My son asked me............

[Coito ergo sum]

Stuff like that is a good "critical thinking" exercise.

Analyze the issue with him.

Assertion: The rapture will occur on May 21.

What is the support for that assertion? Some gentleman says it. O.k., fair enough. Who? And, what is he basing that calculation on? Is it believable? How many dire predictions have come before and come to fruition? (0). Doesn't the same book this jackalope is basing his view on also say that nobody can know when the events of the Book of Revelation will come to pass? Yes, that's true.

What is the rapture? Is it even a universally accepted Christian dogma? No. It is not. It is a dogma adhered to by a minority of Christians worldwide. Catholics, for example, are not literal rapturists, and don't even use that term. They view it symbolically.

[kiki5711]

Stuff like that is a good "critical thinking" exercise.

Analyze the issue with him.

Assertion: The rapture will occur on May 21.

What is the support for that assertion? Some gentleman says it. O.k., fair enough. Who? And, what is he basing that calculation on? Is it believable? How many dire predictions have come before and come to fruition? (0). Doesn't the same book this jackalope is basing his view on also say that nobody can know when the events of the Book of Revelation will come to pass? Yes, that's true.

What is the rapture? Is it even a universally accepted Christian dogma? No. It is not. It is a dogma adhered to by a minority of Christians worldwide. Catholics, for example, are not literal rapturists, and don't even use that term. They view it symbolically.

Actually I did say something like that. It didn't turn into a big discussion, he just put his ear thingies back on to listen to his music. But I said, this is something that just some Christians believe. There's thousands of other kinds of beliefs out there that don't.

He's not into long discussions with me about stuff. He likes to talk to his girlfriend more.

[Santa_Claus]

Did you ask why he thought the EOTW was Saturday?

Just curious - want to make sure my dates don't clash.........

[Dries van Tonder]

My son asked me for an unlimited subscription to RuneWorld; so I don't think he gives a rat's ass about the world coming to an end soon. And yes, I conceded; it's deducted from his allowance.

[kiki5711]

Did you ask why he thought the EOTW was Saturday?

Just curious - want to make sure my dates don't clash.........

Isn't the date they set on May 21?

[Animavore]

Back in '89 when I was only 10 there weee various posters up around Dublin city put up by a Christian group talking about the end of the world. Can't remember the date. All the kids in school were talking about it and I have to admit I was afraid. Not severely afraid but enough to make me worried if only when I thought about it. I never mentioned it to anyone.

The date came and went and nothing happened. I never worried about it again

[charlou]

Did you ask why he thought the EOTW was Saturday?

Just curious - want to make sure my dates don't clash.........

Isn't the date they set on May 21?

Yes, get it right, people!

[kiki5711]

In my life time, there's been at least a dozen end of the world dates. There were days I wished it was true, as I had enough of shit life has to offer............. It's before I had kids.

[kiki5711]

Did you ask why he thought the EOTW was Saturday?

Just curious - want to make sure my dates don't clash.........

Isn't the date they set on May 21?

Yes, get it right, people!

[Millefleur]

In my life time, there's been at least a dozen end of the world dates. There were days I wished it was true, as I had enough of shit life has to offer............. It's before I had kids.

Is he aware of this, that there have been fuck knows how many dates? Might put the fucktardery into perspective a little

[Rum]

If anyone is in any doubnt I offer the following! From: http://www.religioustolerance.org/end_wrl2.htm (BTW the word 'bullet' replaced the bullet point on the web page).

About 30 CE: The Christian Scriptures (New Testament), when interpreted literally, appear to record many predictions by Yeshua of Nazareth (Jesus Christ) that God's Kingdom would arrive within a very short period, or was actually in the process of arriving. For example, Jesus is recorded as saying in Matthew 16:28: "...there shall be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." In Matthew 24:34, Yeshua is recorded as saying: "...This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." Since the life expectancy in those days was little over 30 years, Jesus appears to have predicted his second coming sometime during the 1st century CE. It didn't happen. More details.

bullet About 60 CE: Interpreting the Epistles of Paul of Tarsus literally, his writings seem to imply that Jesus would return and usher in a rapture during the lifetime of persons who were living in the middle of the 1st century. More details.

bullet About 90 CE: Saint Clement 1 predicted that the world end would occur at any moment.

bullet 2nd Century CE: Prophets and Prophetesses of the Montanist movement predicted that Jesus would return sometime during their lifetime and establish the New Jerusalem in the city of Pepuza in Asia Minor.

bullet 365 CE: A man by the name of Hilary of Poitiers, announced that the end would happen that year. It didn't.

bullet 375 to 400 CE: Saint Martin of Tours, a student of Hilary, was convinced that the end would happen sometime before 400 CE.

bullet 500 CE: This was the first year-with-a-nice-round-number-panic. The antipope Hippolytus and an earlier Christian academic Sextus Julius Africanus had predicted Armageddon at about this year.

bullet 968 CE: An eclipse was interpreted as a prelude to the end of the world by the army of the German emperor Otto III.

bullet 992: Good Friday coincided with the Feast of the Annunciation; this had long been believed to be the event that would bring forth the Antichrist, and thus the end-times events foretold in the book of Revelation. Records from Germany report that a new sun rose in the north and that as many as 3 suns and 3 moons were fighting. There does not appear to be independent verification of this remarkable event.

bullet 1000-JAN-1: Many Christians in Europe had predicted the end of the world on this date. As the date approached, Christian armies waged war against some of the Pagan countries in Northern Europe. The motivation was to convert them all to Christianity, by force if necessary, before Christ returned in the year 1000. Meanwhile, some Christians had given their possessions to the Church in anticipation of the end. Fortunately, the level of education was so low that many citizens were unaware of the year. They did not know enough to be afraid. Otherwise, the panic might have been far worse than it was. Unfortunately, when Jesus did not appear, the church did not return the gifts. Serious criticism of the Church followed. The Church reacted by exterminating some heretics. Agitation settled down quickly, as it later did in the year 2000.

bullet 1000-MAY: The body of Charlemagne was disinterred on Pentecost. A legend had arisen that an emperor would rise from his sleep to fight the Antichrist.

bullet 1005-1006: A terrible famine throughout Europe was seen as a sign of the nearness of the end.

bullet 1033: Some believed this to be the 1000th anniversary of the death and resurrection of Jesus. His second coming was anticipated. Jesus' actual date of execution is unknown, but is believed to be in the range of 27 to 33 CE.

bullet 1147: Gerard of Poehlde decided that the millennium had actually started in 306 CE during Constantine's reign. Thus, the world end was expected in 1306 CE.

bullet 1179: John of Toledo predicted the end of the world during 1186. This estimate was based on the alignment of many planets.

bullet 1205: Joachim of Fiore predicted in 1190 that the Antichrist was already in the world, and that King Richard of England would defeat him. The Millennium would then begin, sometime before 1205.

bullet 1284: Pope Innocent III computed this date by adding 666 years onto the date the Islam was founded.

bullet 1346 and later: The black plague spread across Europe, killing one third of the population. This was seen as the prelude to an immediate end of the world. Unfortunately, the Christians had previously killed a many of the cats, fearing that they might be familiars of Witches. The fewer the cats, the more the rats. It was the rat fleas that spread the black plague.

bullet 1496: This was approximately 1500 years after the birth of Jesus. Some mystics in the 15th century predicted that the millennium would begin during this year.

bullet 1524: Many astrologers predicted the imminent end of the world due to a world wide flood. They obviously had not read the Genesis story of the rainbow.

bullet 1533: Melchior Hoffman predicted that Jesus' return would happen a millennium and a half after the nominal date of his execution, in 1533. The New Jerusalem was expected to be established in Strasbourg, Germany. He was arrested and died in a Strasbourg jail.

bullet 1669: The Old Believers in Russia believed that the end of the world would occur in this year. 20 thousand burned themselves to death between 1669 and 1690 to protect themselves from the Antichrist.

bullet 1689: Benjamin Keach, a 17th century Baptist, predicted the end of the world for this year.

bullet 1736: British theologian and mathematician William Whitson predicted a great flood similar to Noah's for OCT-13 of this year.

bullet 1792: This was the date of the end of the world calculated by some believers in the Shaker movement.

bullet 1794: Charles Wesley, one of the founders of Methodism, thought Doomsday would be in this year.

bullet 1830: Margaret McDonald, a Christian prophetess, predicted that Robert Owen would be the Antichrist. Owen helped found New Harmony, IN.

bullet 1832?: Joseph Smith (1805-1844) was the founder of the Church of Christ, which became the Restorationist movement after many schisms. It now includes The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- a.k.a. the Mormons, and about a hundred other denominations and sects. He heard a voice while praying. He wrote, in Doctrines and Covenants section 130:

14: "I was once praying very earnestly to know the time of the coming of the Son of Man, when I heard a voice repeat the following:"

15: "Joseph, my son, if thou livest until thou art eighty-five years old, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man; therefore let this suffice, and trouble me no more on this matter."

16: "I was left thus, without being able to decide whether this coming referred to the beginning of the millennium or to some previous appearing, or whether I should die and thus see his face."

17: "I believe the coming of the Son of Man will not be any sooner than that time." 14

The year in which this event occurred is not recorded. However, one commentator suggested 1832 or earlier. 16 Smith is later recorded as having said:

"I prophesy in the name of the Lord God, and let it be written--the Son of Man will not come in the clouds of heaven till I am eighty-five years old." 17

Smith would have reached the age of 85 during 1890. Unfortunately, by that year, Smith had been dead for almost a half century, having been assassinated by a mob. Note that his prophecy is ambiguous. It can be interpreted that:
bullet Jesus would return during 1890 (which did not materialize) or that
bullet 1890 would pass without Jesus' return (which did come to pass).

Some anti-Mormon sources quote only verses 14 and 15, and draw the former conclusion -- that Smith's prophecy failed.

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bullet 1843-MAR-21: William Miller, founder of the Millerite movement, predicted that Jesus would come on this date. A very large number of Christians accepted his prophecy.

bullet 1844-OCT-22: When Jesus did not return, Miller predicted this new date. In an event which is now called "The Great Disappointment," many Christians sold their property and possessions, quit their jobs and prepared themselves for the second coming. Nothing happened; the day came and went without incident.

bullet 1850: Ellen White, founder of the Seven Day Adventists movement, made many predictions of the timing of the end of the world. All failed. On 1850-JUN-27 she prophesied that only a few months remained before the end. She wrote: "My accompanying angel said, 'Time is almost finished. Get ready, get ready, get ready.' ...now time is almost finished...and what we have been years learning, they will have to learn in a few months." 10

bullet 1856 or later: At Ellen White's last prediction, she said that she was shown in a vision the fate of believers who attended the 1856 SDA conference. She wrote "I was shown the company present at the Conference. Said the angel: 'Some food for worms, some subjects of the seven last plagues, some will be alive and remain upon the earth to be translated at the coming of Jesus." 11 That is, some of the attendees would die of normal diseases; some would die from plagues at the last days, others would still be alive when Jesus came. "By the early 1900s all those who attended the conference had passed away, leaving the Church with the dilemma of trying to figure out how to explain away such a prominent prophetic failure." 12

bullet 1881: Mother Shipton, (1488 - 1561), a 16th century mystic predicted the end of the world: "...The world to an end shall come; in eighteen hundred and eighty-one."

bullet 1891 or before: On 1835-FEB-14, Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon church, attended a meeting of church leaders. He said that the meeting had been called because God had commanded it. He announced that Jesus would return within 56 years -- i.e. before 1891-FEB-15. (History of the Church 2:182)

bullet 1914 was one of the more important estimates of the start of the war of Armageddon by the Jehovah's Witnesses (Watchtower Bible and Tract Society). They based their prophecy of 1914 from prophecy in the book of Daniel, Chapter 4. The writings referred to "seven times". The WTS interpreted each "time" as equal to 360 days, giving a total of 2520 days. This was further interpreted as representing 2520 years, measured from the starting date of 607 BCE. This gave 1914 as the target date. When 1914 passed, they changed their prediction; 1914 became the year that Jesus invisibly began his rule.

bullet 1914, 1915, 1918, 1920, 1925, 1941, 1975 and 1994, etc. were other dates that the Watchtower Society (WTS) or its members predicted.
bullet Since late in the 19th century, they had taught that the "battle of the Great Day of God Almighty" (Armageddon) would happen in 1914 CE. It didn't.
bullet The next major estimate was 1925. Watchtower magazine predicted: "The year 1925 is a date definitely and clearly marked in the Scriptures, even more clearly than that of 1914; but it would be presumptuous on the part of any faithful follower of the Lord to assume just what the Lord is going to do during that year." 6
bullet The Watchtower Society selected 1975 as its next main prediction. This was based on the estimate "according to reliable Bible chronology Adam was created in the year 4026 BCE, likely in the autumn of the year, at the end of the sixth day of creation." 8 They believed that the year 1975 a promising date for the end of the world, as it was the 6,000th anniversary of Adam's creation. Exactly 1,000 years was to pass for each day of the creation week. This prophecy also failed.
bullet The current estimate is that the end of the world as we know it will happen precisely 6000 years after the creation of Eve. 9 There is no way of knowing when this happened.
bullet More details on the WTS predictions.

bullet 1919: Meteorologist Albert Porta predicted that the conjunction of 6 planets would generate a magnetic current that would cause the sun to explode and engulf the earth on DEC-17.

[kiki5711]

Actually the church that I belong to believed that the end of times meant that the world will be passing into a new understanding on the global scale. Not wars of killing each other but wars of idiologies. It was the responsibility of ours to make this transition peaceful as possible and move on to new global level of peace and cooperation by example.

It's not such a bad idea.

[rachelbean]

Nobody has claimed the world will end on May 21st, they claim the rapture will happen and that will be the start of Armageddon...kicked off with earthquakes that will kill a bunch of people, but those of us left will get to fight dragons and shit, which seems pretty cool

[charlou]

Nobody has claimed the world will end on May 21st, they claim the rapture will happen and that will be the start of Armageddon...kicked off with earthquakes that will kill a bunch of people, but those of us left will get to fight dragons and shit, which seems pretty cool

Maybe to you, an adult, who now knows it's bollocks ... but to confused young minds in the midst of the fundamendalist bollocks ...

[Rum]

Nobody has claimed the world will end on May 21st, they claim the rapture will happen and that will be the start of Armageddon...kicked off with earthquakes that will kill a bunch of people, but those of us left will get to fight dragons and shit, which seems pretty cool

Maybe to you, an adult, who now knows it's bollocks ... but to confused young minds in the midst of the fundamendalist bollocks ...

Quite so. Hysteria takes on a mad and crazy energy all of its own.