Rapture day.

[HeyYou]

This guy managed to get 120 million out of "predicting" a rapture? Money scam indeed.

 

Anyway, what's he going to do when it doesn't happen on 21 October? Make up a new date?

Does he even know how much he's cornered himself with this? Or does he actually "believe" in it himself too. If so, then he's not only fooling his followers but himself too :wallbash:

 

he will come up with yet another excuse for why it didn't happen. Nothing new under the sun there. This isn't the first guy to predict the end of the world, and make piles of money off of it, nor will he be the last. I suspect he will keep putting off the date until one of two things happen.

 

1. Folks get tired of giving him money.

 

2. Folks finally figger out what his REAL angle is.

 

Not the first time a religion has been used as a money making racket.

[AncientSpaceAeon]

This guy managed to get 120 million out of "predicting" a rapture? Money scam indeed.

Seeing that the end is close, most believers would give their money to him anyway. And with more money, he could make more advertisements. With more advertisements, more believers. More believers, more money. More money, more advertisements. More advertisements, more believers.

 

 

As a Christian, I found his explanations to be a bit convincing, at first of course. So I'm quite interested about what he wants to say. He starts with talking about how "the day" is predictable, how his theories makes sense. And since he quotes verses directly from the Bible, it's no surprise why a lot of people believed him. Then he starts talking about the dates, that's the point where I leave his site and continue my day.

 

I visit Yahoo! Answers quite often in the last few days, and these questions pop up at least every 20 minutes. On the "busy hours?" At least every 5 minutes. There's over 3900 results on this topic. Other than the fact that it's pretty annoying, it also shows how much effect this Harold Camping have on this world. It's amazing really what one person/small group can do to change the world.

 

Edited May 26, 2011 by Ancient Aeon

[BlackRampage]

he will come up with yet another excuse for why it didn't happen. Nothing new under the sun there. This isn't the first guy to predict the end of the world, and make piles of money off of it, nor will he be the last. I suspect he will keep putting off the date until one of two things happen.

 

1. Folks get tired of giving him money.

 

2. Folks finally figger out what his REAL angle is.

 

Not the first time a religion has been used as a money making racket.

Indeed. The problem is: how you do deal with such a person? Ignoring seems to be the best solution here. Yet the media's all over it.

It's like a hype nowadays. (2012 movie anyone?)

 

Amazing what one person can do indeed, Ancient Aeon. (the part about the dates is where I lost my interest too.)

[Vagrant0]

It is virtually impossible to explain some of this stuff without actually breaking the forum rules on religious debate, in particular to address Winterfall's post where he says

 

"And second, why are people so eager to see the world end? Why would they want that to happen? If we are indeed the only living things in this universe why would they be so eager for us to die? Why would they be so eager to see the Earth, which is quite a rare planet. get destroyed?

 

I mean seriously, i don't know what's wrong with these people."

 

I cannot explain precisely why, although I believe "these people" are wrong in their precise assertions concerning knowing the exact dates, and would certainly agree that there is an enormous element of financial scam involved, that I can nevertheless see from whence they have developed their views. To do so would involve quoting the religious texts which they are misinterpreting.

 

So we have people making assertions, some of them in a decidedly contemptuous tone "Oooh ooh...God Decided...", without being allowed to give a mature and considered response. There should not be any need to use such tone to express your disagreement.

That's just the thing... You don't have to explain why "these people" are wrong, it's pretty much assumed among anyone outside their little circle that they're wrong in this current regard. The ban on religious debate exists because people cannot separate theology and belief from fact... On both sides of the fence. What is being mentioned here is not a belief, but an assumed fact, one which can be easily proven or disproven. You cannot prove or disprove the existence of God or any God, but you can prove or disprove that the world had ended, or that even the rapture happened since people suddenly vanishing all over the world would undoubtedly get some attention, if only by air traffic controllers.

 

The whole thing about Christianity's strange fascination with wanting the end of days to come soon is however an entirely different ball of wax that goes back to even the early years of Christianity, and is something that should really be researched on your own.

[ginnyfizz]

Well, we all have to go sometime, which these days is something people have difficulty accepting. Whether the world ends, for whatever reason, or we just cark it.

 

And here we go again with pokes at "Christianity's strange fascination...." - incidentally I have already done plenty of that research, as it happens.

[Kuraikiba]

I'm Christian, and I can tell this is a scam. What has been described doesn't mirror the rapture. Also, this guy is constantly wrong. With 120 million dollars, he should be able to pay for a few accountants.

 

MONEY SCAMS ARE BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH.

[Halororor]

And here we go again with pokes at "Christianity's strange fascination...."

 

Ginnyfizz, I mean this with all due respect, but please stop looking for reasons to get threads locked, simply on the basis that 'people might get offended. Honestly, nobody has said anything offensive towards Christians, and chances are, nobody will. It is entirely possible to have a discussion related to religion without it going bad, so stop running around a discussion like that, looking for reasons to find offense.

 

Vagrant didn't 'poke' at Christianity in any way. He merely said that Christians have a strange fascination with the end times, which is true. Not every tiny thing is meant as a jab at religion. I have a group of friends who all started believing we're already living in the end times, and they've been trying to convince me of it since 2008. I don't see any problem with Vagrant's comment.

[ginnyfizz]

I am not looking for reasons to get the thread locked, I am asking that people stop jeering at mainstream Christianity and painting all Christians the same as these out on the fringe guys. Incidentally I have also agreed that this Rapture day thing is a scam. We aren't allowed to have religious debates on here, period. But there is rather a lot more to Christianity than the end of the world as we know it, yet some of you guys go on as if that is ALL we ever do or talk about. And use rather unfortunate ways to express the thoughts.

[AncientSpaceAeon]

Edit: Nevermind Edited May 27, 2011 by Ancient Aeon

[Halororor]

I am not looking for reasons to get the thread locked, I am asking that people stop jeering at mainstream Christianity and painting all Christians the same as these out on the fringe guys.

 

That's just it. Nobody was jeering at any religion in here. People are just looking for reasons to be offended. I don't see any reason why anybody should have to be offended by anything in this thread.

 

And yeah, now I think this thread needs to be locked, because people can't have a civil conversation without wanting to be offended by stuff that isn't meant in any offensive way whatsoever. To even think Vagrant was trolling with that comment just shows what kind of immaturity and level of open-mindedness and itellict we're dealing with on this forum. This is why we can't have nice stuff.

Edited May 27, 2011 by Halororor