Depart Out • Harold Camping • End of the world • church age • Family Radio • View topic - Do you remember the Westminster Catechism

Joined: 10 Feb 2008 Posts: 650

I believe Harold initially based his reasoning for God's desertion of the church ( depart out) due to it's perceived dependence/adherence to other documents such as The Westminster Confession.

I'm now 61 years of age and have spent all of my life in conservative churches. At one time, maybe earlier in the twenthieth century, I think there was an emphasis on Christians learning/memorizing the Westminster Confession; or at least the "shorter catechism."

But who-in-the-world knows of any church anywhere that still emphasizes any of these confessions or asks its members to memorize them?

That train left the station 50 years ago.

So Harold built his case for God deserting the church on totally spurious reasoning, that churches adhered to other documents outside of Scripture.

Now my denomination has a list of 11 things they believe. I've been a member of this denomination for 25 years. Other than a statement that they believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, I'm pretty hazy about the other 10 statements. If you come to my church, you might be able to track the statements down but it would take a little effort on your part. ( BTW, there's been an ongoing effort to tweak the statements, not that it matters.)

So Harold believes God deserted my denomination and it's autonomous churches due to our RELIANCE on these 11 statements; only one of which I know after 25 years of attendance and I still can't quote it exactly. ( BTW, it my humble opinion that God probably wouldn't be offended by a church/denomination stating it believed in the inerrancy of Scripture. But that's just my opinion.)

Sigh

Joined: 08 Mar 2009 Posts: 454

Every church has a core set of beliefs, whether written down or not, as long as you aren't dozing off during your pastor's sermons, you'll quickly be able to figure out what his church is all about. I'm surprised anyone could pretend to be so ignorant of what their pastor and/or church believes after 25 years!

I noted this in another post, but Camping's original teaching that true believers would depart out of churches in the final tribulation started in 1983. In fact, he published this idea in his book "The Fig Tree". Not only did he conclude then that the churches would be dominated by the man of sin and desolated by abominations, but judgment would begin on them. Ref: The Fig Tree, pages 225-227.