Harold Camping Should Now Face Charges

CRIME COMMENTARY | With the announcement of the retirement of Harold Camping, after his third failed prediction of the end of the world, I can't help but wonder now if perhaps he should face criminal charges. Do readers think I'm being too hard on an old man? Imagine the harm he brought about by claiming the end was near.

Imagine all the cases of child abandonment. Imagine how many lives of the gullible he's wrecked. Consider all of the deaths. I say, lock him away in a cold and lonely cell for fraud, at the very least and perhaps depraved indifference. I'm no lawyer, but I do wish he had to face up to his responsibilities for having led so many astray.

Readers might say he was just practicing his religion. And I might say the same defense could be given to the Muslim extremists behind 9/11 and every other violent act committed in the name of Allah. Heck, even Adolf Hitler had "Gott mitt uns" on his soldier's belt-buckles. Hitler could've tried claiming he was only doing what he believed to be the Lord's work.

Admittedly, Harold Camping did not directly order the murder of folks like those two other parties, but his words did damage, just the same. I believe in freedom of religion. I firmly believe in freedom of speech. I also believe in being responsible for what I say. Were either of these two examples referenced responsible for misleading their followers? Shouldn't Harold Camping be, too, then?

What kind of harm did Harold Camping cause? In a report from theblaze.com, we have the story of Robert Fitzpatrick, who spent his life savings helping to spread a message of idiocy. We also have the story of one Marie Exley, an Iraqi war veteran deceived by Harold Camping's unfounded, hysterical claims. How about the emotional abuses levied on the children of the Haddad family?

How about the story of Lyn Benedetto? She used a box cutter to slit her two daughter's throats and writs and then her own, believing the world was coming to an end, as predicted by Harold Camping. Fortunately, they were saved by a friend, but 14-year-old Nastya Zachinova of Russia was not so fortunate. And I don't even want to tell you the story of 42-year-old Julianne McCrary and her young son, but I'll bring it up.

Even in light of these horrible events due to the failed May 21st prediction, he tried one more announcement for this last October 21st, 2011. His response? He is "not prepared to tender any public apology or admit that he had made a mistake about his Doomsday prediction." Now, do my readers still "believe in their hearts" Harold Camping was just "exercising his religious freedoms?" Or, might we all see him as I now do - a monster, hidden in a disguise as a minister, hiding behind a bible, cloaked in and shielded by superstition?

Granted, those who fell for Camping's ridiculous, illogical and stupid claims are also responsible for their own stupidity, but Harold Camping - the con artist - got it all rolling, even after the harmful effects of previous failed predictions. Other Christians I know reminded us to be more reasonable, so, this is no attack on Christianity. It's an attack on one charlatan...one fraud...one killer.

It is time we, as a society, stop paying some undeserved obeisance to this type of fraudster. This sort of deception should no longer be tolerated. Harold Camping needs to be made an example for the sake of our children's future. With the level of knowledge we now have about the world, we need to stop revering the likes of Harold Camping, and all those who demand humanity make life-altering decisions based upon unverifiable claims and imaginary friends living only in these preacher's minds, backed up with threats of eternal damnation in hell to those who do not comply. Harold Camping should face charges for his deception.

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