| Author | Message | ||
     Blake |
That snopes "false" assertion is misleading. That the guard bars are not scanned is incorrect. Without them, the codes would fail to register. They just are not recorded as the numeral that they would otherwise signify. It is true that each UPC includes three guard bars identical to those bars which signify the numeral six within the remainder of the UPC. | ||
| Blake |
"No one could buy or sell unless he had this mark, that is, the beast's name or the number that stands for his name." — Revelation 13:17-18 Thing is it doesn't say "No one could buy or sell unless that which is bought or sold had this mark"; it says that the person must have the mark. Your driver's license have a UPC on it somewhere? D'OH! | ||
| Blake |
Snopes might ought to refer to Rev. 13:16 for a better refutation. The UPC/666 claim is just another example of ignorant myopic cherry-picking of scripture. | ||
| Stirz007 |
Danger Dave, Whisperstealth - looks like I didn't get the call so I'm keeping my bikes...... | ||
| Hughlysses |
I think this sums up the whole deal rather nicely:  | ||
| Moxnix |
Howard Camping. I wonder what he was thinking at 6:05. Christians can't buy a news article about love. He certainly gave the Christian bashers another chance to mock the whole religion. Seriously, this is an example of the difference between salvation and theology. If Howard thought he would bring people to salvation, then they would all gain redemption based on a false prophesy. I think it's okay to have a little fun at Howard's expense. After all, it's the second time he's pulled this off. INSTALLING RAPTURE. ##############################.................... .................................................. ... . . . 44% DONE. Install delayed....please wait. Installation failed. Please try again. 404 error: Rapture not found. EVENT "Rapture" cannot be located. The rapture you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later. | ||
| Jon |
Hughlysses, Is that Billboard for real? That is perfect. | ||
| Americanmadexb |
Should say, "Nobody Cares" Ian 20:11 | ||
| Cityxslicker |
the rapture down load message text is priceless. I dont know how many times I have had that, or the blue screen of death. and now that they own Skype...I am expecting to see it more. B@stards. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Jon- I don't know if it's real or not; I borrowed it from a friend on Facebook. I'm just amazed that this supposed biblical scholar (not to mention the apparently thousands of people he duped) somehow managed to find this hidden code revealing the exact time and date of the end of the world (which has somehow evaded other scholars for ~1,600 years) but he completely missed the clear statement in the Bible that "NOBODY KNOWS". I'm sure he had some clever explanation "well, that's not what it REALLY means." | ||
| Trojan |
I'm just amazed that this supposed biblical scholar (not to mention the apparently thousands of people he duped) somehow managed to find this hidden code revealing the exact time and date of the end of the world (which has somehow evaded other scholars for ~1,600 years) but he completely missed the clear statement in the Bible that "NOBODY KNOWS". I'm sure he had some clever explanation "well, that's not what it REALLY means." Biblical 'scholars' have been predicting the end of the world since about ten minutes after the first edition of the first bible came off the press I think (and pagan/Greek/Roman/Egyptian/Norse/Druidic scholars were predicting it before that!! Approaching the year 1000 there was a mass panic amongst christians in Europe, most of whom believed that the world would end at the millenium. The problem was that nobody could agree if it was on the (alleged)anniversary of Jesus birth or his death, so the end of the world could be 33 years diferent depending on who you believed! Conveniently they were all wrong of course, but whole communities committed mass suicide rather than face the wrath of god at the end of the world. 1000 years later we got the same old stories circulating again for the year 2K, despite all the centuries of scientific advancemant that we had seen. I don't think it will ever matter what we can prove or disprove, there will always be people gullible enough to believe anything  | ||
| Hootowl |
This guy was not a biblical scholar. He has no formal training on the subject. | ||
| Crusty |
Hey! Maybe we could get some radical Muslim Cleric to decide the same thing, and he could lead a bunch of radical nut case Jihaddists to off themselves as a path to Paradise! | ||
| Blake |
Matt, >>> Biblical 'scholars' have been predicting the end of the world since about ten minutes after the first edition of the first bible came off the press I think (and pagan/Greek/Roman/Egyptian/Norse/Druidic scholars were predicting it before that!! I see you put the word "scholars" in quotes. I guess you are recognizing that they are not actually scholars then? Okay. I agree. Al Gore hasn't given a date, but he's made some pretty outlandish doomsday assertions, purportedly all based on science. I'd not refer to him and his ilk as "scientists" though.  >>> Approaching the year 1000 there was a mass panic amongst christians in Europe, most of whom believed that the world would end at the millenium. The problem was that nobody could agree if it was on the (alleged)anniversary of Jesus birth or his death, so the end of the world could be 33 years diferent depending on who you believed! Mass panic? Really? I've never heard of that. http://www.atkinslightquest.com/Documents/Religion /Eschatology-Afterlife/Year-1000-Apocalypse.htm >>> there will always be people gullible enough to believe anything You mean like that the time itself, the universe, matter, and life all just appeared by accident from nothing? Or are you referring the the idea that our planet has a fever? Or maybe the idea that national government or the UN is here to help us? Or that it was Buell that decided to forgo a spec series in Britian?  | ||
| Blake |
Or is it that the Bible is not an historical collection of books, or is it that the gospels were written hundreds of years after the events they document? | ||
| Blake |
PT Barnum's observation was accurate. | ||
| D_adams |
I think most of the books of the NT were written between 30 to 150 years after his ascension and they were first hand accounts. It took several (many) centuries for them to be compiled into what is now the bible as we have it today. Just had a class on this a couple of weeks ago, so I may not be 100% accurate on the number of years involved. That camping guy is off his rocker a little in thinking he could predict when it will happen. Best option is to believe and follow the word. Me, I fail miserably most of the time, but at least I try. | ||
| Stirz007 |
A couple of us were chatting this morning about the possible legal issues involved here - because the issue is all wrapped up in faith/belief, I pose this question/scenario: A number of folks were led to believe that the Rapture was on the 21st - they sell all their possessions and give the money to the (false) prophet. Once it is demonstrated that the claim is false, do they have any grounds for a lawsuit to reclaim their losses? Or: 1 - Is this protected under the free speech, religious exemptions? 2 - Was their decision to buy into the deal and sell all their stuff an act of free will and not subject to a claim? 3 - Or is there precedent for a class-action lawsuit (Ponsi schemes, Catholic molestation cases)? In no way is my question an attack on any religion or belief, rather, this seems like a slippery slope - Is a snake oil salesman a snake oil salesman, no matter what the cut of cloth?? (Message edited by Stirz007 on May 23, 2011) | ||
| Moxnix |
What the Rev. Camping shows us is (that) there are some churches we are best off not attending. | ||
| Cpeg |
it also shows that PT Barnum was correct. missed Blake making the same claim. Atleast this fool didn't sell everything. (Message edited by cpeg on May 23, 2011) | ||
| Slaughter |
Face it folks - all this stuff is just a celebration of the decimal system. I believe | ||
| Blake |
Funny to note that if not for BadWeB, I'd not have taken any notice of the silly prediction. | ||
| Slowride |
What gets me is that all of the Christian Scholars that proclaim that the bible states that no man shall no the day nor the hour for a Rapture, apparently got lost in the translation. If you study the original text the catching away and the no man shall no the day nor hour is speaking of two different things, which means the bulk of Christian teaching in this day and time is still quiet misleading... Hint (Enoch knew when he would be translated, Elijah knew when he would be translated and even the people of the town he was passing through knew the day) Read deeper, the rest you will have to study for yourself... | ||
| Jon |
Hughlysses, I am a follower of Jesus and I recieve the Bible as the word of God. I live in the area of Harold Camping. It is widely known out here that he is basically a wealthy self taught and totally mistaught individual. Unfortunately a dope. | ||
| Trojan |
You mean like that the time itself, the universe, matter, and life all just appeared by accident from nothing? Yes definitely Actually not from nothing, but from the BigBang. That is the ONLY explanation that does not entail believing in some entity that mysteriously fabricated the universe out of ...what? in 7 days? Or that it was Buell that decided to forgo a spec series in Britian? Actually it was Buell UK that did that. I tedn to assume that Buell UK was part of the Buell organisation in at least some form or another and wouldn't make decisions like that without some direction from head office? Mass panic? Really? I've never heard of that There have been numerous books published on the first millenium, the best of which I have read is called simply 'Millenium' and this goes into great detail about the 'end of the world' theories at the time adn how European society dealt with it. It also goes into lots of detail about how religion was used to bolster the power of the Holy Roman empire(s) (East and west) and how various rulers made sure they installed a pope who was sympathetic to their cause (at one time there was more than one pope in office!). | ||
| Aesquire |
That is the ONLY explanation that does not entail believing in some entity that mysteriously fabricated the universe out of ...what? in 7 days? And........ before the big bang? I've mostly refrained from more than brief spats of sarcasm on this thread, since I don't share the faith of some here.... but the attempts to disprove a God are silly. Sure there is nothing in logic or science to point to a certain divinity. But at the edges of science, where our limited knowledge and understanding peter out, there is magic and faith. No choice. Before the Big Bang is unknowable. ( a condition much discussed by Jesuists and Philosophers. ) The universe we live in, at least the tiny, tiny bit we see, seems ideal for life. Change one little "law" of physics, and you can't exist. Certainly a coincidence? ( logic hole.... find the logic hole ) Kinda sad when you think about it. Millions murdered because of one or another self serving quote pulled from a holy book. Even more murdered by the commies as they attempt to suppress all other religions and make theirs supreme, a battle ongoing. ( ask Christians or Falung Gong in China. If you can find them alive ) I was as certain as I am of anything that May21st was the product of misinterpretation at least but far more probable, a scam from an evil dude ripping people off. I was right. I was also pretty darn sure I wasn't going to ascend, as I'm not of that faith. Different afterlife myth. Final battle against evil, sure. Hope to be there. Different path. All you folk trying to wreck someones elses faith, enjoy your petty crap. Bozos. I understand why you don't argue with an Islamist fascist. Instead of a Christian committed to love. ( you are cowards ) | ||
| Notpurples2 |
And before the discovery of micro-organisms, viruses, ect, illness was blamed on evil spirits. Mental illness was believed to be possession by demons or the devil. Is it better to strive for a scientific explanation or simply label what we don't yet understand as supernatural or the work of God? And you can't disprove God anymore than you can disprove anything else. I'm not trying to wreck anyone's faith. I'm just offering opinion. I really don't expect anyone to go "OMG you're right!" especially on the internet. I've never seen a non-believer get faith or a religious person lose faith based on an internet forum argument. | ||
| Hootowl |
If you believe the big bang was a massive stellar explosion, where did the matter come from? If you believe the big bang created all that matter, where did the energy come from to create all that matter? How are we able to see "back in time" to the beginnings of the universe, if matter can not travel the speed of light? We are where we are and the light from the big bang should have outpaced us to our present location. Space itself expanded after the big bang, carrying matter with it at super relativistic speed maybe? What was there before the "space" expanded to fill it? Does that imply there is an end to space? Are we in a bubble? What is outside the bubble? Is the bubble still expanding? Will it stop? Will the bubble collapse eventually? What happens to the matter in the bubble? Gnab Gib? (Thank you Douglas Adams.) Want to blow your mind? Google quantum entanglement, it'll make you feel really stupid. Not being able to see single celled organisms and not being able to answer those kinds of question are not in the same ball park. I'm not sure we'll ever be able to answer some of them, not definitively anyway. I think you'd have to be "outside the bubble" or "God" to really understand the universe we occupy. Maybe the universe is a giant kennel in God's living room, and we're all waiting for him to get home and let us out. | ||
| Blake |
Matt, >>> Actually (time, universe, matter, life) not from nothing, but from the BigBang. That is the ONLY explanation that does not entail believing in some entity that mysteriously fabricated the universe out of ...what? in 7 days? Actually it does. The prior (now disproved) theory of origins pushed by science matches your assertion; it was that the universe was static and eternal. The big bang theory refutes that notion and many recent scientific observations (expanding cooling universe, non-uniform background radiation) also prove it false. Those observations tend to support the big bang theory. Who was first to theorize in the scientific community about the now popular theory of the big bang? Prepare yourself for the answer; your mind and your prejudice are about to be bathed in the glaring light of truth. Oh, and Genesis states that creation took six days, on the seventh the creator took a break. >>> Actually it was Buell UK that did that. I tend to assume that Buell UK was part of the Buell organisation in at least some form or another and wouldn't make decisions like that without some direction from head office? Yet you've been informed on a number of occasions that that was not the case, that Buell UK was under control of H-D. I thought you've finally accepted that. <sigh> Your answer concerning the "mass panic" sites some well known history. But I was after information documenting the "mass panic" you described. I've never heard of it. I've heard of the millennium deal, but not of any kind of "mass panic." | ||
| Blake |
Thanks for your reasoned observations Patrick. I appreciate your effort. It's funny how some who object to what they characterize as "having religion crammed down (their) throat", engage in exactly that behavior themselves, making bizarre unsupportable absolutist statements attacking believers and/or belief. I just really enjoy good debate. I would dispute that one may not employ logic to test the validity of a religion. If a religion makes certain claims and predictions, then we can certainly measure those against reality. When mainstream religious prophesy is borne out, that ought to be a pretty good affirmation. There are other reasoned analytical vehicles to help discern credibility of religion, all logical, the science of philosophy. I know you don't agree that philosophy is a science. I can't see how it isn't. It just doesn't deal with physical truths as much as it does behavioral truths, ethics, epistemology. |
