Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Post-Apocalypse Pet Care Business Booming

May 21 doomsday prediction boosts orders at atheist firm

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted May 18, 2011 3:45 AM CDT

(Newser) – Sales are up at a company that promises to look after believers' pets after the Rapture, and the founder of "Eternal Earth-Bound Pets" says he has Family Radio to thank. The religious organization has declared that Judgment Day will be this Saturday, and if it occurs, Bart Centre's company will have hundreds of pets to look after, ABC News reports. Background checks have already been carried out on all 44 assigned animal rescuers, says Centre, who stresses that he doesn't personally believe in Judgment Day.

Some 258 people have paid $135 to ensure that an atheist will look after their pet after their owners are lifted to heaven. But that's just a tiny fraction of some 40 million targeted Rapture believers, so "it's not like we're making a billion dollars," Centre says. A spokesman for Family Radio, which has been "selling" the apocalypse, says animals are just as doomed as people on the Big Day, and it is "ludicrous" to expect that any business will be able to function after the world's cities come crashing down this weekend. Click here to read about the New York man who has spent his life savings on ads warning people about the May 21 apocalypse.

Participants in a movement that is proselytizing that the world will end this May 21, Judgment Day, walk through the streets of New York City.
Participants in a movement that is proselytizing that the world will end this May 21, Judgment Day, walk through the streets of New York City.   (Getty Images)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Many millions are going to die, and all the cities around the world are going to come crashing down. The idea that someone is going to profit from this is absurd. - Gunther von Harringa,
spokesman for Family Radio

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
76%
2%
7%
5%
4%
8%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 20 comments
taylordcoil
Aug 3, 2011 12:13 PM CDT
One of my coworkers told me about these post-rapture pet care services back in May! I didn't think they actually existed- I thought they were just a joke. Apparently not! I think all the hoopla about the end of the world is a bit silly. The most realistic prediction I've read is that of Selacia in her book "Earth's Pivotal Years" - http://earthspivotalyears.com She says that the world isn't ending, it's just constantly changing and evolving. That definitely makes more sense to me than a coming doomsday!
Scaramouche
May 18, 2011 6:49 PM CDT
I wonder how many of the people who believe in this man's predictions will spend the 20th of May trying to convince their unbelieving loved ones, as opposed to the ones who will be having "So long Unbelievers!" parties that night.
watching
May 18, 2011 1:13 PM CDT
So, help me understand this religious concept more clearly.  If you believe in the upcoming "Rapture", you will be killed off by God and ascend in the hereafter to be one of the chosen few, to exist forever in Paradise.  Nice to have something to look forward to, some reason to live: to die.  Since I'm an unbeliever, I'll have to endure life without Paradise in my future.  May I offer my alturistic services:  I will look after your pet(s) and plant(s) for free, until I die.  All you have to do is to deed your home and cash assets to me.  Please do so before May 21. Time is of the essence.
 

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne