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.