Aren't there laws against inciting fear and panic? Something about "shouting 'FIRE!' in a theatre isn't covered under your rights to free speech"?

This is typical of cult-like groups. After the initial shock they tend to rationalize what happened which often leads to a new date set and an explanation of why the first date wasn't reeeeaally wrong but still not right. This is why Jim Jones had it right. If everyone drinks the kool aid, who's to say you were wrong? Its like p****** trying to commit suicide by cutting their wrists, if you're gonna do it, do it right.

Despite the idea of a separate church & state, the church still gets preferential treatment and is allowed to say whatever it wants. :-(

It helps that nobody is panicing. You can't shout 'FIRE!', but you can shout 'TIME TRAVELING VELOCIRAPTORS!'

Shouting about temporally transient extinct reptiles doesn't usually make a sizable portion of the population go out and spend all their savings and quit their jobs and lots of other things that would generally ruin their lives were it not the last day of said lives, as the case is now. I mean, if it were just single or married-but-childless adults, fine. But think about the kids who have no control over the dumbass decisions their parents make, and the way their lives are ruined. Not only will their parents have drained whatever passed for their college funds on a "Last Day/Night On Earth" spending spree, but now they have to go back and face the neighborhood kids or their classmates or wherever, and be taunted for years to come about the whole thing.

I'm going to need a citation that "a sizable portion of the population" is doing anything like what you are saying.

From what I gather, the only people that bought this rubbish was the pastor's own church. They were all involved and all had it coming. It is too bad about the kids.

Touche...

Read any given news article about it.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/19/news/economy/may-21-end-of-the-world-finances-harold-camping/index.htm

Done. Even his own employees planned to show up to work yesterday.

What part is confusing? It's very difficult to clarify when you respond with only one word and a highlighted quote.

But to be comprehensive about it:
People can continue on a relationship with someone who has cheated on them.
People can continue to have a religious belief in something that has consistently failed to be validated and / or has strong evidence against it and no supporting evidence at all.
People can continue to support a political system (like, say for instance, communism) that has proven impossible to implement.

I have. Exactly one mention of anybody running through his life savings, and he was a Camping disciple who thought he should get the word out. Now maybe he is a sizable man, but he represents nothing like a sizable portion of the population.

"Here lies Brand, his tale's a sad one: One soul he saved, and that a mad one." (Ibsen)

Yeah, no, I didn’t get the part about religion being a lie. How is there strong evidence against every religion on the planet?

Nearly every religion claims theirs is the only "right" religion...they can't all be right.

Do I really have to cite the definition of a lie?