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Harold Camping Claims Another Victim

May 18, 2011

This is actually depressing.

An elderly man is so convinced by Camping’s May 21st prediction that he has taken his retirement savings ($140,000!!!) and spent it on a variety of billboards around NYC. In light of the many other victims whom Camping has tricked into similar bad decisions, Camping should face some sort of criminal charges Sunday May 22nd.

Robert Fitzpatrick is so convinced the end is near he’s betting his life savings on it.

The retired MTA employee has pumped $140,000 into a NYC Transit ad campaign to warn everyone the world will end next Saturday.

“Global Earthquake! The Greatest Ever – Judgment Day: May 21,” the ad declares above a placid picture of night over Jerusalem with a clock that’s about to strike midnight.

“I’m trying to warn people about what’s coming,” the 60-year-old Staten Island resident said. “People who have an understanding [of end times] have an obligation to warn everyone.”

His doomsday warning has appeared on 1,000 placards on subway cars, at a cost of $90,000, and at bus shelters around the city, for $50,000 more.
Fitzpatrick’s millenial mania began after he retired in 2006 and began listening to California evangelist Harold Camping’s “end of days” predictions.

Using head-spinning numerological calculations, Camping has determined that the world will end on Saturday, May 21. He’s used similar biblical math to pinpoint when Abraham was circumcised (2068 B.C.) and when earth was created (11,083 B.C.).

Camping has predicted the end of world once before – on Sept. 6, 1994. When the sun rose on Sept. 7, Camping admitted he might have had that one wrong.

Still, Fitzpatrick remains convinced the beginning of the end is coming next week.

“It’ll start just before midnight, Jerusalem time: It’ll be instantaneous and global,” he said. “There are too many scriptures talking about ‘sudden destruction.'”

Read more: HERE

12 Comments leave one →
  1. May 18, 2011 9:55 am

    I’ve said it once already and I’ll say it again:
    If these cultists are looking for ways to get rid of their money, I will be more than happy to take it off their hands.

  2. May 18, 2011 10:03 am

    I have a paypal account and I’m prettier than Craig, so donate to me.

  3. Robert permalink
    May 18, 2011 5:13 pm

    Why are we being warned,will it make any difference? I feel truly sad about those believers who will wake up sunday and find them self alive.

  4. May 19, 2011 2:12 am

    This could turn out to be a totally cool advertising campaign for a movie being released on May 21st.

    Robert: “I feel truly sad about those believers who will wake up Sunday and find them self alive.”
    Classic. how bizarre to wake up and be disappointed to be alive…

  5. Headless Unicorn Guy permalink
    May 19, 2011 12:46 pm

    Classic. how bizarre to wake up and be disappointed to be alive…

    Talked to my writing partner (the burned-out preacher) last night. His remark about this posting was that after this Saturday, guys like the one in the article are going to be serious suicide risks.

  6. Dave Capper permalink
    May 21, 2011 6:48 am

    According to a story I just read about this fruitcake, he has duped people out of over 100,000,000 dollars in donations for this hoax. Where are the feds? There should be some fraud charges against this man for massive fraud. Of course, since he did it in the name of “Jesus” I doubt there will be anything done to protect the suckers who donated money to him. Not using their brains, they donate money to a man who claims the world is coming to an end. Why?? What do you think he needs this money for? Hmmmm…

    … There really is one born every minute.

  7. May 21, 2011 11:42 am

    As the saying goes, “a fool and his money are soon parted”.

  8. Leroy Skalstad permalink
    May 21, 2011 11:10 pm

    So Camping has over one hundred million dollars with some of his faithfull now homeless, Shees

  9. Headless Unicorn Guy permalink
    May 23, 2011 10:01 am

    Everything I’ve read on Camping indicates the guy is NOT a con man, but an obsessive End Times fanboy who believes his own PR. When his last EOTW prediction failed in 1994, he apparently went back to his KJV and numerological Bible Code calculations — “This Time I’ve Gotten It Right!”

    A good chunk of that $100 Meg was probably spent “Spreading the Word”; all those billboards and sound trucks and truck-back billboards and media ads wouldn’t come cheap. That would fit with a True Believer.

  10. December 16, 2011 2:46 am

    This man spent all of his money to do something he thought would save people.
    I’m not saying it wasn’t stupid, but there’s a part of me that wants to pay him back.
    But I don’t believe Harold Camping should face criminal charges. We should not be sending the message that you shouldn’t stand up for what you think is true because you’ll be punished if you’re wrong. Because sometimes people will be right.
    But if I were Camping I would spend the rest of my days trying to pay his followers back. Whatever little he can give back.

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