When unemployed Colorado Springs woman Marie Exley, 31, spent 1,200 dollars to place bus bench ads proclaiming the return of Christ, the act drew national attention.
The ads go beyond the ordinary babble about Jesus returning soon, the "End Times being nigh," and other supposed warnings about our impending demise. These bus bench ads nail down a date, May 21st, 2011. It
It's only the most bold Christian soothsayer that will go beyond the vague "Jesus is coming soon" talk, After all, if you keep them guessing - and fearful - oh, and sending in the money.
The Colorado Springs Gazette interviewed Marie Exley, who seems to be both dedicated to spreading the message and melancholy about the end of things.
“There are things I felt I always wanted to do — get married, have a kid, travel more,” she said. “But it’s not about what I want out of life. It’s about what God wants.”
Exley says she got the motivation for the ads from Family Radio, a Christian broadcast heard on 55 stations in the United States, including KFRY, 89.9 FM, in Pueblo. The host of the show is one Harold Camping, who also can be found at the website WeCanKnow.com, which professes to have the numbers down.
Unfortunately for the rest of us, God has a twisted sense of humor. After taking away the pesky Christians on May 21, 2011, we only get a few months to enjoy life without them. We Can Know says God will then destroy the planet on October 21, 2011.
Then again, there's not much to worry about. We Can Know bases their prediction on math using biblical dates as reference. The date chosen is apparently 7,000 years after Noah's flood, and time to creation before that. So it's based on creationist dogma.
Of course, most mainline Christian End-Timers shy away from putting their money where their mouth is by naming a date. For them it's a lose-lose. When they are wrong they lose credibility, and the cash cow goes away. Best to keep the sheep afraid, sure it could happen anytime.
It will be interesting to hear what Marie Exley has to say on May 22nd next year.
Comments
Darn! And I thought we had until the end of 2012 before doomsday. Of course, I've calculated the real end of the world to be on August 16, 2077. That'll be a 100 years after the death of a real King--Elvis.
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