The end of the world

[Anomalocaris]

Actually judging from the total effect, "founders of christianity", if applicable in the singular, would be the single most disgraceful title that one can bear, surpassing the likes of "fuhrer". Luckily for Jesus he most likely didn't deserve it at all.

[Faith No More]

I'm just curios... why do they not make a law to punish the 'prophets' that preach the date of the end of the world, after it is clear that it did not happen? (after, because there needs to be a good justification)

I mean, something like prison for life, death sentence, something. Think about how much evil these guys do, and for their deceit, they are not punished at all! On the other hand, they gather lots of money from the feeble minded; perhaps there are also people that sell their houses and give him the money or something, because the end of the world is coming!! You know, if deceiving the population had been punished, and punished harshly, then few would have dared doing something like that again. I do believe that people should have "freedom of speech", but within some limits!

Sadly I think the law would consider this more of a freedom of religion issue then freedom of speech and it seems to be that anything goes in the name of this freedom as long as there is no immediate harm being done such as sacrifice.

[Minimalist]

Does this guy really hate this planet and everyone on it or is it just me? All he dwells on is death and destruction, and of course watching people being horrifically burnt in hell. This guy belongs in a mental institution.

It's the end of the world and he "knows" it and he feels fine.

Seriously, this too is part of Christianity. It was founded as a doomsday/death cult by Gnostics who felt the material world was inherently evil and the goal of life was to escape to a better, "spiritual" realm.

You are right the gnostics are a cult, you are wrong about them being the founders of christianity, Christ and Him alone has that wonderful title.

You gotta stop reading that stupid fucking bible of yours, G-C. You are making a fool out of yourself. The damn thing is a cut and paste job from the word "go."

[DeistPaladin]

You are right the gnostics are a cult, you are wrong about them being the founders of christianity, Christ and Him alone has that wonderful title.

All religions are cults but let's assume you're right that Christianity had a single founder, Jesus. What was he, then, but a doomcrier who preached the end of the world being neigh, that the physical world was a place of sin and that Christians should seek a higher spiritual realm?

[doc_gnosis]

If we get down to the base nitty gritty, all religions stem from the collective assumptions of someone in the past. That's it. Harold Camping's prediction starts from the polythestic Jews, to the old testement, to the assumptions of the new testament and the various christian schisms, to his assumption of the date of the Noah flood, and that the reference that a day meant 1000 years, and the assumption that he alone could calculate it because for some reason he was special. It is all a symptom of accepting the assumptions of people in the past. If at any point you can reject these assumptions, the entire thing just falls apart. Imagine if the assumption that the Holy Land became just land, if Hitler didn't assume that Germany and the Aryan Race were superior to all others. If all of the erroneous assumptions were simply wiped out, how simple would our world become.

[Zenith]

Sadly I think the law would consider this more of a freedom of religion issue then freedom of speech and it seems to be that anything goes in the name of this freedom as long as there is no immediate harm being done such as sacrifice.

There is also a big problem with the theories of conspiracy, things like Zeitgeist that invent history, things that instigate hatred against USA and the banks, and perhaps even Jews (because there seems to be a misconception that "Jews rule the banks"), and are based mostly on inventions. That is manipulation of the masses, and no one is doing anything about it, because it is "freedom of speech".

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Harold Camping's prediction starts from the polythestic Jews

From where did you get the idea that the Jews are polytheistic?

If at any point you can reject these assumptions, the entire thing just falls apart.

From the knowledge I have about the Bible, it is impossible to get a 'fair' (i.e. untwisted, unforced interpretation, etc.) date for an end of the world. Besides that, according to the Bible, if I understand well this issue, the destroying of the earth is preceded by a 1000 years reign of Jesus Christ (after this time, I don't know when, a destruction of the earth follows). So if a christian comes and says "The earth will be destroyed after X years or X months or X days", he denies his own bible.

Imagine if the assumption that the Holy Land became just land, if Hitler didn't assume that Germany and the Aryan Race were superior to all others. If all of the erroneous assumptions were simply wiped out, how simple would our world become.

I believe that these 'assumptions' were, at least most of the times, forcibly invented and imposed, for political reasons. And there will always be people (i.e. leaders) that will take advantage of the common man's weaknesses and lack of knowledge; and perhaps there will always also be leaders that would purposely not desire to educate the masses properly because they want them controllable (while a doubtful educated man, who does not believe anything he hears, and has knowledge and understanding about lots of things, cannot be manipulated that easy).

[Manowar]

IMO Harold Camping is a Terrorist, period, maybe there will be laws to stop people like this in the near future, though with free speech and all, well . . . it still might happen

Manowar

[Jaysyn]

IMO Harold Camping is a Terrorist, period, maybe there will be laws to stop people like this in the near future, though with free speech and all, well . . . it still might happen

Manowar

I doubt it. His followers could have just as easily listened to everyone else who said he was a fraud. They did this to themselves. They wanted to believe. We already have too many laws to protect the stupid from themselves.

Besides, most humans are so pigheaded & stupid that outlawing this kind of speech would just make it more attractive to the theologically gullible.

[Chido-Wan Kenobi]

I take issue with this idea that "it is just sad" that all those fools believed in Harold Camping's prediction of the rapture. (Please note the lower case r)

Sad is a child who dies of cancer.
Sad is a single mother who cannot find a job to feed her kids.

If a guy tells you to jump into a pool full of hungry sharks so that you can go to heaven in your swimming trunks, and you believe him, and you do, and they have you for lunch... that ain't sad. That's just plain stupid.

I wholeheartedly support the idea of celebrating May 21st as "Camping's Day", or perhaps "Stupid Camping's Day". Perhaps we could use it as an excuse to schedule some outdoor parties. That might make it memorable.

BTW, I haven't heard anything of this Kirkpatrick asshole (the Staten Island retiree who blew his savings by sponsoring one of the dumbest events ever - at least in a Halloween party you get to drink some beer and meet people!)

[Doubting Thomas]

IMO Harold Camping is a Terrorist, period,

Sorry, but I think this is absurd. He's either a totally deluded religious nut, or possibly a religious con artist, but I fail to see how he could be considered a terrorist, unless perhaps he's trying to strike terror into people by claiming the end of the world is going to happen on a particular date. But I'm sure that's totally ineffective unless you actually believe in what he says.