What a Psychologist predicts about Camping and his followers

[Ichingcarpenter]

You need to read the first part but I'm able
to put in 4 observations due to copy write.


Drawing from the cult story above, my predictions are as follows:

1. After the rapture doesn’t happen, Camping and the populace of rapture-ready folks will go through a similar series of four stages: they’ll examine the prediction again (whoops, wrong date?), re-iterate their faith in the rapture, take time to contemplate, and become emotionally distressed.

2. After the rapture doesn’t happen, Camping (or another opinion leader on the subject) will put out a statement that essentially paraphrases what Mrs. Keech had written after the UFO didn’t arrive: “The little group, sitting alone all night long, had spread so much light that God saved the world from destruction”.

3. After the rapture doesn’t happen, Camping and his followers will be strengthened in their beliefs — especially those who gave up their livelihood or property in anticipation of the end. They won’t admit that Harold’s prediction was incorrect — the burden of admitting this will be too much to bear — so they’ll begin to believe more deeply in order to avoid a sense of shame.

4. After the rapture doesn’t happen, Camping and his followers will begin to proselytize more strongly. The social proof that they receive by doing this will make them feel validated and fuel further recruitment.

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/05/19/when-the-rapture-doesnt-happen-how-will-harold-camping-react/

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. I think I just posted something about the Festinger book a couple of days ago.

Yup, it's still a classic, after all these years.

[ewagner]

5. yuppers....

first again...leader of the pack!!!

[RandomThoughts]

3. heh

Sounds like.

Pot Committed, All In

Although not funny, it is an accurate representation.

[SpiralHawk]

4. ...and the Republicon Borg will absorb them back into its dark bosom

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yMH-RXbyoD8/S_erg8N_HUI/AAAAAAAAFeA/k_mqiMrfam0/s1600/the+borg.jpg

[themadstork]

6. Pretty much

When one's standards of evidence can prove anything regarding everything, there is no reason to be anything but even more certain of one's belief.

They're consistent within their own system, for whatever that matters. More and more you see in our society that the traditional western rational standards of evidence, argument, and morality simply do not apply--they are rejected in favor of wholly new systems.

[treestar]

7. It's almost like a publicity stunt

It got them attention. They can just say, see, we made you all think about this.

[Javaman]

15. almost? they still are taking donations on it's website. nt

[lunatica]

8. I have a bit of a bone to pick with this article

It seems that Mrs. Keech a plant, a scientist infiltrator pretending to be part of the group, was the one who very unscientifically gave them the excuse they needed. She pretended to get 'messages' and after the prediction didn't happen she pretended to get another message:

"Mrs. Keech then received another alien transmission and wrote it down on paper: “The little group, sitting alone all night long, had spread so much light that God saved the world from destruction.”

The truly scientific study would have not interfered with their reaction. I call crap on this 'study'.

I would like to know exactly how they react and why. It would give good insights into how people think when they're in such groups. And not just religious ones either.

[Ichingcarpenter]

9. when Prophesy Fails and Cognitive dissidence.

The book and the study:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Prophecy_Fails


Also see Cognitive dissonance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance


See also
Leon Festinger
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Festinger

so you can read the real study yourself

[lunatica]

10. Thanks

I obviously misread the article. Mrs. Keech was their leader, not a plant. Thanks for the links, and for taking the time to respond to me!

[bananas]

11. No, Keech was not a plant, she was not one of the three scientists

She was one of the cult leaders and was not a aplant or one of the scientists:

"In one chapter of his book, Cialdini recounts the story of three scientists who joined a doomsday cult (incognito, of course) to study its inner workings back in the 1950′s.
The cult was led by two people: a college physician who was fascinated by UFO and mysticism, and a woman (the researchers’ pseudonym for her was Mrs. Keech) who claimed to be receiving messages from aliens called “The Guardians” via automatic writing."

[lunatica]

13. thanks for correcting me

See post #9 and #10 above. It's before 7am here so maybe my excuse is I'm still half asleep. I read the links that were provided.

[bananas]

16. I misread it the way you did and had to read it again.

I had the same reaction when I first read it, went back and read it again more carefully.

[cutlassmama]

12. I feel sorry for the children subjected to this fear mongering.

[Javaman]

14. did anyone notice if any of campings followers bought a carton of koolade? nt

[RebelOne]

17. Actually, the people at RaptureReady.com do not

believe in Camping's prediction. They call him a false prophet. They are nut cases, but in their defense, I do not think they are that insane.