We're still here - End of the world didn't come

They spent months warning the world of the apocalypse, some giving away earthly belongings or draining their savings accounts...

And so they waited, vigilantly, on Saturday for the appointed hour to arrive.

When 6 p.m. came and went across the United States and various spots around the globe, and no extraordinary cataclysm occurred, some believers expressed confusion, while others reassured each of their faith. Still, some others took it in stride.

The May 21 doomsday message was sent far and wide via broadcasts  and websites by Harold Camping, an 89-year-old retired civil engineer who has built a multi-million-dollar Christian media empire that publicizes his apocalyptic prediction. According to Camping, the destruction was likely to have begun its worldwide march as it became 6 p.m. in the various time zones, although some believers said Saturday the exact timing was never written in stone.

In New York’s Times Square, Robert Fitzpatrick said he was surprised when the six o’clock hour simply came and went. He had spent his own money to put up advertising about the end of the world.

“I can’t tell you what I feel right now,” he said, surrounded by  tourists. “Obviously, I haven’t understood it correctly because we’re still here.”   

Many followers said the delay was a further test from God to persevere in their faith.

“God’s going to bring it,” said Family Radio’s special projects coordinator Michael Garcia. “When you say something and it doesn’t  happen, your pride is what’s hurt. But who needs pride? God said he  resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.”   

The Internet was alive with discussion, humorous or not, about the end of the world and its apparent failure to occur on cue. Many tweets declared Camping’s prediction a dud or shared, tongue-in-cheek, their relief at not having to do weekend chores.

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