biblical texts for their plain truth. With prayer, this could actually turn out to be a good thing all this happened, if we can open people's eyes to the real Christ! This pastor's misplaced zeal reminds me of St. Paul--back when he was Saul, & helping kill Christians. Think of what happened when Christ redirected his zeal! Maggiepie "Words are the small change of thought." ~ Jules Renard, writer 1864-1910

correction: Lindsay didn't 'invent' the rapture. He just furthered the idea with his books and movie. The concept of it goes back a few centuries.

Somewhere I read recently said that The Rapture as a concept started in the 1940's, but I could be wrong.

Yes, it's a relatively new idea in Christianity.

You really should read the great religious texts of the world, because they explain so much of why we have such trouble in the world, & why we are the people we are, if for no other reasons. There is great beauty in them, too, & wisdom in all of them. I wish no ill on the ignorant "pastor," though I hope he has now lost all credibility. Only people who hadn't really read or studied the bible followed him, which is obvious to those of us who have. That is very true, what you said re the biblical text. The Christ (the Son of God, although "one with the Father") Himself said "No man knows the hour, not even I, but only the Father in Heaven." "Hour" is simply an idiom of His time, meaning "time" in the sense of date or era. So in effect, He was saying, "I don't even know when the world will end; only my Father knows that!" I swear, if people would just read & study the bible (but only with knowledgeable biblical scholars; necessary according TO the bible!), & stop singling out texts to "prove" God wants this or that, & learn how to take the Scriptures as a whole, we'd all be happier! (Please God, "Thy people perish for want of knowledge," so raise up wise teachers, & open the minds & hearts of Thy children!) And it isn't as though--in most parts of the world--bibles aren't available! You can even get them free!!! Maggiepie "In view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what really makes me angry is that they quote me for the support of such views." ~ Albert Einstein

He has no bags to pack! He's penniless, remember? Of course these predictions never come true. God doesn't want us to know when He'll end it; He wants us, instead, to live a Godly life every day, & treat every day as if it's the last. And for millions, daily, it is their last day! Most people really don't want to know when they'll die; why would God make His children suffer that knowledge? Maggiepie "In view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what really makes me angry is that they quote me for the support of such views." ~ Albert Einstein