Rapture is May 21st. Save the date.

I didn't see the new XKCD posted yet.

IMAGE(http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/religions.png)

Must be getting exciting now for those who think it's going to happen. There must be lots to think about and some slightly strange dilemmas. Should you go for a last meal at your favourite restaurant? Should you rush through L.A.Noire or have some last blow out sessions of Battlefield Bad company? Should you pack a suitcase?

Following a group of people preparing for the rapture would have made an excellent fly on the wall documentary.

Higgledy wrote:

Following a group of people preparing for the rapture would have made an excellent fly on the wall documentary.

But who would watch it?

lostlobster wrote:
Higgledy wrote:

Following a group of people preparing for the rapture would have made an excellent fly on the wall documentary.

But who would watch it?

Those that are Left Behind?

lostlobster wrote:
Higgledy wrote:

Following a group of people preparing for the rapture would have made an excellent fly on the wall documentary.

But who would watch it?

Everyone except the 144000 who are enraptured.

If you're not one of us godless heathens and you have a pet, you may want to consider the athiest dog sitting service. Afterall, not all dogs go to heaven.

Wow. That's... that's just beautiful.

My mom and dad are having a big Rapture party this weekend. He's preparing to retire from the ministry after almost 45 years, and couldn't find the whole idea of the Rapture more ludicrous.

From Cliff Blezinski's Twitter feed:

Friend today asked if the upcoming Rapture would have zombies. I kindly reminded him Splicers really weren't zombies.

Why is it that this Rapture is such a big deal? We've had a couple over the last decade or so, right?

LobsterMobster wrote:

Why is it that this Rapture is such a big deal? We've had a couple over the last decade or so, right?

I think we're all kinda bored.

LobsterMobster wrote:

Why is it that this Rapture is such a big deal? We've had a couple over the last decade or so, right?

It's the first one since the explosion of social media, so it's much easier to make fun of it.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

I didn't see the new XKCD posted yet.

IMAGE(http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/religions.png)

LOL. I would totally send that to my pastor, but then I'd have to explain it.

KrazyTacoFO wrote:

If you're not one of us godless heathens and you have a pet, you may want to consider the athiest dog sitting service. Afterall, not all dogs go to heaven.

Cross-posted from the Vinnie thread:

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/792JS.jpg)

If we get called up to heaven, Vinnie is who I want watching over our pets.

On May 21st, Vinnie is rapturing all pets, leaving the humans behind.

Whoops, wrong thread.

LobsterMobster wrote:

Why is it that this Rapture is such a big deal? We've had a couple over the last decade or so, right?

Also there are billboards. If billboards are involved things are getting serious.

OG_slinger wrote:
Higgledy wrote:

It's a shame that the people who get caught up in these things don't realise that it's all happened before. It must be incredibly exciting to be building up to a date like this. You'd be feeling that all life's frustrations and disappointments were behind you, that you were going to be proved right and that your faith was soon going to be rewarded by an endless and blissful visit to heaven. The day after, when it's all turned to nothing, must be a killer.

Harold Camping, the guy behind all of this, has already experienced the big let down. He first claimed the world would end sometime in September 1994 and even wrote a book about it called 1994?. Instead of admitting he was wrong, he just doubled-down on the crazy and claimed that his 1994 prediction was based on incomplete information and that he's double-checked his Biblical math this time.

If I'm not mistaken, Camping was also behind the same exact movement in 1988. If you look at this new doomsday group's site, they incorporate the 1988 and 1994 dates into God's full game plan that culminates this saturday.

This rapture prediction will fail, as they always have, but I'll make a prediction that I guarantee you won't fail. Camping, or Camping Jr, or someone like him, will stir up another movement just like this one in 10 or so years from now. What happens is the fundies who are part of the current movement become disillusioned and move on, and a new crop of gullible, wishful thinkers pop up and buy a crapload of Camping's books. I'm guessing HC has made a comfortable living off his "prophecies", or predictions, or whatever he calls them.

It's sad that so many people are quitting their jobs, selling all their stuff, and I presume pulling their kids out of school or what not. There are going to be some folks looking for jobs on Monday.

Incidentally, the hardcore fundies over at the Rapture Ready forums, probably the most extreme "please God, burn the world down and take us to heaven" people I've come across, and even they are pooh-pooing this May 21st Rapture bunch.

We can't even accurately predict the weather a day in advance; what makes these people think we can predict a world ending event like this?

From their site:

TIMING OF IMPORTANT EVENTS IN HISTORY

11,013 BC—Creation. God created the world and man (Adam and Eve)

Ok, I think I found the root of their calculation error.

Jeff-66 wrote:

From their site:

TIMING OF IMPORTANT EVENTS IN HISTORY

11,013 BC—Creation. God created the world and man (Adam and Eve)

Ok, I think I found the root of their calculation error.

For a Christian Fundie like him, shouldn't it be more like 4,000 BC?

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

I didn't see the new XKCD posted yet.

IMAGE(http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/religions.png)

Alt Text: But to us there is but one God, plus or minus one. --1 Corinthians 8:6±2.

Tigerbill wrote:

We can't even accurately predict the weather a day in advance; what makes these people think we can predict a world ending event like this?

The short answer is: The Bible.

Sadly, about 98% of modern Christians have no clue whatsoever about the historicity of the bible, how it was assembled, and what it's (books') original intended purpose was. Actually, I think 98% is being too kind.

Modern Christianity, especially in the U.S., is an evolved religion bearing little resemblance to the original -- which itself was a scattered, haphazard mess. There are some 35,000+ divisions among current Christianity, and they all think they have the correct interpretation of the bible. Sadly, some concoct pure fantasy like this rapture thing, where Jesus literally comes riding in from the sky on a white horse and saves the day.

The words of the bible are easily twisted and manipulated, and it can be made to say pretty much anything you want. (But as someone pointed out earlier, cherry-picking is required to avoid having to bash your kid's head in with a rock because he sassed you), so some are able to twist the words and write books (for profit!) that present a convincing case for a specific date of the end of the world.

Jeff-66 wrote:
Tigerbill wrote:

We can't even accurately predict the weather a day in advance; what makes these people think we can predict a world ending event like this?

The short answer is: The Bible.

Sadly, about 98% of modern Christians have no clue whatsoever about the historicity of the bible, how it was assembled, and what it's (books') original intended purpose was. Actually, I think 98% is being too kind.

Modern Christianity, especially in the U.S., is an evolved religion bearing little resemblance to the original -- which itself was a scattered, haphazard mess. There are some 35,000+ divisions among current Christianity, and they all think they have the correct interpretation of the bible. Sadly, some concoct pure fantasy like this rapture thing, where Jesus literally comes riding in from the sky on a white horse and saves the day.

The words of the bible are easily twisted and manipulated, and it can be made to say pretty much anything you want. (But as someone pointed out earlier, cherry-picking is required to avoid having to bash your kid's head in with a rock because he sassed you), so some are able to twist the words and write books (for profit!) that present a convincing case for a specific date of the end of the world.

Yeah, I get all that (raised in a VERY religious family). It was more of a rhetorical question, but I think it is the perfect argument against their theory.

KrazyTacoFO wrote:

If you're not one of us godless heathens and you have a pet, you may want to consider the athiest dog sitting service. Afterall, not all dogs go to heaven.

That article read like something out of a Terry Pratchett book, genius.

A fun game for Sunday May 22th:

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/6v6cx.png)

Well, saw a commercial last night advertising FOX News coverage of this nonsense.

I read an article saying Family Radio has gotten $100 million in donations leading up to this. Sadly didn't keep the link.

I can only assume the money is from people who believe in the rapture and think giving away money will give them the little extra nudge to get them into the express train to heaven. They surely can't believe Family Radio is going to be around to do good works with that money.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

I read an article saying Family Radio has gotten $100 million in donations leading up to this. Sadly didn't keep the link.

I can only assume the money is from people who believe in the rapture and think giving away money will give them the little extra nudge to get them into the express train to heaven. They surely can't believe Family Radio is going to be around to do good works with that money.

If I could get $100 million in donations, I'd start a doomsday cult too!

Quintin_Stone wrote:

I read an article saying Family Radio has gotten $100 million in donations leading up to this. Sadly didn't keep the link.

I can only assume the money is from people who believe in the rapture and think giving away money will give them the little extra nudge to get them into the express train to heaven. They surely can't believe Family Radio is going to be around to do good works with that money.

They're building a giant ladder.