May 21 – Anniversary of a Failed Prediction

nPostednon May 21, 2016

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Part of the annual celebration of
the fact that we’re still here!

nSomenpeople celebrate today with parties and humor. They call it Rapture Day ornEnd of the World Day – but they’re really celebrating thenfact that it ISN’T the “Rapture” or the “End of the World”!

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nYounsee, back in the 1990s, a Christian radio broadcaster and authornnamed Harold Camping predicted that Jesus would return to the Earthnsoon; he made many calculations and at least one failed prediction but then ended up firmly fastening on Mayn21, 2011, being the date of this return. n

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nJesusncoming back to the Earth may sound like a good thing, but Campingntaught that a few hundred million people would be suddenlynraptured—taken “up” into heaven—and that many millions morenwould die in a series of gigantic earthquakes and otherndisasters. Fire and brimstone and plagues. Scary, scary stuff. Henpredicted that the actual end of the world would be October 21, 2011…and that BILLIONS of men, women, and children (and I presume animals and plants) would die.

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Camping talked about this prediction for years. A LOT of people –nincluding most Christians and almost all non-Christians – rejected Camping’s dire prediction. However, some people did believe,nand there were problems for some of these believers. Some of themngave up their jobs, sold their homes, sold all of their belongings,nand gathered together to await the Rapture. Some people not onlynstopped investing and earning money, they spent most of their ownnmoney promoting the prediction, I guess in an effort to (in theirneyes) save people’s souls. For example, one retired New Yorker spentn$140,000 publicizing the prophecy. n

These ads almost look like they are jokes –
but they were real attempts to spread the news
about Camping’s (wrong) prediction!

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nOfncourse, May 21, 2011, came and went with no return-of-Jesus, nonRapture. October 21, 2011, came and went with no end-of-the-world. n

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nIt’snsad to say that some of Camping’s followers were totally impoverishednby the actions they took based on their own certainty that Campingnwas correct. Homeless, jobless, broke, some went into hiding. Somenpeople at Rapture-awaiting gatherings had been arrested by police (thisnhappened in Vietnam, for example) as “extremists.”

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nCampingnwas super-duper wrong, which he later admitted. He even apologized. I don’t want to laugh at his incorrect ideas –nespecially since he suffered from a stroke about a month after then2011 prediction had failed, and he died in 2013.

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nInstead,nI want to point out that there will always be people who sincerelyncome up with, write, say, and publicize ideas that arencompletely wrong. We should all think through ideas we hear about –nlook to see if the ideas are logical and reasonable, check to see if there is goodnevidence that supports the ideas. We should especially take care tonexamine ideas if people are urging us to spend money or give upnvaluable parts of our life on the basis of the ideas.

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nInnother words, be skeptical. Check sources, look at the evidence given,nand wonder about the possible motivations behind statements, ideas,nor causes. Question authority; question simplistic / pat answers;nquestion appeals to fear.

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nAlsonon this date:

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