Well, we’re still screwed: it turns out this past Saturday was just an invisible Judgment Day, with the destruction of the world now scheduled for October 21st, 2011, according to zealot Harold Camping. We recently heard from Johnny, a non-Christian who’s been a listener of Camping’s who had some insight into this whackjob’s views (for instance, on homosexuality — you’ll be surprised), in response to our post on post-apocalyptic pet-care services:

Have these people listened to nothing leading Apocalyptic prophet Brother Camping has taught? Pets will perish too, but unlike humans, whose souls will go to either heaven or hell, pets have no souls and will simply be annihilated.

I used to listen to Harold Camping in the car. His broadcasts were entertaining. Although I’m completely irreligious, I found his Biblical interpretations highly interesting, even when I thought they were logically fallacious. Plus, his deep voice is very soothing in traffic.

At least it was, until he got all Armageddon-y on me. He’s gone off the deep end.

Anyway, here’s what I thought I’d throw out there regarding Camping’s views on gays:

Basically, he teaches, yes, homosexuality is a damnable sin; but so is just about everything else. And even if you never actually DO anything sinful, there’s still original sin which taints us all. So if you find yourself hating gays, or persecuting or shunning them, or gloating about how you’re going to heaven and they’re going to hell… chances are your soul is in as much danger as theirs. Plus, he says, all that hating and shunning and anti-gay legislation is pointless. No amount of harassment can turn a damned soul into a saved one – only Jesus can do that.

His remedy: pray for your own soul to be cleansed of sinful hatred, first of all. Then pray lovingly for the gay people whose souls you’re worried about, because that’s what a good Christian does.

Obviously I don’t agree. I’m not Christian and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with gays. But I thought that Camping’s opinion on this was a surprisingly moderate and thoughtful coming from one of the nation’s most conservative Christian mega-preachers.