# Belief in the coming Rapture on May 21, 2011 **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 25, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667 "2011-04-25T16:00:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/21 "2011-04-26T01:45:03Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Didn’t God create everything, including the decimal system? By that logic, He or She also created all other number systems, from binary to quinary to hexadecimal to vigesimal and beyond. If we could find out which one He or She favors, it might answer some questions. By the logic that base 10 is “natural” to humans because of 10 fingers, would a Holy Octal system imply that God is really an octopus? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/22 "2011-04-26T03:39:22Z")
I thought only Skynet knows when judgment day will be. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/23 "2011-04-26T04:14:00Z")
> [@paperbackwriter](#): > > By that logic, He or She also created all other number systems, from binary to quinary to hexadecimal to vigesimal and beyond. If we could find out which one He or She favors, it might answer some questions. By the logic that base 10 is “natural” to humans because of 10 fingers, would a Holy Octal system imply that God is really an octopus? 😛 Good point. If anything from the Bible I would look at base 7. I once converted 666 from base 7. The number didn’t mean much. I also converted bad to decimal, again, nothing much. ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/24 "2011-04-26T11:23:57Z")
Gosh, If it ends on May 21st then what happens on December 21st 2012? Will that be canceled? ---
**Author:** ![Uncertain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Uncertain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncertain)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/25 "2011-04-26T11:45:49Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Didn’t God create everything, including the decimal system? I thought that was Dewey. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/26 "2011-04-26T12:36:03Z")
> [@paperbackwriter](#): > > By that logic, He or She also created all other number systems, from binary to quinary to hexadecimal to vigesimal and beyond. If we could find out which one He or She favors, it might answer some questions. By the logic that base 10 is “natural” to humans because of 10 fingers, would a Holy Octal system imply that God is really an octopus? 😛 Man’s ways are set and ordained by God, so it is God who would have man use the base 10 system. God obviously created the base 8 system for the octopi. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/27 "2011-04-26T13:20:17Z")
> [@paperbackwriter](#): > > By that logic, He or She also created all other number systems, from binary to quinary to hexadecimal to vigesimal and beyond. If we could find out which one He or She favors, it might answer some questions. By the logic that base 10 is “natural” to humans because of 10 fingers, would a Holy Octal system imply that God is really an octopus? 😛 The first fish that emerged on land had 8 digits. Clearly god uses hex numbers. So instead of 2000, the world will end in 2048. Sorry I can’t give a more precise date. As for the person who wants to be $250 against someone’s worldly possessions, the first guy I saw carrying a sign proclaiming the end of the world on May 21 looked like his worldly possessions might not be worth $250. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/28 "2011-04-26T13:22:24Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Man’s ways are set and ordained by God, so it is God who would have man use the base 10 system. God obviously created the base 8 system for the octopi. 😃 Please. The plural of octopus is either octopuses (preferred) or octopodoi. But if you use the latter, be sure to decline it appropriately. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/29 "2011-04-26T13:31:44Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Please. The plural of octopus is either octopuses (preferred) or octopodoi. But if you use the latter, be sure to decline it appropriately. “Octopodoi? That’s very kind but I’m absolutely stuffed after all those asparagoides.” ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/30 "2011-04-26T14:31:37Z")
> [@HorseloverFat](#): > > There have been hundreds of end of the world cults in recent years. The delusional irrational people who are part of them typically just latch onto some other preacher. Its pretty rare for them to take their lives or do anything drastic. Usually they aren’t too shaken up because of our old pal cognitive dissonance and because these preachers are clever enough to come up with excuses. > > [Cognitive dissonance - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance) > [Doomsday cult - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_cult) > > When prophecy fails addresses this: > > [When Prophecy Fails - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Prophecy_Fails) The Seventh-Day Adventists are perhaps the largest denomination to grow out of a failed end-times prophecy, which predicted that doom would come in 1844. The church coalesced around a decision that some sort of cosmic precursor event happened on that date, and that the actual doomsday is still imminent but of uncertain date. Over time, they’ve evolved more and more toward the Protestant mainstream. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/31 "2011-04-26T14:54:21Z")
> [@thelabdude](#): > > To predict the end of the world using the Bible means ignoring the passage saying nobody knows and it will be unexpected. … > [@dracoi](#): > > …What I find amazing is that these folks always miss the very clear passages that say no one can predict the date. They must be going with the very ancient, Gnostic tradition of concealed knowledge. Sure Matthew 24:36 plainly says no one knows the time or date, but that’s really a smokescreen. If you read the whole bible backwards on opposite day, then multiply by a few numbers in Revelation, then pick a random date far enough out yet close enough to today to make some money off believers, you CAN know what the end date is. What I find interesting is that the date given is always within the expected lifetime of the flock. I guess it has to be, nobody wants to die before the end comes. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/32 "2011-04-26T15:03:15Z")
> [@](#): > > I guess it has to be, nobody wants to die before the end comes. Or no one will bother following the guy who preaches that in 300 years its all over. I think there’s a certain vanity in joining these cults. Its all about them and how theyre so important to the universe and how everything will happen in their lifetimes, etc. Without this vanity, they’re not donating money/putting on the purple Nikes. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/33 "2011-04-26T15:17:54Z")
Paul didn’t predict a date, but his advice in his letters all pretty much centered around getting ready for Jesus’ imminent return. The expectation of this happening within one’s lifetime has a long history! ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/34 "2011-04-26T16:18:52Z")
The following is an article (rather long) about why true believers are basically impossible to reason with. Discusses the actions of a Chicago cult back in 1954 when the end of the world did not come as predicted. [http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/03/denial-science-chris-mooney](http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/03/denial-science-chris-mooney) ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/35 "2011-04-26T17:12:42Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Man’s ways are set and ordained by God, so it is God who would have man use the base 10 system. God obviously created the base 8 system for the octopi. 😃 Well, duh - he gave us 8 fingers. As a computer scientist, I would only believe in a god who gave us the much more practical 8 fingers. Or, as Tom Lehrer said, Base 8 is just like Base 10 if you are missing your thumbs. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/36 "2011-04-26T19:45:49Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Please. The plural of octopus is either octopuses (preferred) or octopodoi. But if you use the latter, be sure to decline it appropriately. Speaking of declensions: \*_Octopodoi_ is just as wrong as \*_octopi_, and in the same way. The actual Greek plural is _oktopodes_. The word _pous_ means ‘foot’; you got the noun stem _pod_- right, but it’s in the third declension, not the second as you had it. But then there’s no reason to use anything other than the good old English plural suffix, when writing in English. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/37 "2011-04-26T22:20:29Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > It’s possible that the ‘rapture’ can happen and life just goes on for those left, scriptures speak of a angelic harvest of the earth, and as for the ones left behind, well not explicitly stated but perhaps are apparently still living their lives as nothing happens. But aren’t the raptured dudes supposed to disappear as they get hauled up to heaven? Wouldn’t those left notice a bunch of people disappearing? Or, are their brains reprogrammed during the rapture so they don’t notice? ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/38 "2011-04-26T22:49:55Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > But aren’t the raptured dudes supposed to disappear as they get hauled up to heaven? Wouldn’t those left notice a bunch of people disappearing? Or, are their brains reprogrammed during the rapture so they don’t notice? There’s nothing that can be said for certain about the end times. Biblical scholars don’t even agree on when the rapture would occur during the end times. Maybe noticing it is part of the point of the Rapture. Maybe the non-believers would come up with an explanation in terms of some other religion, or chalk it up to UFOs or something. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/39 "2011-04-26T22:58:14Z")
For some reason when I saw the thread title, I thought it said April 21. I thought, “Damn! Why didn’t I see this until now???” ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_of\_Lucan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@Michael\_of\_Lucan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_of_Lucan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667/40 "2011-04-26T23:24:13Z")
I can never understand why they decide to name a date when the world will end. Vagueness is more practical. I remember when I was young. (Ah yes, been there, smoked that, got sick all over the tee-shirt. Sorry, where was I . . .) Anyway, one cult announced that the world was going to end. They climbed a mountain to pray to God, begging him to spare the sinful world. Then they announced that their prayers had been successful. Thanks to their prayers and faith, the Lord would not destroy the world that day. However, he was threatening to do so on a later date. That’s how to keep the shekels flowing, and hold your audience. You’ll always be proven right, because you will pray and pray, and the world will not end. The ancients knew the underlying idea well. They named the principle, _“Post hoc, ergo propter hoc”_ - “After this, therefore because of this”. It’s also known as the the rain dance principle. I perform a dance and it rains. Therefore, my dance caused the rain. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/belief-in-the-coming-rapture-on-may-21-2011/579667.md?page=3)