What’s the Latest from Harold Camping?

Everyone remembers End-Times prophet Harold Camping and his radio empire, Family Radio. He’s the seer who predicted that Judgment Day was 21 May of this year, and that the world would end on 21 October — a bit more than two months ago.

Almost everyone has forgotten Camping now, but not your Curmudgeon. We’re curious about what happens to someone like him who makes utterly preposterous predictions, bamboozles perhaps millions of woefully gullible followers, and who is then proven to be spectacularly wrong. Besides, although we’re not certain, we assume that Camping is a full-blown creationist.

So we visited the website of Camping’s radio operation and found this Message from Mr. Camping: dated 04 December 2011. Here’s what the discredited prophet has to say. We added some bold font for emphasis:

Greetings in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Many of you have written cards and letters of encouragement to me and my wife, and I thank you very much.

Never mind the niceties. Let’s get to the good stuff:

The question constantly arises, where do we go from here? Many of us expected the Lord’s return a few months ago, and obviously we are still here. Family Radio is still operating. What should be our thinking now? What is God teaching us?

Your Curmudgeon doesn’t receive supernatural communications, but it’s a fair guess that we’re being told Camping is a bozo. Let’s read on:

In our Bible study over the past few years, we came to the conclusion that May 21 and October 21 were very important dates in the Biblical calendar. We now believe God led us to those dates, but did not give us complete understanding. In fact, we did not understand at all the correct significance of those two dates. We are waiting upon the Lord, and in His mercy He may give us understanding in the future regarding the significance of those two dates.

We have some understanding of the significance of those dates. In 1927, 21 May was the day Charles Lindbergh landed in Paris, becoming the first aviator to make a solo flight across the Atlantic. And in 1917, 21 October was the day jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie was born. But let’s continue with Camping’s message:

Many of you have questioned whether we still hold the position that the church age is over. Indeed we still hold that to be true. The Scriptural evidence is overwhelming, as is the apostasy evident in the churches. We do not believe the Biblical calendar is incorrect.

He’s hanging in there. Here’s more:

We cannot understand right now what God’s plan is for this time that we are in, which is why we continue to wait upon God and pray for wisdom.

Be patient, Harold. You may get it right next time around. Meanwhile the world continues to exist. Here’s the end of the great man’s message:

Let us continue in prayer as we seek to do God’s perfect will.

It’s not over yet. Harold may get another revelation. When he does, we’ll let you know.

Copyright © 2011. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.

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Discovery Institute Complains of a Media Blackout

We recently wrote about Casey Luskins’s claim that The Discovery Institute “Forgot” About Kitzmas. In that post we said:

Hey Casey, look at this history of Google searches on intelligent design: Google trends. We suspect that most of the few searches these days are by bloggers like your humble Curmudgeon. It’s not the Kitzmiller case that’s been forgotten, it’s your “theory.”

For your holiday amusement, we’re delighted to report that the Discoveroids’ are still posting strange articles. Casey Luskin, our favorite creationist, has written a great piece (for our purposes) at the blog of the neo-theocrats at the Discovery Institute‘s creationist public relations and lobbying operation, the Center for Science and Culture (a/k/a the Discoveroids, a/k/a the cdesign proponentsists).

Casey’s article is Circumventing the Post-Dover Media Blackout. Here are some excerpts, with bold font added by us, and his links omitted. Casey says:

Just before the 2005 Dover case started, the flagship media-insiders journal Columbia Journalism Review, published an article suggesting that the pro-ID viewpoint should not be fairly represented in the news media. The mainstream has dutifully followed those directives.

Hey, Casey — it’s possible that the media aren’t following any directives. They may be merely using their own notions about what’s newsworthy. We’ve noticed that besides a huge decline in the number of news articles about intelligent design, there’s also been a decline in the publication of creationists’ letters-to-the-editor. We don’t see many articles advocating flat earth or moon landing denial either. Could it all be part of the same blackout conspiracy? Let’s read on:

While the mainstream media often censor or distort the pro-intelligent design viewpoint, interest in ID is certainly not waning. Rather, ID proponents have found new ways to successfully advance their message.

We don’t know how “successful” the Discoveroids have been in advancing their war on science, but we’ve noticed that they’re relying on paid press releases to promote their litigation campaign against “viewpoint discrimination,” which has succeeded in extracting a few nuisance settlements; but no legal precedents have emerged from such efforts.

Casey then mentions that the Discoveroids have recently promoted a few creationist-oriented “documentaries,” and he also says:

The ID the Future podcast has some 500,000 downloads per year, and ID blogs such as Evolution News & Views and Uncommon Descent collectively log well over a million visitors a year.

“Collectively”? Big deal. Ken Ham’s operation does better. Even the Curmudgeon’s humble blog, which we don’t promote at all, has had well over a million page-views. Here’s more:

Since Kitzmiller v. Dover, the ID movement has also published a myriad of books expanding the argument for ID and making a significant impact in science and the culture.

Yeah, “significant impact.” Casey then lists some books and articles that Discoveroids and their friends have written, and he concludes with this:

In 2012, Discovery Institute will release the first strictly scientific introductory ID curriculum for private and home school use: Discovering Intelligent Design. More about that in due time.

Ooooooh! Yet another book about nothing, to fill the niche for which Of Pandas and People was intended. We can hardly wait.

Meanwhile, we have some advice for Casey: Except for fanatical advocacy groups that all seem to have “Family” in their names, and the idiot politicians who pander to them, you guys don’t have too many friends. If you ever hope to get favorable media attention, it’s not helping your cause — hopeless as it is — to criticize the media. It’s rather like your long series of articles criticizing Judge Jones. The word gets around, Casey.

Copyright © 2011. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.

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Christmas Weekend 2011

Your temporarily jovial Curmudgeon wishes a Merry Christmas to one and all!

The way the calender works out for the year, this weekend is likely to be the least active in our blogging history — both in terms of news to discuss and the number of visitors we’ll receive. The same may also be true of next weekend, but let’s take these one at a time.

Cyclical peculiarities of the the Gregorian calendar notwithstanding, we know you’re there, so we’ll treat this post as an intellectual free-fire zone for the discussion of pretty much anything — science, politics, economics, whatever — as long as it’s tasteful and interesting. Banter, babble, bicker, bluster, blubber, blather, blab, blurt, burble, boast — say what you will. But avoid flame-wars and beware of the profanity filters.

We now throw open the comments to you, dear reader. Have at it.

Copyright © 2011. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.

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The Discovery Institute “Forgot” About Kitzmas

As you recall, we recently posted about this year’s Kitzmas — the sixth anniversary of the decision on 20 December 2005 by Judge John E. Jones III in the case of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District. In that post we said:

To increase our merriment, every year around this time the Discoveroids post an exceedingly bitter diatribe blasting the Kitzmiller decision, Judge Jones, and the witnesses on the winning side. Such posts are usually written by either Casey or Westie, and we always look forward to them.

But 20 December came and went, without the customary tirade from the neo-theocrats at the Discovery Institute‘s creationist public relations and lobbying operation, the Center for Science and Culture (a/k/a the Discoveroids, a/k/a the cdesign proponentsists).

Well, that little deficiency has just been remedied. At the Discoveroids’ creationist blog they’ve just posted How Bright is the Future of Intelligent Design? It’s by Casey Luskin, our favorite creationist, who says, with bold font added by us:

In past years, on the December 20 anniversary of the publication of Judge Jones’s ruling in Kitzmiller v. Dover, we’ve often posted something about the decision. Inevitably, some critic says that after all this time we’re still “obsessed” with the Dover case.

Indeed. Let’s read on:

The charge is ironic. It’s the Evolution Lobby, not Discovery Institute, that talks about Dover incessantly, reliving a pyrrhic [sic] victory that struck down a version of “intelligent design” that was little more than the invention of ID’s critics.

Yeah, the Kitzmiller case was a Pyrrhic victory. Casey continues:

Anyway, some of us who write for ENV [the Discoveroids' creationist blog] got a laugh this past Wednesday morning when we arrived at the office and someone pointed out that it was the sixth anniversary of the Dover ruling — the previous day. As Maxwell Smart might say, we had missed it by that much. Nobody at Discovery had even noticed. So I do humbly apologize for the delayed post commemorating Dover.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA! That’s as believable as the the Discoveroids’ “theory” about their magic designer. Here’s more:

Why did we forget about Dover? Because it hardly matters. Contrary to the hopes and expectations of the Darwin lobby, the post-Dover years have seen ID’s scientific and cultural footprint grow only more prominent and impressive.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Hey Casey, look at this history of Google searches on intelligent design: Google trends. We suspect that most of the few searches these days are by bloggers like your humble Curmudgeon. It’s not the Kitzmiller case that’s been forgotten, it’s your “theory.” Moving along:

Critics of ID who fume on the Internet, preach in university classrooms, and feign knowledge and authority in the media love to proclaim that the ID movement is dead. As their story goes, in 2005 a federal judge ruled in the Kitzmiller v. Dover lawsuit that ID is religion and thus unconstitutional to teach in public schools. This supposedly dealt a “deathblow” to the ID movement, which according to critics, has since lost momentum and all but dissipated.

Although Judge Jones’ decision was never appealed, it was so superbly written that the ID movement is legally dead. Nevertheless, the Discoveroids will continue churning out their propaganda and suing over “viewpoint discrimination,” as long as their generous patrons and nuisance settlements keep supporting them. Another excerpt:

Despite what you hear — or don’t hear — from critics (especially those in the media), the past 5 to 10 years have been a boom period for pro-ID scientific research and peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Casey then goes on at great length mentioning the writings of various Discoveroids, which he describes as “multiple peer-reviewed articles in technical science and engineering journals.” We’ll spare you his catalog of nothingness, but you can click over there to see what he’s talking about. He concludes with this:

Alas, the kind of folks who are still waving the banner of Kitzmiller over their heads probably will never admit to ID’s progress. Like Rick in Casablanca, they’ll always have Dover.

That was much better than we had hoped for. Thanks for the chuckle, Casey. You never disappoint.

Copyright © 2011. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.

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