Community Corner

Have Local Agencies Conducted Special Training For The End Of The World? "Um, No"

Plus, Here are five things to know about today's 'Judgment Day'

For months now, all the talk has been about groups believing and proclaiming that at 6 p.m.  May 21, 2011,  (though the time zone has not been specified), Judgment Day will begin.

Somehow, this news has flown under the radar of local fire and protection agencies, who Patch questioned, without a smirk, whether an all-hands crew will be ready for all heck to break loose come Saturday evening.

"Um, no," chuckled Hallie McCurdy, spokeswoman for West Pierce Fire & Rescue. "We are not preparing for the world to end. We do disaster preparation, but not specifically for this."

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If McCurdy's wrong, then too bad for her. Those who believe otherwise, well, they should be OK. Either way, it's time to bust out the R.E.M. and read 5 fun facts about how the end is nigh (or un-nigh):

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1. The Man: Harold Camping, 89, is a radio evangelist and owner of Family Radio. He is also the man who says he has calculated the date and time Judgment Day will begin.

2. The Myth: According to Camping, the Rapture, when believers will be taken up to heaven, is about to occur. He also believes that "God will destroy this world on October 21, 2011." According to KXLH in Montana, Camping said, "There's going to be a big earthquake that will make the one in Japan seem like a Sunday School picnic."

3. The Legend: This isn't Camping's first go-around with apocalyptic predictions. He made the same forecast years before, believing the world would end on Sept. 21, 1994. When it didn't, Camping said he "overlooked something."

4. Many Christians and church leaders are appalled by Camping and his predictions. According to an article from CNBC, "One might expect that mainstream Christians would either dismiss Camping or ignore him. One would be wrong. From seminaries, pulpits and personal websites, the condemnation of Camping’s prediction is almost universal."

5. If you look into it yourself, you find that the Bible itself contradicts Camping. In Matthew 24:36, Jesus says "concerning that day and hour no one knows," himself included. If Jesus doesn't know, it's likely Camping doesn't have a clue, either.


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