By Doug Draper
Perhaps you’ve already heard the news and it is pretty dire.
According to an 89-year-old evangelical radio preacher in California named Harold Camping, the world is going to end this Saturday, May 21 when ‘Holy God will bring Judgement Day! So pack your bags folks, because in a few short hours, we are going away.
I went to downtown St. Catharines, Ontario this past Thursday to see if I could find an old by Gore Vidal at Hannelore Headley’s legendary local store, ‘Old & Fine Books’ on Queen Street and I actually passed a guy in the downtown, praying up at the sky with a sign beside him that read; ‘Judgement Day, May 21, 2011’. What struck me the most is that he had a shoe box at his feet where passersby could deposit money. And I could not help but wonder why he would need it.
I know that these are the kind of thoughts that have kept me out of most churches for the past 50 years but I wanted to get out of my car, go over to that guy and say; ‘If you really believe the world is going to end on May 21, take that money out of your box and give it to me. What are you going to need it for?’ I would say that to him, feeling pretty sure I would still be here on May 22 to spend it on that book I was looking for.
But damn it, I couldn’t find a parking spot near that holy guy. You can hardly ever find a parking spot in downtown St. Catharines when you need it, and I consider it a lost opportunity.
Then again, there is still an hour or so left before the apocalypse. So if you feel it is all over, get out your cheque book and write your savings off to me real fast. If you have a stamp, get it in the mail before midnight. I promise I will only use the money to support some good journalism here, including a story on May 22 that says we are still here, struggling with the real problems of survival in this world, not ones prophesized by some old evangelical nut.
Let’s get back on track folks.
(We encourage you to share your comments on the end of the world below and, if we survive, to continue visiting Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary of interest to residents in our greater Niagara region and beyond.)
Niagara At Large 
Joke if you want Doug, but I believe we ARE all going to die… someday. 😉
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You are already dead, and not yet born!
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The Torah says” there is a time for everything under the sun,” the Greek scriptures say “no man knows the day or the hour”that is good enough for me.
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I need to be ‘left behind’ the rapture, as I am expecting visitors from Boston tomorrow, and better be here, with all the spring cleaning and preparation I am doing.
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As a Christian, and also rarely found in church and reluctant to write this note, it upsets me that the faith is tarnished by the all too easy media attention given to this marginal crackpot with a wild-eyed formula multiplied by his hat size. There are rules of interpretation that apply as much to the genres of the Bible as they do to any other text; letters, histories, poetry, novels, etc. Those rules do not include secret formulas, as if the Bible belonged comfortably in Hogwart’s library.
Grown up, mature, normal rules of interpretation apply, and through that, I believe the Scriptures and our subsequent efforts change lives.
Anyone who claims to have deciphered some mysterious formula predicting Jesus’ return is simply foolish, is ruining people’s lives, and is heaping embarrassment upon the faith which teaches we have work to do now and to not sit waiting for an imagined extraction.
Our neighbours need us. They don’t need this distraction.
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Dang, I missed it. I’m late for everything!
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Nobody missed anything…he made a mistake, it’s back on for October 21st!
Weeks after my birthday thankfully, so I can enjoy my new bicycle 😉
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