Well, it seems that we missed out on the Apocalypse again.
Not a big surprise - people have been prophesizing the date for the
end of the world since recorded time - and before.
The mystery is - why?
It鈥檚 not as though the predictor would ever get to say 鈥淚 told you
蝉辞.鈥�
How incredibly easy is it to gather a following of millions in this
day of digital communication? It鈥檚 like Facebook on steroids as people
like this Harold Camping measure their worth by the number of
worshippers they attract.
Even after he got it wrong back in 1994. But everyone makes mistakes.
It鈥檚 okay. I, too, have trouble with math.
After 70 years of studying the Bible, he claims to have developed a
system that uses mathematics to interpret prophesies hidden in it. He
says the world will end on 21 May, because that will be 722,500 days
from 1 April AD33, which he believes was the day of the Crucifixion.
The figure of 722,500 is important because you get it by multiplying
three holy numbers (five, 10 and 17) together twice. 鈥淲hen I found
this out, I tell you, it blew my mind,鈥� he said.
Everyone鈥檚 entitled to their own opinion, but the millions of dollars
of church funds he鈥檚 blown to persuade others that he鈥檚 right this
time - that blows my mind.
Money that can be spent helping others. But I guess there鈥檚 no reason
to help anybody but yourself when the world is ending.
Nostradamus, Haley鈥檚 Comet, Jim Jones, David Koresh of the Branch
Davidian, the Order of the Solar Temple - even the Mayans had to take
a shot at the End of theWorld lottery: Dec. 22, 2012.
Pick a date and make up a story to go with it.
I have a feeling that if this world ever were to come to an end, it
would be by our own doing. There would be no hand reaching out of the
heavens to save us.
Every day somewhere in the world, there are natural disasters,
outbreaks of disease or just plain famine. And each time it happens,
somebody uses it to predict the end of the world.
Well, there鈥檚 always next week.
Wendy Coomber is editor of the Ashcroft-Cache Creek Journal
