Making sense of the post-Rapture mess

By Austen Smith, Heritage Media

As many of you probably noticed on Saturday, May 21, the world did not end.

To be more specific, the Biblical rapture was a no-show and millions of saved souls did not called up to bask in the greater glory of God, while the remaining sinful people get left on Earth to slowly perish until the world is engulfed in flames.

This was, and apparently still is, the short version of what Harold Camping and the Family Radio empire has been preaching to thousands of avid listeners, followers, believers and (most importantly) donors for more than several years.

The non-event, as it were, has caused a bit of a media uproar and very ably demonstrated this modern world of communication we are living in. I am sure there are many doomsday prophets out there who do not own a radio station and don't have a website to spread their message like the 89-year-old, former civil engineer with no actual religious education who is the leader of the Family Radio network. This is a classic example of whomever has the loudest microphone is the one we pay attention to.

There are many reasons to dislike Camping and other fringe religious leaders who take a no mercy approach to attracting that sizable population in America of people seeking something - anything - as a means of guidance and hope. Camping seems like the schoolyard bully who very blatantly knocks over another, smaller kid on the playground but is able to spin a surprisingly convincing tale to his teacher as to why it wasn't his fault. Somebody has to take responsibility for those unable to do it for themselves.

Having paid close attention to the numerous stories filed before, during and after the non-event, there developed two reluctant stars in this mind-boggling sequence of events and were quoted over and over again in nearly every report. One was a man who chose to take his child out of school and himself out of work for a week to drive his family cross country to Oakland, Ca., where Family Radio is headquartered. Another is a man who spent $140,000 of his life savings on billboards and advertising promoting judgment day and - for some very strange reason - chose to stand in the middle of Times Square around 6 p.m. on May 21 waiting to be raptured into heaven. Well, when 6 p.m. came and went and the man still had both of his feet on the ground, he quickly attracted a large crowd of loud, obnoxious and unmerciful New Yorkers and well, you can probably imagine what happened next. The video is on YouTube.

Let's get one thing straight however, I don't find any of this funny even though it's pretty easy right now to poke fun at the people who have fallen victim to this ongoing hoax as they have certainly made themselves an easy target. But when you hear reports such as the Camping follower who apparently intended to commit suicide and take her innocent children with her so they didn't have to face the end of the world, you come to realize how very harmful somebody like Camping can be.

The fact is though, I am also a little embarrassed as I have become slightly obsessed with the whole thing. I can't help but feeling just absolutely fascinated with how incredibly non-sensical this all is. I understand there are those out there who truly believe in the end of days and the Rapture and that's fine, belief is as important in my life as it is in theirs I'm sure. But what is driving me bonkers is the total and complete lack of reason and logic - how does something like this happen in this day and age? How can an adult man spend his entire life savings on advertising for doomsday? Why not spend $70,000, you know, in the very unlikely case the word of a decrepit, uncertified, self-appointed spiritual leader in California somehow or another doesn't pan out? I don't understand!

But that begs a question as well: How can one apply logic and reason to a metaphysical, spiritual event such as the Rapture? That's funny because I can ask the same question as to how somebody can apply a mathematical equation to historical dates set forth in the Bible, most of which from what I understand, are highly debatable. I think I would have more respect for Camping if he tried to convince people of his message through spiritual events like awakenings, dreams, visions and such like the true cult leader persona he is desperately trying to convince people that he is not.

He can't even give us that! Instead, they get a math proof that, as far as I can tell, is of Camping's own creation in other words - it's made up. There have literally been thousands of Biblical scholars and historians studying those dates and the Bible's message for literally thousands of years, to think that this guy has somehow unlocked one of the great mysteries of the world (which the Bible even states, we are not supposed to know) by using a fabricated math equation is just simply brain dead.

Here's another question: Why does Family Radio need so much money?

Over this past weekend when the rapture failed to materialize, the Family Radio website seemed to crash and was inaccessible. I know because I tried a number of times out of pure morbid curiosity to see how they would respond. When the site was back up, in very bold and clear text I read this: "Donation Page Now Working." That had to be fixed first, of course.

Money is king even if the apocalypse is upon us I guess as Family Radio netted $18.3 million in donations in 2010 according to IRS records, and Camping himself admitted that he has no intention of discontinuing his house payment or not paying his utilities despite the fact the world is now going to end on Oct. 21 according to his revised message. He told reporters he still needs someplace to stay. Tell that to the couple in Florida who got rid of everything - including their house - as they prepared for the apocalypse and are now living in a rented condo.

With Camping as with other great sociopaths, it is but it isn't all at the same time. The world is going to end but I still need to live comfortably and pay my bills (apparently he's not much of a philanthropist) and we need your donations. He is not responsible for other people's actions yet proclaims himself a spiritual leader. And lastly, he was absolutely, 100 percent, no doubt in his mind positive that the Rapture was coming on May 21, but now he is absolutely, 100 percent, no doubt in his mind positive that this time he's got it right.

In addition, Camping has made it clear that he has no intention of giving any of that money back to those who donated to help Family Radio spread a message about something that never happened, or the more gullible few who decided to hijack their own finances to do it on their own. In his words, Camping said they never told people to spend their own money and elegantly quipped, "We're not in the business of financial advice." He went on to say that he is not responsible for other people. As far as I can tell, the words "responsible," and "Harold Camping," should never collide in the same sentence.

He also said, that he simply preaches what the Bible says and his doomsday prophecy is something he has gleaned from years and years of study. Well, when he told thousands of true believers that the world was going to end and there is no more need for earthly possessions such as money and homes, what did he think was going to happen? When you give somebody an apple, nine times out of 10, that person is going to take a bite.

I am not religious necessarily but I like to think I am at least a spiritual person who firmly believes in God. And taking from what I know about Christianity, I'm pretty certain Christian leaders at all levels like to teach self-accountability and being responsible for one's own heart and family. Harold Camping does not believe in this, only arrogance, pride and the unquenchable need to be right.

At this point, I believe Mr. Camping has a lot more to reconcile with God than any of his followers waiting on their final judgment.