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Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
Broadcaster, musician, song writer, tea drinker and curry lover.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

How Harold Camping might have done us a favour

So the day of the Rapture, as forecast by self-styled "prophet" Harold Camping, has come and gone, to no one's real surprise. For those who were wondering, a tumultuous earthquake was to shake the world at 6pm in every time zone starting on the International Date Line and rolling west across the globe.
My first reaction to all this was anger. Anger that someone can so blatantly misuse the Bible (which clearly says that none of us here on earth will know the time or the hour of the world's end - Matthew 24:36) to essentially drag the name of Christianity through the mud again. His blinkered insistence that he was right was only made worse by his continual vows that the Bible doesn't lie (which is true), but then using it to back up his flawed beliefs.

So yes, I was angry. Angry because this man does not represent what 99.99% of Christians believe - of course. Then I felt sorry for him. This is a great example of just how lost people really are. How we as humans try to over think what is in fact a very simple Gospel. Camping is sadly just one of a myriad people who seem to wish the message of Jesus was far more complex than it really is, but there are many examples here on earth of how we continually strive to elevate our status as thinking beings to those of near gods. I really hope Camping sees the real truth. maybe someone can yet put him straight - if he'll listen.


Finally I've come round to thinking that Camping and his Family Radio followers, despite raising obscene amounts of money in support of their failed premise, could well have done us a favour.


Somehow, Camping has managed to draw worldwide attention to his Doomsday "prophecies", and I would argue that one positive effect of all this is that the world is now TALKING about it again. let's not forget here that the world IS going to end. Before we relax too much, what Camping is talking about, IS - in some shape or form - going to happen, and still we do not know when. Could be tomorrow, could be next year, but isn't this a great opportunity to seize world attention and tell them how important it is to be ready, how important it is to know the Jesus who is coming back, with the clouds?


Christians need to be telling those who are perishing that there is an end to the world, and also that there is hope. Camping has - unwittingly - handed us an amazing opportunity as the world watches, to maybe lift the debate to another level. What am I...what are we..going to do with this opportunity?
 

1 comment:

Jenna said...

Excellent point, Kipper!