It’s a damn shame I even had to make the “Rapture Vet” shirt.  For most people  around me(Christians and non-theists alike), Harold Camping‘s rapture prophecy was a complete joke, but for large groups of people throughout the US, May 21st’s rapture and commencement of the Apocalypse was as real as rocks.

End of world Prediction scribbled on a piece fo Paper

Stay tuned for more Amazing feats of Prophetic Idiocy.

From 30AD until present, billions of Christians have been swayed by various doomsday prophecies.  Since day one,  Jesus predicted then end of the world within his generation!  Even the apocalyptic beliefs of the very first Christians have been proved to be false.  It is clear from the New Testament that Jesus’ follower all expected the Second Coming within their own lifetime.  And, worse still, they had a reason.  Their Master had told them so.  He shared, and indeed created, their perception of the coming end where he would “arrive in the clouds” in their “generation would not pass until these things happened(Mt 24:34; Mk 13:30; Lk 21:32).  I also put a link to a list of failed human prophecies up until the 1920′s at the bottom of this post.  These prophesies usually revolve around various biblical books of Old Testament Prophecy, the Book of Revelation and a mishmash of current events(often related to Israel).  Check out some famous apocalypse winners like “Late Great Planet Earth” by Hal Lindsey or “88 Reasons Why the World Will End in 1988″.  And be sure not to forget the plethora of failed Jehovah Witness prophecies.  You’d think they’d give up on the second or third try.  Harold Camping’s reasoning for why million of believers would dematerialize and go to a happy place to spend eternity with an all knowing creator can be seen on this little sheet of paper to the right.  Unfortunately critical thinking does not seem to be a strong point for him or his followers. Did anyone sit back and ask the question, “why do I believe what I believe” or  “Do I have sufficient evidence”?

After his failed prediction on May 21st, Harold made another public statement: “The whole world is under Judgment Day and it will continue right up until Oct. 21, 2011 and by that time the whole world will be destroyed,” said Camping in an Open Forum.   He’s a ballsy guy, that’s for sure.


Even if the end of the world comes on Harold’s next prediction on Oct, 21st 2011, what purpose does warning people serve? Are Christians supposed to be really good now that they know the time is near? That seems pretty dishonest.   Are Atheists supposed to change the way they believe because God is going to toss them into a lake of fire if they don’t?  Isn’t that kinda fake?  It’s like being threatened by a mobster or something. Changing a persons heartfelt beliefs is not something that fear can do.  Fear can only make a person ‘say’ that they believe.

I’m not stating that fear is the reason for all faith based, evidence lacking propositions, but it is definitely reason for some.  And in the context of rapture, the only reason I can see for contriving dates and warning the masses is to scare people into converting.  Feel free to comment if you can think of a better reason or have any thoughts.

The rapture is over and we are all once again…. Rapture Veterans.  So…..buy the Tshirt?  YES.

 

 

 

Now we await the 2012 scare.  Mayans will be the next target for silly failed prophecies I suppose.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/end_wrl2.htm

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