No Apocalypse, But Prepare Anyway

Well, it has been five days since I was supposed to be ushered into Heaven with all the other righteous souls, leaving my wicked brothers and sisters to endure the calamities of the Apocalypse as they await Final Judgment, which is supposed to be in October. Either I did something terribly wrong that I completely forgot about and therefore forgot to repent of, or Harold Camping was wrong.

But I'm not writing this to poke fun at Camping's prediction; he reportedly feels bad enough already, according to the Washington Post. He's being ripped apart by the media, while blog writers and editorial commentators alike have suggested lawsuits be filed by those who invested millions in this man's Doomsday prediction. Such investors included Adrienne Martinez, a 27 year-old pregnant woman who "gave up medical school...to spread the message of May 21," and Robert Fitzpatrick, a retired subway worker who "spent his life savings spreading the message."

What I want to know is why this prediction needed any investors in the first place. Why did Camping need money to tell people that the end was near? Apparently, he needed to spread the word through advertisements, subway placards, billboards, etc, to make sure everyone knew what he and his followers believed was going to happen. In a previous interview with the New York Times, Fitzpatrick had reasoned, "I'm trying to warn people about what's coming. People who have an understanding [of end times] have an obligation to warn everyone."

Now I can't argue with that core belief. Section 88, verse 81 of the Doctrine and Covenants (LDS Scripture containing modern day revelation) states, "It becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor." Yes, if we know the truths of the Gospel, we must spread them. That is why the LDS Church has an organized full-time missionary program. And that seems to be what Camping and his followers thought they were doing. The problem is that their methodology was based on the assumption that most of us had done nothing to prepare ourselves for Judgment Day.

And they're probably right. We live in some wicked times, where good and evil are constantly confused and debated. People who simply try to live according to Gospel principles are mocked and/or criticized. But this isn't because we haven't had warning. We have. Prophets long ago warned us that now is "a time to prepare to meet God" (Alma 12:24). While no man knows when Christ shall come (Matthew 24:36), God has given us prophets and scriptures that tell us how to prepare for when He does come. There will be calamities, "but if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear" (Doctrine and Covenants 38:30).

I don't pretend to know what went on in Camping's mind. He may have intentionally defrauded his followers, or he may have truly believed in the formula he used to predict the Second Coming. But if he genuinely wanted to warn everyone that Christ was coming, I can see why he would feel the need to take such drastic, monetary measures. Many of us ignore daily the principles that God has given us, choosing only to turn our hearts towards Him at the last minute or when it is convenient for us. But He expects us to live our lives virtuously day in and day out, heeding the warnings that have been free all along.

Why Use One Word When You Can Use 1000?

So two weeks ago I posted my thoughts on Jon McNaughton's painting being pulled from the BYU Bookstore. I also posted several times on his blog before realizing that I was investing way too much time into an argument to which Jon had long since turned a deaf ear. I don't enjoy talking to walls as much as I used to.

But I continued to check his blog for a few days after my last post, wondering if anyone would offer any further insight. Someone eventually did--technically. I say technically because this person did not offer anything new. He had merely paraphrased Jon's explanation--which I had already refuted--in not the most verbose manner I had ever seen something paraphrased, but certainly in a manner more verbose than one could ever expect this explanation to be reworded. It shouldn't take too many words to say "I only meant to depict those who have contributed to our country vs. those who have led our country towards socialism with their corruption and greed. If people see themselves in that depiction, that's their problem."

But somehow, this other person turned that explanation into a novel, perhaps hoping that verbosity could adequately replace innovative thought. Now I can be long-winded sometimes, but not by using big words--which I certainly can--but rather by over-explaining myself. For the record, I'm working on that.

I find it quite amusing when someone feels they can dress up an argument with unnecessary three, four, and five-syllable words and not expect others to recognize it as the same argument someone already refuted. I can use the word 'utilize' too, but it doesn't do anything more than 'use' does. The only time you should use bigger words--even in creative writing--is when they capture the intended meaning more fully and/or they are concrete as opposed to abstract. 'Divisiveness', for example, is even less concrete than 'division', and it means the same thing. Otherwise you risk boring the reader and even turning them off with your implied desire to impress them with your extensive vocabulary. That is not the purpose of any type of writing.