# Can people win a law suit against Harold Camping for damages caused by the world not ending? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 21, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-win-a-law-suit-against-harold-camping-for-damages-caused-by-the-world-not-ending/582703 "2011-05-21T18:11:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-win-a-law-suit-against-harold-camping-for-damages-caused-by-the-world-not-ending/582703/41 "2011-05-24T05:14:56Z")
> [@flickster](#): > > Great…more stupid crap clogging up the court system… Reminds me of the ‘stupid shit’ in [Aenema](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_Xsd_aCVNs&feature=relatedhttp://). Hint: listen, don’t watch. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-win-a-law-suit-against-harold-camping-for-damages-caused-by-the-world-not-ending/582703/42 "2011-05-24T06:03:25Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Probably misinformed. I’ve never had occasion to be in court, and if I hadn’t read that specific SD column years ago I would have assumed everyone swore on the Bible since after all that’s all you ever see mentioned. That column was written in 1981! :eek: I live in CO. I had no Bible. I just said I swore. As far as Presidentials go, I believe a few have sworn in on law books. edit: the Explainer at Slate covered the OP’s Q with that other lady and aliens, i think, but I can’t find the article. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Deal_Democrat)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-win-a-law-suit-against-harold-camping-for-damages-caused-by-the-world-not-ending/582703/43 "2011-05-24T15:32:10Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > He did this before in 1994. While people might be fed up and stop donating it would not be surprising if he continues to receive support. Religious organizations seem to be able to survive being obviously wrong about a big important thing much better than you might imagine. I have listened to Family Radio for years. I never knew about the prediction in 1994. It was not reported nationally in the news like May 21 was. Also, Harold Camping is 89 years old. Organizations like this tend to depend on charismatic founders. They tend to die with those founders. Jerry Falwell’s Old Time Gospel Hour is no longer broadcast. Neither is D. James Kennedy’s Coral Ridge Hour. The mega churches Falwell and Kennedy founded are struggling. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-win-a-law-suit-against-harold-camping-for-damages-caused-by-the-world-not-ending/582703/44 "2011-05-24T15:59:54Z")
> [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](#): > > I have listened to Family Radio for years. I never knew about the prediction in 1994. It was not reported nationally in the news like May 21 was. > > Also, Harold Camping is 89 years old. Organizations like this tend to depend on charismatic founders. They tend to die with those founders. Jerry Falwell’s Old Time Gospel Hour is no longer broadcast. Neither is D. James Kennedy’s Coral Ridge Hour. The mega churches Falwell and Kennedy founded are struggling. Madoff probably doesn’t have more than 15 or 20 years left in him. They should probabyl just forgive and forget on that one too. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/22d042/32.png) [@Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-win-a-law-suit-against-harold-camping-for-damages-caused-by-the-world-not-ending/582703/45 "2011-05-24T17:30:51Z")
> [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](#): > > In this case, it clearly IS falsifiable; in fact, it was conclusively falsified. And it’s certainly not the only religious claim that’s scientifically testable and falsified. I really don’t see why there’s a need to exempt these scams from legal ramifications. Well that kind of depends on what you think happened. Reasonable people could assert that the world _did_ end, and we have all been swept into heaven, and it just happens to be identical to 21st century America. Isn’t that what you’ve known deep down all along?😃 ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-win-a-law-suit-against-harold-camping-for-damages-caused-by-the-world-not-ending/582703/46 "2011-05-26T02:50:00Z")
I think that one component of this type of suit would be that you had to act to your detriment in REASONABLE reliance on his statements. Would any court hold that you giving away all of your worldly possession on the word of an old coot to be reasonable? ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-win-a-law-suit-against-harold-camping-for-damages-caused-by-the-world-not-ending/582703/47 "2011-05-26T04:50:43Z")
> [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](#): > > I have listened to Family Radio for years. I never knew about the prediction in 1994. It was not reported nationally in the news like May 21 was. > > Also, Harold Camping is 89 years old. Organizations like this tend to depend on charismatic founders. They tend to die with those founders. Jerry Falwell’s Old Time Gospel Hour is no longer broadcast. Neither is D. James Kennedy’s Coral Ridge Hour. The mega churches Falwell and Kennedy founded are struggling. Actually, Pastor Jonathan Falwell’s Liberty (no longer Thomas Road) Baptist Church & Coral Ridge Ministries are still broadcasting (CRM is distinct from the church). Not as widely as they used to, but they are. Family Radio could last a long time with its traditional music (which I love) & Bible reading format. When Camping expires, maybe his family can put it in the hands of moderate Evangelicals (we exist) who’ll just have basic Bible discussion & not go crazy trying to crack the mysteries. _L_ ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-win-a-law-suit-against-harold-camping-for-damages-caused-by-the-world-not-ending/582703/48 "2011-05-26T05:43:40Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > When Camping expires, maybe his family can put it in the hands of moderate Evangelicals (we exist) who’ll just have basic Bible discussion & not go crazy trying to crack the mysteries. _L_ There’s precedent for this. The [Worldwide Church of God](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldwide_Church_of_God) aka the Radio Church of God, used to publish [The Plain Truth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Plain_Truth), a 1970s-1980s freesheet reflecting the peculiar religious interpretations of Herbert W. Armstrong. Once he passed on in 1986, the church transformed itself into a more conventional evangelical institution. In 2004 Armstrong was even labeled a false prophet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-win-a-law-suit-against-harold-camping-for-damages-caused-by-the-world-not-ending/582703.md?page=2)