20 May 2011

A rapture round-up

It's no secret that Harold Camping is predicting the Lord's return tomorrow, and some are taking his warning seriously (though I don't know how many).

Others are viewing his claim as pure rubbish, especially in light of his previous failed prediction that the Lord would return on October 7, 1994.  This, clearly, did not happen.

Writing at Insight Scoop, Carl Olson points out a danger of Camping's prediction (with my emphases):
Most Rapture-ites/dispensationalists avoid specific date-setting, in part because of Jesus' statement, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only" (Matt. 24:36), but also because of the practical concern of looking like an idiot and quickly losing followers, reputation, and income. But Camping is almost ninety years old (he was born on July 19, 1921). What does he have to lose? But I don't think that this is a stunt on his part; I've known folks who have been convinced about this or that date of "The Rapture" or "The End", and they were as sincere as they were wrong: 100%. One concern, however, is that some people will associate such date-setting silliness with authentic, serious, hope-filled Christianity, and will then reject or mock all Christians because of the falsehoods promoted by Camping and Crew. Such is the nature of things, as Christians are often, to loosely rework Chesterton, the main stumbleblocks to folks becoming Christian.


His caution is a wise observation and his entire post is worth a read, particularly for a bit more background information.

Others in the Catholic blogosphere are taking a more light-hearted approach to the whole affair, particularly The Crescat, who has declared Sunday the International Day of Looting.  Afterall, according to Camping, many possessions will no longer have owners and there's no reason to simply let things lie around unused.

Sister Mary Martha is taking a bit of a delayed approach to the whole situation.

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