# Hmm... Harold Camping no longer sounds so confident!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmm-harold-camping-no-longer-sounds-so-confident/597586>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 25, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmm-harold-camping-no-longer-sounds-so-confident/597586 "2011-09-25T20:45:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmm-harold-camping-no-longer-sounds-so-confident/597586/1 "2011-09-25T20:45:50Z")

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Listen to [his most recent speech](http://fsiarchive1.familyradio.org:8000/mp3/specials/greeting_02.mp3?keepThis=true&TB2_iframe=true&height=440&width=611). Hmm… Lots of "probably"s in that speech! I don’t recall him using “probably” very often before May 21. It’ll be interesting to hear what he says after October 21.

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**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmm-harold-camping-no-longer-sounds-so-confident/597586/2 "2011-09-25T21:26:06Z")

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That’s something that’s covered in week 1 of the Prophesy class: never give a firm date. He must have been asleep in class or absent that day.

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**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmm-harold-camping-no-longer-sounds-so-confident/597586/3 "2011-09-25T23:27:28Z")

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Family Radio - a Non-Prophet Organization

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**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmm-harold-camping-no-longer-sounds-so-confident/597586/4 "2011-09-25T23:44:07Z")

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> [@Vlad\_Igor](#):
>
> That’s something that’s covered in week 1 of the Prophesy class: never give a firm date. He must have been asleep in class or absent that day.

Also, giving a date so far into the future as to be meaningless should work. The Messiah shall coming to earth in July of 3135.

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**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmm-harold-camping-no-longer-sounds-so-confident/597586/5 "2011-09-26T08:45:36Z")

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> [@robert\_columbia](#):
>
> Family Radio - a Non-Prophet Organization

😃

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**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmm-harold-camping-no-longer-sounds-so-confident/597586/6 "2011-09-26T10:16:17Z")

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> [@Ike\_Witt](#):
>
> Also, giving a date so far into the future as to be meaningless should work. The Messiah shall coming to earth in July of 3135.

Avoid specific predictions, obfuscate, and make extensive use of blank verse.