False prophet’s big profit.
Posted by Big John on May 28, 2011
In a country which seems to have more than it’s fair share of religious nutters, Harold Camping must be in line for the ‘Barmy Bible Basher of the Year’ award, for not only did he get it wrong about ‘Judgment Day’ coming on 21st May, but he now predicts that God will destroy our planet on 21st October.
OK, so this old looney has had the piss taken out of him by the mass media and bloggers throughout the world, but what bewilders me is where do the millions of dollars come from to fund his campaigns ? Surely it can’t all come from donations sent in response to his radio preaching.
I can understand some potty old ladies in backwoods ‘Bible Belt’ country, sending a few dollars, but, as Americans would say, “we are talking BIG bucks here” ! … US tax returns indicate that the radio ministry raised a staggering $100 million dollars over the past seven years. The ministry also owns sixtysix radio stations worldwide valued at $72 million, and who knows what’s hidden under the mattress ?
That’s an awful lot of ‘old ladies’, and holy Harold is just one preacher in thousands fleecing gullible ‘believers’ across America, as they assure givers that they will reap a hundred fold of what they give or that special prayers that God immediately answers will be made as they make pledges.
Obviously Harold and his odious charlatan friends don’t read the part in their scriptures that says something about …
….. “a camel” and “the eye of a needle”.
bigjohn 
Grannymar said
Fools and their money….
SilverTiger said
Where these sums of money comes from is indeed an interesting question. I don’t know the answer and wish an investigative journalist would make it his business to find out. My guess is that it is “political” in the broadest sense: I suspect a lot of money is coming from evangelical groups and rightist political groups, whether or not they actually believe the end-of-the-world message, in order to keep the fundamentalist pot boiling. The actual message is less important than its effect in keeping this brand of religion an active force and in the public eye. It’s aim is to impress and to alarm and, in America at least, that plan succeeds.
Is Camping insane? Or is he a sort of religious agent provocateur who doesn’t mind being called a fool as long as he produces the goods? If so, then even after October 21st comes and goes, and the mockery that he will reap in consequence, we can expect him to pop up out of the woodwork again at some future date with another equally dire and dramatic warning. And, again, people will believe him.
Unless, of course, he gets called back to head office before then…
Dick Klade said
What Grannymar said, and. . . There’s a fool born every minute.
Ginnie said
I agree with Silver Tiger. I think it’s the far right just keeping the pot boiling as he said. I don’t think Camping is insane. I think he’s very aware of all the deception and laughs all the way to the bank !
Dick Klade said
He’s 89 years old. It’s more likely he will pop off than pop up, in the future.