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Continuing our little countdown to The Rapture on May 21, here’s one guy who is going to be S.O.L. on May 22.
A retired MTA employee has pumped his $140,000 life savings into an ad campaign warning that the world will end on May 21. Robert Fitzpatrick, a follower of the notorious California Evangalist Harold Camping, has posted his Doomsday message on 1,000 subway car placards and at bus shelters throughout New York city.…According to the predictions of the Family Radio ministry, on May 21 a massive earthquake will shake the world apart, littering the ground with ‘many dead bodies’.
The calculations for Doomsday (or the day we are free to take the Rapturee’s earthly possessions when they head up to paradise) is “explained” in the article:
Taking a passage from 2 Peter 3:8, in which it is said a day for God is like a thousand human years, the church reasoned that seven ‘days’ equals 7000 human years from the time of the flood, making 2011 the year of the apocalypse.In its second ‘proof’ the exact date is revealed by working forward from the exact date of the of the crucifixion – April 1, 33 AD.
According to their reasoning, there are exactly 722,500 days from April 1, 33 A.D. until May 21, 2011 – the alleged day of judgement.
Related:
* Are you rapture ready – fundie billboards say the end is near: May 21, 2011
* More Rapture-readiness: MN jeweler launches 50% off Second Coming Sale
23 Comments
I wonder how these “True Believers” will spin thisWhen…
1. When there is no Rapture.
2. If there is one, why are they still here.
Wish I could…… spin some pithy saying about morons and their money being soon parted, but all I feel is sad about the gullibility of this sad, sad idiot.
Their faith in god…… changed Jesus’ mind about bringing the Apocalypse.
Only real Christiansare going IF the rapture is for real. The rest are going to be hurt, confused, and angery that they were left behind. Some maybe counting on it to relieve them from their messed up and depressing lives. I am afraid that a few will take their own lives for a.) believing all the hype and it did not happen or b.) For being the best they could and still did not cut it.
No matter what, I feel sorry for the sheeple.
wellThink of it as evolution in action
Well……the last time a major Rapture cult failed to Rapture, they spawned the Seventh-Day Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Sorry?I don’t feel sorry for them. Maybe they can actually educate themselves once they realize they were wrong, you know, learn from mistakes.
They’re all overI’ve seen this poster in subway cars. It looks like an ad for a movie. ”Biggest Earthquake EVER!” I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of this “end of the world” crap taken this far.
It does make it less funny now that I know that all those subway posters were paid for by the life savings of some poor dupe who will be destitute come May 22nd, and not the national “family radio” or whatever they call themselves.
Just don’t know what all these poor folk are going to do come May 22nd.
Though when I was in High School, there was another well-publicized End of World prediction, though I’m pretty sure it didn’t receive the publicity and media buy that this one has. So we had a “Last Night on Earth” party. Good food, good drinks, good friends, and in a “Happy New Year” fashion, we counted down the last 10 seconds until midnight, and ushered in the predicted day of destruction. And nothing happened, so we decided that the apocalypse must be on Pacific time, so we partied on until 1:00AM, but were again disappointed. We gave it one more try, and after 2:00AM, we decided we’d better pack it in and go home, as seeing that the world didn’t end, we’d have to be in school the next day…
Re:It’s logical to think that they’ll see they have been scammed and go home. But there have been instances where a failure actually reinforces and strengthens their beliefs. They may just think that the date has been miscalculated.
It’s amazing what religious brainwashing can do to people
Brings back good memories of Y2KAs we where leaving 1999 and entering 2000! The paranoia it caused!
At least that has a rational reason behind itThe consequences were just blown way, way out proportion
That is the standard excuse n/t
There have been several since thenIn particular, there was a big Rapture scare in the early 1980s. I had a paper route in Tucson at the time, and had some interesting conversations with my customers about whose subscriptions could be dropped.
It has long been my theoryThat the Revelations of St. John were a first-hand account, not prophesy, and that the Second Coming took place as scheduled, on time and under budget. We are the descendants of those who were left behind.
It certainly would explain a lot.
And a lot of effort put in to making sure it didn’t happen.
WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU MULTIPLY SIX BY NINE?
What I paticularly loveIs that this man is putting the validity of the entire Bible on this with the whole “The Bible Guarantees it”.
Aside from the nutjobs that fell for this snake oil salesman scam, imagine all the other Christians who secretly are afraid because of their own belief in the infallibility of the Bible.
I pity those who threw their life savings at this.
I also pray no one takes their life when the world goes on it’s merry way on the 22nd.
This has all the hallmarks of a cult.
IndeedThat was the excuse Camping spewed when his prediction of the Rapture in ’98 I think it was failed to happen.
Huh?54. I prefer 42.
Up, up and away!I’m still trying to figure out what the rapture will look like to those of us “left behind.” What comes to mind is a scene from The Forgotten.
http://youtu.be/ucc7eP9BaDE
Better be standing outdoors when the time comes, or your head will whack the ceiling.
Nonetheless, I feel for the guy who spent his savings to advertise this nonevent; I’m not always wise with money, either. ;-)
I think it will look like this
Which the writers of “Six Feet Under” shamelessly (and without credit until a lawsuit was filed) from writer Elroy Willis; see here.
I laughedI'm going to hell now. XD
Saw one of the signs in Saskatoon!It’s not just Americans who are idiots about this stuff, it was near the exit for the airport.