Harold Camping Has Died

[LazyGun]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25424916

Just caught this. This is the guy that gained a lot of prominence back in 2011 by predicting the end of the world was coming, twice in the same year, if memory serves.The publicity of the campaign did make his ministry millions of dollars apparently, and gained him quite a few new believers.

Spent millions in advertising, and had believers to his ministry selling up their possessions in anticipation of the end of the world and the rapture.

Interestingly, the fact that his predictions never came true never appeared to suggest to him that his basic premise was all wrong. Oh no. Instead, when his first predicted date had passed without incident, he claimed that a kind of "spiritual judgement" had occurred, and that the the physical rapture would happen 5 months later. He declined interviews and became a recluse after that day passed without incident too.

I gather he did also somewhat recant his actions, saying that attempting to predict the date was "sinful". No suggestion he attempted to give back some of the millions he made through his ministry though.

[glasman]

Did you mean 'Harold has died camping?

[LazyGun]

That would probably be a rather more interesting story, glasman :)

[Baldric]

Harold who?

[jim360]

His death is hardly a surpise for someone so old. I found the original story very sad. Before the May 2011 date I'd heard nothing of this, and then in a surprising way I became aware of it when one person from a gaming clan I used to play in quit all of a sudden citing this as his reason. Felt sorry for him, and also for the many others who spent that day desperately clinging on to hope even to the very last second of the day. It can be fun watching people squirm when in a problem of their own making but the schadenfreude soon paves way to sympathy.

[flump1]

He got it right at last then...for him.

[mikey4444]

Fools and their money are soon parted. I remember all those solemn, but daft people being interviewed all over North America back in 2011, that genuinely believed that the world was going to end.

I am continually surprised and mystified, in equal proportions, how some people are so stupid and credulous that they could possibly think that what this charlatan was saying could be true in any shape or form. Not a day dawns when I am not glad that I am an Atheist.

Amen.

[sandyRoe]

It's has ended for him now and he'll already have faced the judgement throne to try and explain his rooking the gullible

[chrisgel]

He caused a lot of harm to a lot of his followers. As I recall there were many who sold or gave away all their possessions, quit jobs and severed relationships in order to prepare for the great day.
Surprisingly a lot of them forgave him the first time when he apologised and said he had miscalculated and even believed him when he announced the second date.
The word "gullible" must have been coined for idiots such as these.

[goodlife]

LazyGun@ try learn from Bible- Mark 13:32-33.So simple.

[jim360]

What I found sad about the whole thing was seeing all the arguments against Camping that went along the lines of "He's got it all wrong, the Earth is 6,000 years old not 14,000!" Sigh...

[chrisgel]

Goodlife - Don't be so hard on yourself.

[LazyGun]

@GL "LazyGun@ try learn from Bible- Mark 13:32-33.So simple."

And why are you directing that scriptural utterance at me? It is not me claiming that the time can be known - it was Camping.

JWs are equally as unreliable as Camping when it comes to prophecy however;they came out with this bilge back in the late 1800s !
"1894 "A few more years will wind up the present order of things, and then the chastened world will stand face to face with the actual conditions of the established Kingdom of God. And yet the course of the Church is to be finished within the space of time that intervenes." (Watchtower p. 56, 1894)"

[jim360]

Goodlife, you might want to see how many times the WatchTower/ JWs appear on this page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events

[Kromovaracun]

"Felt sorry for him, and also for the many others who spent that day desperately clinging on to hope even to the very last second of the day."

Could you explain this further Jim? I find it interesting that you felt this way. Bear in mind that these people were hoping for the end of the world. They were hoping that they would be taken, and that all the rest of us would be tipped into Hell to suffer agony and torment forever. It reminds me of the observation many atheists make that religious people can't wait for death/destruction to happen.

I find that very hard to sympathise with.

[jim360]

This particular person was fairly young, so that probably explained why I might have felt sorry for him in particular. As to the others -- well, I suppose it depends on how they came to believe it and what they did afterwards. Most were duped, or were easily led, or whatever it was. If they just fell for it for more sinister reasons then no, I don't feel sorry, but the younger people who perhaps got caught in it because of their parents and family I do feel sorry for. They can't be held responsible so easily.

Also it has to be said that two years ago I was still not exactly sure of my stance. Atheist in denial maybe? Either way, back then a part of me was still trying to cling on to the faith so it was perhaps easier in those circumstances to feel sympathy for him.

[jomifl]

At least he is happier now than he was...

[Bob_Plumb]

Damn. Now we'll never know when the world is about to end or where to send our money!

[anneasquith]

camping Harold has died ?

[askyourgran]

Picked up his primus and left us then? That's some kind of prediction, they used to have men walking the streets with sandwich boards telling us that years ago, they never made a penny.

[mibn2cweus]

//Before the May 2011 date I'd heard nothing of this, and then in a surprising way I became aware of it when one person from a gaming clan I used to play in quit all of a sudden citing this as his reason.//

You must admit, for a gambling man it's one hell of a payoff if you should happen to win . . . no less so if, as in my case, you should happen to lose! :o/