Skeptic Project

Yeah, there were a couple of sidewalk preachers on my campus yesterday causing a ruckuss about this.

They won't give up, commit suicide or go crazy. Most likely they'll say their calculations were wrong and somebody will discover an arcane piece of Biblical scripture that results in the doomsday date being later than expected. Then the cycle will start all over again.

This kind of phenomenon is well-documented:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Prophecy_Fails

I think when 2012 doom and gloom scenarios don't come into reality it will be different from other doom and gloom scenarios. I think it'll be different in that a lot of people banking on 2012 to be the end all will suddenly have to come back into reality and at that I think these people will drop out of there doom group and integrate back into society.

I think 2012 is just going to be different.

^ yeah, I just think 2012 doom and gloom seems universal across religions, CT's, and anybody else. Their are even few movies based on 2012 it's that popular.I just think it's going to be different but we will see.

"Oh they don't go away. I once interviewed a Jehova's Witness who spent part of the 1970s publishing papers about the end of the world in 1977 (I believe that was the year). Despite being wrong he stuck with the church."

If only this was the case. FAILED JW PREDICTIONS:
1897 "Our Lord, the appointed King, is now present, since October 1874," (Studies in the Scriptures, vol. 4, p. 621).
1899 "...the 'battle of the great day of God Almighty' (Revelation 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth's present rulership, is already commenced," (The Time Is at Hand, 1908 edition, p. 101).
1916 "The Bible chronology herein presented shows that the six great 1000 year days beginning with Adam are ended, and that the great 7th Day, the 1000 years of Christ's Reign, began in 1873," (The Time Is at Hand, forward, p. ii).
1918 "Therefore we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old, particularly those named by the Apostle in Hebrews 11, to the condition of human perfection," (Millions Now Living Will Never Die, p. 89).
1922 "The date 1925 is even more distinctly indicated by the Scriptures than 1914," (Watchtower, Sept. 1, 1922, p. 262).
1923 "Our thought is, that 1925 is definitely settled by the Scriptures. As to Noah, the Christian now has much more upon which to base his faith than Noah had upon which to base his faith in a coming deluge," (Watchtower, Apr. 1, 1923, p. 106).
1925 "The year 1925 is here. With great expectation Christians have looked forward to this year. Many have confidently expected that all members of the body of Christ will be changed to heavenly glory during this year. This may be accomplished. It may not be. In his own due time God will accomplish his purposes concerning his people. Christians should not be so deeply concerned about what may transpire this year," (Watchtower, Jan. 1, 1925, p. 3).
1925 "It is to be expected that Satan will try to inject into the minds of the consecrated, the thought that 1925 should see an end to the work," (Watchtower, Sept., 1925, p. 262).
1926 "Some anticipated that the work would end in 1925, but the Lord did not state so. The difficulty was that the friends inflated their imaginations beyond reason; and that when their imaginations burst asunder, they were inclined to throw away everything," (Watchtower, p. 232).
1931 "There was a measure of disappointment on the part of Jehovah's faithful ones on earth concerning the years 1917, 1918, and 1925, which disappointment lasted for a time...and they also learned to quit fixing dates," (Vindication, p. 338).
1941 "Receiving the gift, the marching children clasped it to them, not a toy or plaything for idle pleasure, but the Lord's provided instrument for most effective work in the remaining months before Armageddon," (Watchtower, Sept. 15, 1941, p. 288).
1968 "True, there have been those in times past who predicted an 'end to the world', even announcing a specific date. Yet nothing happened. The 'end' did not come. They were guilty of false prophesying. Why? What was missing?.. Missing from such people were God's truths and evidence that he was using and guiding them," (Awake, Oct. 8, 1968).
1968 "Why are you looking forward to 1975?" (Watchtower, Aug. 15, 1968, p. 494).

And these are just a select few, there are plenty more where this came from.

"Camping's predictions have inspired other groups to rally behind the May 21 date. People have quit their jobs and left their families to get the message out."

Nuts.