"Apparently a volcano in Iceland started erupting today!"

I just saw that a few minutes ago, so I called a friend who has a good view of Mt. Rainier and asked how it looked. She said it was just sitting there, obviously sound asleep.

Sue

Anyone want to place bets on the coming excuse for why the end of days didn't arrive on schedule?

Possible responses include:

1) The great faith of the true believers caused the powers that be to reconsider/delay.

2) Minor miscalculations or the mistaken exclusion of various factors caused the event to be predicted earlier than it is really going to happen.

3) Silence.

Remember that the previous prediction from this group was that the end was going to be in 1994. I don't remember how they responded when it failed that time. Might be worth researching.

Looks like jury duty is in my future. Not so bad. They usually take jurors to a nice restaurant for lunch. Yes, I know, it isn't hard to get out jury duty. Call me old fashion. I kind of consider it my civic duty.

Jury duty is better than an apocalypse!

Besides, if you were on the hot seat, would you want some bright, responsible, thinking people in your jury, or just the people who didn't have anything better to do?

Good man, Art!

Sue

It's entirely interesting to note that some form of apocalyptic or millenialist sensibility seems to exist and flow through most of recorded human history. It predates the Christian tradition by many centuries. It seems as if the human psyche needs, seeks, responds to the sense that history has a start, an end, a purpose in between. A mental pathway as integral and deeply ingrained as sex, perhaps. We saw this same process in play approaching Y2K. Quite fascinating.

On a sad note news had a report of a lady who, frightened by the whole end of days thing, tried to kill her daughters and herself. Yes, she was likely mentally unstable to begin with, and this just ended up being the trigger most congruent with her timing and weaknesses.

But it still bothers me that what may end up to have been a publicity stunt by a radio preacher, a preacher heading a wealthy organization, with assets reported close to 24 million, could even indirectly lead to such a tragic end. They are playing on long standing and deeply rooted doubts and fears. Doubts and fears that come down hardest on the mentally infirm and damaged. People who are all out of the sort of humor and circumspection necessary to get the joke.

If some guy went out of his way to frighten your children you would think he was a creep. You would run him off. But somehow playing on the fears of the mentally ill, under the guise of religion, is okay.

One perceptive commentator suggested that, seeing as that this is their second bite at the apple, the honorable thing would be for the preacher to dissolve the church/media operation and return the money. And this was before the reports of the murder/suicide surfaced. A few million to mental health services sounds fair and IMHO if this guy had any honor people would scarcely have to ask. I'm not advocating a law.

It won't happen.

Yes this was a sad, deranged lady. Barely a blip on the radar. But it points out that fear-mongering is not a bloodless sport. Scare people enough and they lose themselves and do crazy things. Soon enough this episode of end of days nonsense will be a distant memory. I wonder how long we will remember the lady and her daughters.

No idea if this is real, but is well done:

I like it, Doug!

BTW, I just noticed that your activity level is 'Pooh-Bah'. I really think that should be elevated to 'Grand Pooh-Bah'.

Well, you'll notice that I'm still here. All my friends are here, and my friends are nicer than I am. Total bust.

And +10 on Art's most recent post.

Sue

Actually, that billboard might be real: See this article

If so, I hope they put one across the street from the bozo's church.

Sue

+1 Art.

The answer to my question of how this preacher was going to react to this heaping helping of fail is:

#2) Minor miscalculations or the mistaken exclusion of various factors caused the event to be predicted earlier than it is really going to happen.

Because Camping, the would-be prophet and preacher says he miscalculated the end of days by five months and it is really due on October 21st. The mechanism may have changed also. May was supposed to be earthquakes. He is, according to one report, talking about 'fireballs' in October.

Fail in 1004, and again in may 2011.

I think we need to take this October 21 date seriously because, as we all know, 'third time is a charm'.

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