Prophet of doom to watch ‘apocalypse’ on TV
BY THE TIME you read this, true believers will be in heaven and nonbelievers will be left behind to be engulfed in the world’s end in a few months.
US-based evangelist and cult leader Henry Camping has predicted that Judgment Day or the Rapture—the time when God’s chosen people will ascend to heaven and the rest of mankind are left to face apocalyptic scenes of earthquake and fire—will come at 6 p.m. today (2 a.m. Sunday in Manila).
Camping is sure an earthquake will shake the earth on May 21, sweeping true believers to heaven and leaving the rest behind in a “trial” of destruction that could last six months. But by October 21, they will all be dead, Camping has prophesied.
Just in case the prediction is right, some Americans are making the most of their time left with “Rapture parties” across the country.
“We know without any shadow of a doubt it is going to happen,” Camping, who heads the Christian radio network, Family Stations, told Reuters.
His supporters have posted about 2,200 billboards around the United States about the coming apocalypse, and dozens of followers have driven across the country to spread the news.
Camping’s Family Radio has 66 US stations and broadcasts in more than 30 languages through international affiliates.
Camping, 89, who previously made a failed prediction that Jesus Christ would return to earth in 1994, plans to spend May 21 with his wife and stay close to a TV or radio to monitor the unfolding apocalypse.
Like his last prediction, Camping’s doomsday date is based on his reading of the Bible and a timeline dating back to ancient events including the Biblical flood survived by Noah.
No scientific basis
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) scoffed at Camping’s prediction, saying it was not based on science.
“He used numerology and the Bible so I don’t know how he got that. It has no relation to the heavens or heavenly bodies,” said Pagasa’s space science division chief Dario de la Cruz.
De la Cruz said the Bible mentions “the heavens” in relation to the Rapture that Camping predicted, but said this is open to many interpretations in many cultures.
“It has no relation to astronomy,” he said.
Camping’s pronouncement of a specific date for the apocalypse puts him outside the Christian mainstream.
Jerry Jenkins, coauthor with Tim LaHaye of the “Left Behind” series of apocalyptic novels that have sold millions of copies worldwide, has a problem with the prediction.
“As a believer, I’m already a kook compared to most people, so for someone to choose a date and get everyone excited about a certain time, my problem is it makes us look worse,” said Jenkins, 61.
Stephen O’Leary, an expert in religious communication at the University of Southern California, said the idea of rapture espoused by Camping and some more mainstream Christians first appeared in Christian teaching in the 19th century.
“It is very appealing to people,” said Barbara Rossing, professor of the New Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago who describes a huge apocalyptic “prophecy industry” including video games, board games and books.
The doctrine and iconographic depiction of the Last Judgment are drawn from many passages from the apocalyptic sections of the Bible.
In Christian eschatology, Rapture refers to a Bible passage (1 Thessalonians 4:17) in which the faithful are gathered in the heavens to meet the returning Messiah in preparation for the end of the world.
Atheist alternative party
Atheists are reacting to Camping’s pronouncement in their own way.
In Tacoma, Washington, atheists have organized a party for Saturday night at an arcade, under the banner “countdown to backpedaling,” on the assumption that Camping and Family Radio will change their story if Judgment Day does not come.
At least 100 people are expected at the party, said Sam Mulvey, 33, an organizer of the event and the producer of a weekly atheist radio show in Tacoma.
“If the world still exists the next day, Family Radio is going to have to say something and most of the time they backpedal, and that’s what we’re counting down to,” he said.
Online advice
With rumors swirling that the end of the world is nigh, the US government this week posted some online counsel on how to be prepared in case of a zombie apocalypse.
“There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for. Take a zombie apocalypse for example,” said an official blog post by Assistant Surgeon General Ali Khan on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website.
“You may laugh now, but when it happens you’ll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe you’ll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a real emergency,” says the blog.
The tongue-in-cheek post makes no reference to fervent allegations by some preachers that the world will end on May 21.
It does however point to numerous examples of “the rise of zombies in pop culture … (giving) credence to the idea that a zombie apocalypse could happen.”
Emergency kits
The blog points readers to emergency preparedness tips that the CDC has long advocated, such as having an emergency kit at one’s home containing water, food and supplies “to get you through the first couple of days before you can locate a zombie-free refugee camp,” it said.
“Or in the event of a natural disaster, it will buy you some time until you are able to make your way to an evacuation shelter or utility lines are restored,” it said.
Knowing an evacuation route, having a designated meeting place with family and a list of emergency contacts are also high on the list.
“If zombies did start roaming the streets, CDC would conduct an investigation much like any other disease outbreak,” it promised. AFP and Reuters with Kristine L. Alave
