Fearful Teen Commits Suicide Due to Harold Camping's Doomsday

[Richard Amiel McGough]

The Christian Post reports (http://www.christianpost.com/news/fearful-teen-commits-suicide-due-to-harold-campings-doomsday-50542/):



A 14-year-old girl from Russia was so scared of the May 21 doomsday forecast made by Harold Camping that she committed suicide the same day, investigators said Wednesday.

May 21 was the day that Family Radio preacher Camping said believers would rapture up to heaven ahead of the apocalypse and those left behind on earth would suffer under disasters that would culminate with the destruction of the world on October 21.

Nastya Zachinova, who lived in the Republic of Mari El in Central Russia, believed that the world end on May 21, her family told LifeNews, a Russian tabloid.

'She took this date too close to heart,' the teen's mother, Lyudmila, told LifeNews.

Russia's state-owned news agency, RIA Novosti, reported Wednesday that the girl hanged herself out of fear of Camping's prediction.

Investigator Alexander Kosharin said the girl's behavior changed dramatically when she learned about the radio preacher's predictions, according to RIA Novosti.


So not only did he acquire about a HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS from followers, destroyed marriages, led people to quit their jobs, but now he led a confused child to suicide.

What do you call this? Criminal Hermenuetics? Evil Eschatology? Or just plain raving insanity supported by the general evangelical world view and amplified by million dollar crap books like "Left Behind" and "The Late Great Planet Earth?"

[CWH]

The Christian Post reports (http://www.christianpost.com/news/fearful-teen-commits-suicide-due-to-harold-campings-doomsday-50542/):



So not only did he acquire about a HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS from followers, destroyed marriages, led people to quit their jobs, but now he led a confused child to suicide.

What do you call this? Criminal Hermenuetics? Evil Eschatology? Or just plain raving insanity supported by the general evangelical world view and amplified by million dollar crap books like "Left Behind" and "The Late Great Planet Earth?"

I do not support Harold Camping but just a comment. I have some training in psychology although I am not a psychologist.

A mentally stable person will not commit suicide. There are many reasons why a person committed suicide such as depression, debts etc. and may not be because of a false end of the world prediction. I won't, you won't and everybody in this forum won't commit suicide because of Harold Camping's false prediction. There are 2 sides to a coin. Would preterist's doctrine that everything has been fulfilled and that Christ is not coming back lead one to commit suicide also? Well, possible if one is not mentally stable thinking that since everything is fulfilled and Christ is not coming back anymore, what hope is there to look forward to? To use your terms, "What do you call this? Criminal Hermenuetics? Evil Eschatology?".It is not . I would classify it as phobia meaning irrational fear leading to suicidal ideation. As I said, a normal person with normal mental health will not have such phobia.

Many Blessings.

[Richard Amiel McGough]

I do not support Harold Camping but just a comment. I have some training in psychology although I am not a psychologist.

A mentally stable person will not commit suicide. There are many reasons why a person committed suicide such as depression, debts etc. and may not be because of a false end of the world prediction. I won't, you won't and everybody in this forum won't commit suicide because of Harold Camping's false prediction. There are 2 sides to a coin. Would preterist's doctrine that everything has been fulfilled and that Christ is not coming back lead one to commit suicide also? Well, possible if one is not mentally stable thinking that since everything is fulfilled and Christ is not coming back anymore, what hope is there to look forward to? To use your terms, "What do you call this? Criminal Hermenuetics? Evil Eschatology?".It is not . I would classify it as phobia meaning irrational fear leading to suicidal ideation. As I said, a normal person with normal mental health will not have such phobia.

Many Blessings.
I am very happy to say that we agree that mentally healthy folks would not commit suicide over Harold Camping's ludicrous predictions. But that kinda goes without saying, since mentally healthy folks wouldn't believe his crazy ideas in the first place. But even if they did believe him, it is unlikely they would commit suicide. But that does not exonerate Harold Camping because his false teachings led a weak person to suicide. He is in part responsible. We'll never no if that 14 year old child would have committed suicide if he had not broadcast his lies.

But I disagree with your attempt to create a false equivalence with Preterism. There is a WORLD of difference between the hysterical futurists screaming about the end of the world and Preterists concluding that all prophecy has been fulfilled. I don't know why you persist in your constant misrepresentation of Preterism. It seems perverse to me. You have no excuse to continue repeating such falsehoods. Preterists teach that the riches of Christ are available to each and every believer right now. Therefore, no one could conclude that there was no "hope" to "look forward to." That is a completely false representation of the Preterist position.

And besides, it is the Futurist position that breeds fear of the future with their constant preaching about doomsday, death, destruction, antichrist, one-world government, world-wide destruction, earthquakes, tsunamis, mark of the beast, and nothing but FEAR FEAR FEAR. Futurism has transformed the "blessed hope" of Christ coming into a horror movie like "Left Behind" mixed with 2012 and the Exorcist.

[Richard Amiel McGough]

Here's a second case in which Camping's doomsday ravings may have driven an unstable person to suicide:



Investigators Believe Camping's Doomsday to Blame for Fla. Man's Death (http://www.christianpost.com/news/investigators-suspect-campings-rapture-to-blame-for-fla-mans-death-50558/)

Investigators looking into the circumstances of the death of a young man from Florida are suspecting Harold Camping’s rapture prediction and the publicity generated by the Family Radio man’s followers may have pushed him over the edge.

Victor Frasno, 25, described by investigators as very religious, was staying with family in California when he became hysterical as Harold Camping’s Judgment Day was about to arrive hours later. Despite the fact that he couldn’t swim, he jumped into the huge reservoir in Contra Loma Regional Park, Antioch saying he had to 'get to God.'

Frasno’s body was recovered from the reservoir just moments before midnight as May 21st, Camping’s predicted day of rapture, was about to arrive.

Investigators are suggesting that the aggressive global advertising campaign and vast coverage given to Camping’s prediction is to blame. Detective Holly Sontag, told the Contra Costa Times, 'I believe it probably had something to do with the rapture because this wasn't his normal behavior.'

[CWH]

I am very happy to say that we agree that mentally healthy folks would not commit suicide over Harold Camping's ludicrous predictions. But that kinda goes without saying, since mentally healthy folks wouldn't believe his crazy ideas in the first place. But even if they did believe him, it is unlikely they would commit suicide. But that does not exonerate Harold Camping because his false teachings led a weak person to suicide. He is in part responsible. We'll never no if that 14 year old child would have committed suicide if he had not broadcast his lies.

But I disagree with your attempt to create a false equivalence with Preterism. There is a WORLD of difference between the hysterical futurists screaming about the end of the world and Preterists concluding that all prophecy has been fulfilled. I don't know why you persist in your constant misrepresentation of Preterism. It seems perverse to me. You have no excuse to continue repeating such falsehoods. Preterists teach that the riches of Christ are available to each and every believer right now. Therefore, no one could conclude that there was no "hope" to "look forward to." That is a completely false representation of the Preterist position.

And besides, it is the Futurist position that breeds fear of the future with their constant preaching about doomsday, death, destruction, antichrist, one-world government, world-wide destruction, earthquakes, tsunamis, mark of the beast, and nothing but FEAR FEAR FEAR. Futurism has transformed the "blessed hope" of Christ coming into a horror movie like "Left Behind" mixed with 2012 and the Exorcist.

I disagree, the futurist position is not fear but fear with hope. Fear with Hope for salvation; remember "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom". I am an optimistic person; for every action, there is a reaction. Natural disasters make us realized that life on earth is not infinite, life on earth is not what our life goals should be, remember, "don't store up treasures on earth but store up treasures in heaven where rusts and moths do not destroy". Natural disasters make us realized the fallacy of human technology and make humans look for solutions to prevent further disasters. Anyway human technology and knowledge is no match for divine technology and knowledge. God should be our focus in our life, remember "The fool said in his heart, there is no God". Why then do you think the earth still has death, destruction, antichrist, world-wide destruction, earthquakes, tsunamis etc.?God would have abolished them long ago. God is telling us don't be so life-centred but be God-centred. Do not worry folks, listen to Jesus words:

Matthew 6: 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Many Blessings.

[Richard Amiel McGough]

I disagree, the futurist position is not fear but fear with hope. Fear with Hope for salvation; remember "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom". I am an optimistic person; for every action, there is a reaction. Natural disasters make us realized that life on earth is not infinite, life on earth is not what our life goals should be, remember, "don't store up treasures on earth but store up treasures in heaven where rusts and moths do not destroy". Natural disasters make us realized the fallacy of human technology and make humans look for solutions to prevent further disasters. Anyway human technology and knowledge is no match for divine technology and knowledge. God should be our focus in our life, remember "The fool said in his heart, there is no God". Why then do you think the earth still has death, destruction, antichrist, world-wide destruction, earthquakes, tsunamis etc.?God would have abolished them long ago. God is telling us don't be so life-centred but be God-centred. Do not worry folks, listen to Jesus words:

Matthew 6: 25 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 'And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Many Blessings.
I'm pretty sure every Preterist would agree with every word you wrote.