Man made at least $35,000 by promising to care for people’s pets after the owners were raptured

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.getreligion.org/2011/12/about-that-raptured-pet-owners-insurance/

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

As reporters often focus on brand new information, follow-up stories sometimes get left by the wayside. Tracking down a source or checking in on the end result of something might not lead to anything worth reporting. It’s nice to see NPR do some digging around on a story that was begging to be shared across the Internet.

Remember when Harold Camping’s prediction that the faithful would be raptured was all the rage for about a week in May? There were plenty of stories about end of the world predictions and what happened to people who believed such predictions. As we noted, NPR was one of the first to highlight the struggles families faced as the date drew nearer.

What happens, though, when media outlets report on a seemingly silly business, one that preys on people’s beliefs? Looks like Bart Centre made out with at least $35,000 by promising to care for people’s pets if the owners were raptured in the next 10 years. Of course, some people wanted a refund, which Centre declined.

[hobbit709]

1. Nobody's ever gone broke underestimating the stupidity of the American public.

[DCKit]

2. These folks assumed their pets wouldn't be raptured with them?

They deserved to lose their money to a con man, and shouldn't own pets, to begin with.

My dogs are going to Heaven and, if they don't, I wanna go where they're going.

[Mac1949]

4. A lot of fundies believe that animals don't have souls.

No soul, no rapture. A sad group of people, really.

[Nay]

3. I see nothing wrong with Mr. Centre's business -- he made a promise to care for the animals, and

theoretically was going to fulfill that promise after a 'rapture.' This business is called an "insurance business." When that rapture didn't come, the people who bought the service want their money back? After 10 years or so, do these same people call up their insurance companies and demand all their money back because their house didn't burn down? If not, why not? It's the same thing. Insurance agents know that most of the policies they sell will never be collected upon because the law of averages says that only a few of the insured houses will ever burn down -- the same goes for the possibility of rapture. In my mind, of course, NO ONE is ever going to be raptured, but I seem to be in the minority, and it is certainly not fraudulent of Mr. Centre to offer, for a price, to care for the left-behind pets of rapture believers. The rapture believers put their money where their mouth is for once, and now they think Mr. CENTRE has duped them? How has he duped them? HE didn't go around promising a rapture in May. Seems like the believers need to go after good old Harold Camping.

Another point -- according to Christian beliefs, lots of people get "left behind." If there had been a rapture and some of the people who thought they were going did not go, would they demand their money back from Mr. Centre? See insurance example above.

[maggiesfarmer]

6. Agree, sounds like he was up front and honest. although, I do wonder about his 'contingency plan' if

the rapture did occur -- was he prepared to care for those animals? Conservative estimate of him getting the $135 per animal, $35k income ==> 259 animals. Did he have shelter, food, vet care, etc... for that many?

[Zalatix]

8. Who would be around to sue if he didn't?

[comipinko]

12. What IF rapture did occur........

That's funny.

[quaker bill]

5. From what I have read

most of the funds obtained were donated to animal shelters (after paying for the google ads and such). He offered the services of "certified, caring, atheist, animal lovers" who were clearly at no risk of being "raptured".

According to the NPR interview, he considered himself an atheist, and did not charge all that much for the "service". He stated that if he believed that the "rapture" was really going to happen, he would have needed to charge alot more.

[slay]

7. Good for him

if the churches can prey on these people's stupidity TAX FREE then others can too. and they got the service they paid for. heheheh.

[badtoworse]

9. Old adage: " A fool and his money are soon parted." - nt

[GoCubsGo]

10. Damn! Why didn't I think of that?

[comipinko]

11. The more money "liberated" from folks so inclined, the better.