Palaver

Doomsayers have been active for years, but their messages have become more intense and some, it seems are not ready to wait for December 12, 2012, the date most believe the world will end. Which is why 89 year-old Harold Camping, a US preacher and owner of Family Radio (not related to Kenya’s Family FM) pasted billboards all over Nairobi in February warning that May 21, 2011 is the date. Two per cent of the world’s population was to be "raptured" to Heaven, while the rest would remain to face judgement and possible eternal damnation by fire. Well, Saturday came and passed without incident. However, while most posts on blogs, Facebook and Twitter poured scorn on the whole idea, Palaver suspects many of the writers were secretly relieved to be alive, but annoyed their emotions took a roller-coaster ride.

Still on Mr Camping and his end-time prophecy, the chap, it appears, has gotten it wrong before. Seventeen years ago, on September 6 1994, hundreds of his faithful followers clustered in an auditorium in Alameda to await the return of Jesus Christ. Commenting on the incident, Camping said last week: "At that time there was a lot of the Bible I had not really researched very carefully, but now, we’ve had the chance to do just an enormous amount of additional study and God has given us outstanding proofs that it really is going to happen."