# A subset of Christians think the Rapture is 21may2011 based on the prediction of.. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 16, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097 "2011-05-16T15:48:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/1 "2011-05-16T15:48:02Z")
a single, living, falible, radio Evangelist? Wait, _what?_ All this time I was thinking this much fuss could only be justified if the person doing the predicting was famous, long dead, a well known figure to theists and non theists… And this person has apparently already predicted wrong once. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/2 "2011-05-16T15:54:47Z")
But you see, he corrected his mistake! ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/3 "2011-05-16T16:00:00Z")
OK, serious question. Are there any reports available as to how many idiots believe this guy? Is it a few dozen? A few hundred? Thousands? Tens of thousands? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/4 "2011-05-16T16:02:42Z")
If I step back for a moment I can suspect that actually what I’m seeing is certain Internet communities\* blowing this out of proportion. This theory is strengthened by the fact that when I reference May 21 to ‘real’ people (family, colleagues) they seem to be unaware of it. But then the theory is weakened when references of it turn up on British TV comedy shows. So it definitely seems to have some global awareness. [sub]\*Not referring to the SDMB. But I haven’t really checked[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/5 "2011-05-16T16:04:59Z")
That audience group wants to beliive. Scratch that, they need to believe in something, anything. The crediblity of the source of what they choose to believe doesn’t enter into it at all. If only I could get them to believe that all their problems would be solved if they just sent me all their money. And if they’re cute, sent themselves too. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/6 "2011-05-16T16:24:53Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > OK, serious question. Are there any reports available as to how many idiots believe this guy? > > Is it a few dozen? A few hundred? Thousands? Tens of thousands? I think it’s a very small yet very vocal group. It’s basically a cult. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/7 "2011-05-16T16:27:06Z")
At least 10 dopers… > **[Do you believe that "Judgment Day" will happen on May 21?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=606369)** > > The signs are ubiquitous. I’ve seen them on my train, on highway billboards, etc. It seems like someone did a lot of work in marketing this idea that May 21, 2011 will be the day of judgment. I’m curious if any dopers truly believe this. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/8 "2011-05-16T16:37:16Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > OK, serious question. Are there any reports available as to how many idiots believe this guy? > > Is it a few dozen? A few hundred? Thousands? Tens of thousands? So far, every news report has just been about this guy and his billboards. No news agency seems to be able to find anybody who believes him. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/9 "2011-05-16T16:59:43Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > So far, every news report has just been about this guy and his billboards. No news agency seems to be able to find anybody who believes him. In one of the many threads on this, someone posted a pretty in-depth TV report following a large group of these nuts driving a 5-RV caravan around Florida. I can’t find it at the moment, but there are plenty of believers out there. ---
**Author:** ![Corner\_Case](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/corner_case/32/234_2.png) [@Corner\_Case](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corner_Case)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/10 "2011-05-16T17:19:52Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > So far, every news report has just been about this guy and his billboards. You’ll know if he’s serious if his billboard lease ends on May 21st or goes to the end of the month. Just saw a a bumper sticker that said, “GOD is bigger than any problem I have”. That has two completely different meanings, ya know. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/11 "2011-05-16T20:28:58Z")
From what I can gather at my church, everyone just sees it like they do every possible proclamation of Jesus’s coming. Probably nothing, but, it doesn’t hurt to be ready just in case. Of course, the really faithful feel that way every day. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/12 "2011-05-16T20:58:39Z")
There were some of these loons carrying signs and trying to accost people in front of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum while I was helping chaperone my daughter’s kindergarten class field trip. Real nice work, douchebags…I had to explain to my daughter and a couple of her classmates how sometimes people have extreme opinions, etc., which I considered waaaay outside of my assigned duty for the day. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/13 "2011-05-16T21:20:05Z")
Seems like a good opportunity to point out the importance of education. Get some education kids or you’ll end up like those guys. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/14 "2011-05-16T21:30:34Z")
Right…I tried to just tell them that not everybody thinks the same, etc., however, 6 year olds aren’t that good at nuance, plus I wouldn’t feel right saying much else to anyone’s kid but my own. I was put off by it not just because of the religious fanaticism, but because I think that scaring little kids with end-of-the-world stuff is nearly as bad as yelling “fire” in a crowded theater; a stretching of the 1st Amendment to the ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/15 "2011-05-16T21:41:13Z")
I haven’t met anybody IRL who believes the billboards–we’re all just joking around about Judgment Day and going looting afterwards and whatnot. I know a lot of evangelicals, but I haven’t heard a peep about taking this seriously. Many Christians consider it unbiblical to predict Judgment Day. The billboards are proliferating though; there’s a new one near here with much more information than the first ones had (I thought they must be movie promotions or something at first). Oddly, the radio station is still asking for donations. A friend of mine did tell me that one of her kids knows someone whose family bought interest-free furniture, betting that they won’t have to pay for it. But that’s a pretty far stretch into FOAF territory and I’m not sure I believe the story. Also, if you’re trying to please God in anticipation of imminent rapturing, I’m not sure that cheating your fellow man is a good move. And why do you need fancy furniture for a month? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/16 "2011-05-16T22:04:36Z")
What does it matter to you or me if we don’t believe the nutcase? Who gives a shit. Let him live his lunatic life mad as a hatter. The important part is he will never persuade us he’s anything but mad. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/17 "2011-05-16T22:06:41Z")
The thread title is trivially true, since the empty set is considered a subset of any set. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/18 "2011-05-16T22:07:51Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > And why do you need fancy furniture for a month? It’s in the book! You put off the day of disaster and bring near a reign of terror. You lie on beds adorned with ivory and lounge on your couches. [indent] -Amos 6:3-5[/indent] ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/19 "2011-05-16T22:26:01Z")
And: This is what the LORD says: “As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth only two leg bones or a piece of an ear, so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued, with only the head of a bed and a piece of fabric from a couch. ” [indent]Amos 3:11-13[/indent] You can’t argue with prophesy. ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097/20 "2011-05-16T23:07:09Z")
Is it judgement day or the rapture this Saturday? I’m kind of hoping for the latter. It would make my commute much less crowded! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-subset-of-christians-think-the-rapture-is-21may2011-based-on-the-prediction-of/582097.md?page=2)