Why doomsayers are 100% sure—or appear to be

Rarely do those who believe the end is near express any uncertainty. Harold Camping, speaking about the Rapture, said, “Beyond the shadow of a doubt, May 21 will be the date of the Rapture and the day of judgment.”1 Patrick Geryl, talking about a worldwide disaster on December 21, 2012 to coincide with the end …

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On 2012 Survivalists

Local South Florida Newsradio affiliate WIOD (610 AM; 100.3 FM) discussed Doomsday preparers on South Florida’s First News with hosts Jimmy Cefalo and Manno Muñoz this morning: Jimmy: This is unbelievable. The Doomsday business is really on fire in America. I didn’t know why. You’d think, what could it be—the Iranian conflict, the Mayan calendar, …

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Must-Have: An Apocalypse-Proof Truck

During Super Bowl XLVI, a commercial advertisement aired, revealing a novel way of surviving the certain doom that will destroy us all during December 21, 2012: That’s right, owners of Chevy trucks (and not Fords, as the commercial is quick to point out) will have a much better chance of making it.  What’s really cool …

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On the Antichrist (Merry Christmas, Everyone)

Christianity teaches that the Antichrist will rise to power, bringing about the end of times. Throughout history, many many figures have been named the Antichrist. Perhaps not many people really understand what this accusation means. It is not that the Antichrist is merely a bad person, but that he is pure evil—moreover, his presence signifies …

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The 11:11 Phenomenon

The superstitious are at it in full force today. Why? Because today is 11/11/11, an event that can happen only once a century. This surely means something profound and significant will happen, right? Some, are interpreting the date as a sign of good luck. Marjaneh Peyrovan plans to buy 11 lottery tickets—each with the number …

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Why doomsayers are 100% sure—or appear to beOn 2012 SurvivalistsMust-Have: An Apocalypse-Proof TruckOn the Antichrist (Merry Christmas, Everyone)The 11:11 Phenomenon

Mar
30

Why doomsayers are 100% sure—or appear to be

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Rarely do those who believe the end is near express any uncertainty. Harold Camping, speaking about the Rapture, said, “Beyond the shadow of a doubt, May 21 will be the date of the Rapture and the day of judgment.”1 Patrick Geryl, talking about a worldwide disaster on December 21, 2012 to coincide with the end of Maya calendar, remarked: “It’s not 99%, it’s 100%. 100%, it will happen. There is no doubt about this.”2 Al Gore said of anthropogenic climate change, “The science is settled.”

Of course, they can’t let doubt and uncertainty get in the way. Even if privately, behind closed doors, those proclaiming the end feel that they don’t have all the answers and they might be wrong, they could never admit that publicly. After all, their goal is to bring more followers to their cause—to convince them that there is a real danger. Among the camps mentioned above, their ultimate objectives may differ. It may be to buy a Doomsday bunker or other survivalist equipment, to raise donations, to save souls, or to gain support for a carbon credit cap-and-tax program. None of these can be fulfilled, however, without recruiting believers to the cause. For this to happen, the leaders of such movements must present themselves as being absolutely certain.

When people get taken in by these claims, they may become just as certain as the leaders appear to be. Marie Exley, one of Camping’s followers, sincerely believed in his Rapture date and explained how she felt: “I wish I could just be like everybody else, but it’s so much better to know that when the end comes, you’ll be safe.”3 Allison Warden, another of Camping’s followers, was so convinced that she started up a massive campaign including her own website, We CAN Know, at www.wecanknow.com. And as discussed earlier this month, many 2012ers have spent hundreds of thousands of their own dollars on food, shelter, and supplies in anticipation of December 21.

It’s well known that leaders of any movement or organization must appear confident in order to attract or maintain a following. The leaders of apocalyptic movements are no exception to this. Don’t be fooled by their confidence, however. No matter how cocksure they may appear on the surface, deep down, those making claims that the end is near have their doubts. They’re just too proud to admit it.
The only ones who are justified in feeling such confidence are those such as Bill Hudson, founder of the excellent debunker site 2012Hoax, or Bruce Cameron, the President of the Harold-Camping-You-Screwed-Up-Again Association.4 In addition, climate scientists such as David Evans5 and Roy W. Spencer6 deserve credit for discrediting much of the overhyped environmental hysteria concerning climate change. When it comes to fighting the misinformation and fear, doing it with confidence is appreciated.

References

  1. Newby, J. (2011, January 3). Religious group predicts end of days in May. The Examiner. Retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-spokane/religious-group-predicts-end-of-days-may
  2. CNBC (Producer). (2012, March 29). Apocalypse 2012 [Television broadcast]. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: CNBC. Transcript available: here.
  3. Breen, T. (2011, January 3). End of Days in May? Believers enter final stretch. MSNBC. Retrieved from
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40885541/ns/us_news-life/t/end-days-may-believers-enter-final-stretch/
  4. Cameron, B. (2011, November 25). Camping out on the last night of the world. The Barrie Examiner. Retrieved from http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3137668&archive=true
  5. Evans, D. (2008, July 18). No smoking hot spot. The Australian. Retrieved from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/no-smoking-hot-spot/story-e6frg73o-1111116945238
  6. Spencer, R. (2005, February 16). World warms to Kyoto, but research will save the day. USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/2005-02-16-kyoto_x.htm

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Mar
08

On 2012 Survivalists

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Local South Florida Newsradio affiliate WIOD (610 AM; 100.3 FM) discussed Doomsday preparers on South Florida’s First News with hosts Jimmy Cefalo and Manno Muñoz this morning:

Jimmy: This is unbelievable. The Doomsday business is really on fire in America. I didn’t know why. You’d think, what could it be—the Iranian conflict, the Mayan calendar, what?

Manny: Economic collapse, a lot of people are worried about. Even stuff that we’re seeing today—coronal mass ejections—people are worried that there’s some sort of Doomsday scenario associated with that.

Jimmy: The sun. But that’s not why they’re doing it. They’re building underground shelters, they’re buying years’ worth of non-perishable foods, they’re stockpiling fuel and ammunition, they’re buying gold, that’s become very popular.

Manny: Silver.

Jimmy: Silver too, yeah. And why are they building these Doomsday bunkers? Well, Discovery has put a show out called Doomsday Bunkers, and the reason they’re doing it apparently is the growing tension between the haves and the have-nots. And this battle that’s been developed. People are more frightened about it, and they think, “Oh my goodness, what is going to happen to us?” And so literally, tens of thousands of people around the country are building Doomsday bunkers.

Manny: There’s a couple of shows—Doomsday Preppers, Doomsday Bunkers—and I gotta tell you, I watch a lot of it, and a lot of these people aren’t kooks. They’re very normal people with normal lives. They’re just worried and preparing for the future.

Survival skills are important, and can help people get through a temporary emergency situation—such as a disease outbreak or natural disaster—until things get back to normal. But far from the “very normal people” as described in the transcript above, many of these “Preppers” have actually taken it to the extreme. One such end-of-the-world prepper extremist, Gloria Haswell, explained, “It’s not a hobby, it’s a lifestyle.”1

Whether the concern is a calendar of an ancient civilization misinterpreted as a prophecy of the end of humanity, or Marxist concerns over a war between the Bourgeois and the proletariat, these misguided fears will come back to haunt the Preppers eventually. Remember that during the Y2K crisis, survival kits were also being sold at high numbers, as fear of the Apocalypse spread and people wanted to be prepared for whatever was coming. As one Y2K Prepper had explained, “No one can guarantee that a Y2K disaster will happen. What concerns the new Y2K survivalists is that no one can guarantee that it won’t.”2

These overhyped disasters often provide conflicting information about what is supposed to happen. Extreme cold or extreme heat; a flood or a drought; no computers or a robot revolution. As one author recalled about the disaster-that-never-was 12 years ago, “There would be no electricity, no water, no food, no clothing, no freedom. (Probably no air either.)”3

More to the point, though, is what happens to those who give into this doom and gloom and buy into these fears. Survivalists have spent thousands of dollars on backpacks loaded with survival gear, freeze-dried food stashed in their garage, and guns and ammunition.4 What effect are shows like National Geographic’s Doomsday Preppers and Discovery Channel’s Doomsday Bunkers having on society, spreading the message of fear and worry over nothing? And what will become of these “Preppers” in 2013 when it’s Y2K all over again, and no disaster has come to pass?

References

  1. Joshi, M. (2012, February 6). “Doomsday Preppers” highlights extreme survival techniques. USA Today. Retrieved from http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/story/2012-02-06/Doomsday-Preppers-highlights-extreme-survival-techniques/52993468/1
  2. The Family International. (1999). Y2K: How to prepare. Countdown to Armageddon Online. Retrieved from http://www.countdown.org/y2k/prepare_2000.htm
  3. Gipp, S.C. (2000). Life after Y2K. Miamitown, OH: DayStar Publishing.
  4. Killeen, K. (2011, November 23). Survival shop reports jump in sales to people preparing for “Possible Collapse”. CBS. Retrieved from http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2011/11/23/survival-shop-reports-jump-in-sales-to-people-preparing-for-possible-collapse/

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Feb
05

Must-Have: An Apocalypse-Proof Truck

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During Super Bowl XLVI, a commercial advertisement aired, revealing a novel way of surviving the certain doom that will destroy us all during December 21, 2012:

That’s right, owners of Chevy trucks (and not Fords, as the commercial is quick to point out) will have a much better chance of making it.  What’s really cool in this ad is that even aliens who came to invade us were destroyed—no doubt their spaceships were made by Ford.

Reporting to you live from the Super Bowl.



Update (8:57 P.M.): Perhaps in anticipation of complaints that no women survived the apparent Apocalypse, Chevy included a part 2 of the commercial which features a female survivor (Miss Evelyn):

Additionally, Ford announced publicly their disappointment in Chevy’s ad. Each company insists its truck is the most durable.

Reference

  1. Valdes-Dapena, P. (2012, February 5). Ford calls foul on Chevy Super Bowl ad. Boston Channel. Retrieved from http://www.thebostonchannel.com/r/30384744/detail.html.

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Dec
22

On the Antichrist (Merry Christmas, Everyone)

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Christianity teaches that the Antichrist will rise to power, bringing about the end of times. Throughout history, many many figures have been named the Antichrist. Perhaps not many people really understand what this accusation means. It is not that the Antichrist is merely a bad person, but that he is pure evil—moreover, his presence signifies that the end of the world is imminent. In short, the Antichrist represents a clear and present danger for everyone on the planet. Here is one explanation as to why human beings have been so fascinated with this concept over the years:1

For many people today the possibility of a totally evil human being is as inconceivable as the idea of someone perfectly good. In our own century, when psychological and sociological accounts of human motivation have done so much to explain why some people do good acts while others seem driven to commit evil, we are loath to think that any human being could be either completely good or completely evil. The Antichrist legend challenges these modern assumptions, because it based on the conviction that total evil can be realized in an individual human and even in a human collectivity. Many societies have believed in the existence of an absolutely evil spiritual agent of a superhuman nature—the devil, Satan, or some similar being—whose very freedom from the human condition makes possible a singleness of purpose no human could hope to enjoy. But only in Christianity (and to a lesser extent the related monotheistic religions of Judaism and Islam) has the figure of a completely corrupt human agent played so large a role.

Beyond just a fascination with the concept of the Antichrist, there is the misguided belief that he is already here. This is certainly not unique to modern culture, as the words of St. Martin of Tours (316–397 A.D.) indicate:2

There is no doubt that the Antichrist has already been born. Firmly established already in his early years, he will, after reaching maturity, achieve supreme power.

Of course, in modern times, “Antichrist” is a popular word to hurl at one’s political opponents. Here are a couple of Google searches I’ve conducted on the last three presidents and the possibility of their being the Antichrist, as well as the number of results that each search yields:

  • “Clinton is the Antichrist”: 71,000
  • “Bush is the Antichrist”: 371,000
  • “Obama is the Antichrist”: 682,000

Throughout history, many individuals have been named as the Antichrist. While some of those named have been truly despicable—such as Adolf Hitler3 and Osama Bin Laden4—many have been relatively benign. Some of them are not people at all. The most wild claim out there is that the internet itself (specifically, the world wide web) is the Antichrist. This is because the 6th letter of the Hebrew alphabet is the equivalent of our W, so in this sense WWW = 666.5

Many who make (or buy into) these Antichrist claims may not fully understand the implications of these accusations. If, after all, any hated figure—whether he is Bill Gates or Justin Bieber—can be said to be the Antichrist, then it logically follows that the world is really in its final days. Is this really the claim that accusers want to make—that the end of the world is going to happen in our lifetimes, because of [insert person or object here]?

Bringing up the Antichrist may be a cheap way for some to score political points, and capitalize on people’s interests (or prey on their fears) for others. Just like with most/all Doomsday theories, this type of hysteria can be very profitable for those who make these types of claims. As Craig C. Hill, a professor of New Testament theology at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington has noted: “If you have a sign out for the sermon, ‘Our obligation to the poor,’ you won’t get anybody. If you have a sign out for, ‘The Internet and the Antichrist,’ you’ll bring them in.”6

My advice would be this: Don’t buy into these fears; there’s nothing to be concerned with regarding the presence of the Antichrist or any other end-of-the-world theories. People have had such worries for thousands of years, and it has all been for naught. Instead, enjoy the holiday season and spending time with your loved ones.

References

  1. McGinn, B. (2000). Anti-Christ: Two thousand years of the human fascination with evil.
    New York: Columbia University Press.
  2. DeMar, G. (1999). Last days madness: Obsession of the modern church. Powder Springs, GA: American Vision.
  3. Bridge, F.G. (1939, September 15). Revelation and the war in Europe. The Windsor Daily Star, p. 9.
  4. Dunleavy, S. (2001, October 29). Despair and anger tinge the smoke at Ground Zero. The New York Post, p. 3.
  5. Watkins, T. (1999). Is WWW in Hebrew equal to 666? Dial-the-Truth Ministries. Retrieved from http://www.av1611.org/666/www_666.html
  6. Luo, M. (2005, October 16). Doomsday: The latest word if not the last. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/16/weekinreview/16luo.html?pagewanted=all

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Nov
11

The 11:11 Phenomenon

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The superstitious are at it in full force today. Why? Because today is 11/11/11, an event that can happen only once a century.

This surely means something profound and significant will happen, right?

Some, are interpreting the date as a sign of good luck. Marjaneh Peyrovan plans to buy 11 lottery tickets—each with the number 11 in them—and at 11:11 am exactly, she will walk into the office of a fashion designer for whom she has long dreamed of working. “People say on 11/11 things happen, things will come true,” she said. “You never know.”1 Many have scheduled their weddings on this date; in Las Vegas, chapels are reporting record-high numbers of couples seeking to tie the knot.2 It is also the 11th birthday for some, such as Seth Thomas Will of Norfolk, Virginia,3 and twins Betsy and Katie Overman of Madison, Wisconsin.4

But there are more sinister implications, as well.

Some hold that whenever the clock flashes 11:11, this signifies a personal “wake up call” from the universe, or spirit guides, angels, god, source, the universal mind, etc. Others state that the mystical signs regarding 11:11 are a product of the occult, representing Satan’s host of demons, and yielding mass deception.6 Uri Geller, a self-proclaimed psychic, says that many people have contacted him saying that the terrorist attacks of 9/11 demonstrates to them that the number 11 probably has some kind of evil connection.7

Of course, this is a site that focuses on end of the world delusions. And far from being off-topic, it all ties together:8

There is also a connection with 11:11 and the Ancient Mayans. The Mayans famously predicted the end of the world for December 2012; they believe when the world we know ends, we will enter a new era that has a large sense of oneness, instead of separation. It is believed that if one takes notice of the repetition of ones on a clock, they are more in tune with the concept of oneness in the world.

At least one person reports that she plans on committing suicide on December 21, 2012 at exactly 11:11.9

…you must have an idea of what I plan to do on the winter solstice of 2012 at exactly 11:11 while on the top of Bell Rock—a place only a few miles from my home. Most of you will probably think I am delusional and that my insane act will certainly result in my death. Death is inevitable—at least nowadays—and 100 years from now it won’t matter whether I died in 2012 or 2013 or even 2020. But I believe that some type of cosmic portal will be opening at that time and place and that an opportunity will present itself. I fully expect that it will lead to the next level of this cosmic program, freedom from an imprisoning time-loop, a magical Martian-like bubble, or something equally as exotic.

See you next year for more repeating numbers madness, on 12/12/12.

References

  1. Sedensky, M. (2011). 11-11-11 brings hopes of good luck. Associated Press. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/APdb6386ff49b6457d9d44a0add271006a.html
  2. Sosa, N. (2011). Vegas weddings skyrocket on 11/11/11. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/11/us/11-11-11-weddings/
  3. Flanagan, J. (2011). 13News finds eerie coincidences on 11-11-11. WVEC. Retrieved from http://www.wvec.com/news/11-11-11-133716223.html
  4. Sedensky, M. (2011). 11-11-11 brings hopes of good luck. Associated Press. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/APdb6386ff49b6457d9d44a0add271006a.html
  5. Benecke, L. (2011). What Does Seeing The 11:11 Mean? Dimension 11:11. Retrieved from http://www.dimension1111.com/eleven-eleven3.html
  6. Esther, S. (2010). 11:11 synchronicity and coincidence. Sacred Pursuit. Retrieved from http://www.sacredpursuit.org/gpage52.html
  7. Geller, U. (2006). The 11:11 phenomenon. UriGeller.com. Retrieved from http://www.urigeller.com/articles/11.htm
  8. Rodrigues, J. (2011, November 11). 11/11/11: Wish of the century. iPulse, 9(30), p. 8. Read online: here.
  9. Jones, M.D. (2008). 2013: The end of days or a new beginning? Franklin Lakes, NJ: The Career Press.

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Nov
03

“Proving” the End is Near With Numerology

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The end of the world as we know it was supposed to occur three times last month—with Comet Elenin on October 16, Harold Camping’s Rapture prediction on October 21, and Carl Johan Calleman’s calculation for the end of the Mayan calendar on October 28.  Stubbornly, the world refused to end, proving Doomsayers wrong thrice now.  But one of looniest pieces of evidence for the world’s imminent destruction comes from numerological techniques which really seem to freak out a certain segment of the population.  This article will show a couple of examples of different end dates and the numerology to back them up (with a little bit of astrology thrown in, because in several of these examples, the two are intrinsically linked).

The year 2000:1

• 1999, inverted, is 1666 (one-666). 666 × 3 = 1998.
• 2000, in numerology is number 2; 11, (1 + 1 = 2) Two and eleven are the chief numbers of Lucifer.
• 2000 was Year of the Dragon (the Dragon is one of the symbols of Satan) which marked the commencement of the 21st century.
• 666: 6 x 6 x 6 = 216. 2,160 years is the approximate time it takes for the synetic vernal point to travel backwards from one constellation to another. Aquarius, the sign of a man (the water bearer) represents the coming new age. Ea/Enki also known as Satan is symbolized by the Water Bearer of Aquarius.

2011 (General):2

• The Great Flood occurred in the year 4990 B.C.
• God warned Noah that the destruction would occur in seven days (Genesis 7:4, 10–16)
• A day with the lord is a thousand years (2 Peter 3:8)
• Ergo, God was warning Noah that the end of the world would occur in 7,000 years, or in 2011

2011 (May 21):3

• 5 is the number of atonement, 17 is the number of heaven, 10 is the number of completeness
• (5 × 10 × 17)² = 722,500
• 722,500 days after Jesus’s crucifixion = May 21, 2011

2012 (General):4

• Only made of 0, 1s, and 2s, it also adds up to 11, which is the number of mastery, and for that reason cannot be reduced to simple digits
• It occurs at the exact time when the Sun enters Capricorn (the winter solstice) at 3:12 PST or 6:12 EST, which is also numerologically perfect, made of 1, 2, 3, or 6 (2 × 3)
• 2012 will be the last year for another 1,000 years that there will be repeating numbers in the days, months, and year (1/1/01, 2/2/02, 3/3/03, etc.)

2012 (December 21):

• The USA lost many lives on 9/11/01 and Japan lost more lives on 3/10/11. Add them together and you get 12/21/12.

No matter how the numbers are dissected and interpreted, there will always be “proof” that they signify the end times in the minds of those who are already inclined to believe such things.  If they add up to 13, that’s proof because 13 is an unlucky number (so unlucky that most buildings in the U.S. skip the thirteenth floor).  If they all up to the number 4, that would be proof because 4 is unlucky in Asian cultures.  If they added up the number 5, that too would be proof because 5 is the number of points in a Pentagram.  If they all add up to the number 6, well that’s part of the number of the beast.  Whether you get “good” numbers or “bad” numbers doesn’t matter, because the end could be considered a good thing from a certain perspective.  No matter how you slice it, you can just look at the numbers and figure out that the end is nigh.

As a certain dark knight might remind us, Doomsayers are a superstitious and cowardly lot.

References

1. Dietrich, M.  (2005).  Lucifer’s new aeon.  Joy of Satan Ministries.  Retrieved from http://www.freewebs.com/eridu666/666.html
2. Camping, H.  (2011).  Another infallible proof. Family Radio.  Retrieved from http://www.familyradio.com/graphical/literature/proof/proof.html
3. Stewart, A.  (2011).  21 May, 2011—Beware of Camping’s Date-Setting!  Covenant Protestant Reformed Church.  Retrieved from http://www.cprf.co.uk/articles/campingdatesetting.htm
4. Karén, M.  (2008).  Astrology for enlightenment.  New York, NY: Atria Books.

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Oct
26

Will The Real 2012 Please Stand Up?

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In case you haven’t heard, the “real” end of the Maya calendar may not be December 21, 2012. Though this is the date most commonly known and reported in the popular press, researchers are not in 100% agreement that this is the case. Here are some of the other possibilities:

  • August 3, 2011 1
  • October 28, 2011 2
  • December 24, 2011 3
  • December 23, 2012 4
  • December 23, 2015 5
  • (Unspecified, though most assuredly sometime in December) 2023 6
  • December 21, 2112 7
  • December 21, 22, or 23, 2220 8

There may be plenty of other interpretations. The challenge comes in trying to accurately interpret dates from the Maya calendar and translate them into our calendar, the Gregorian. Exactly when the Maya calendar’s end date of 13.0.0.0.0 corresponds to our calendar is difficult to say as the Maya’s calendar has fallen into disuse. Some have speculated that that the difference comes from researchers not taking into account the existence of leap years.

Yogi Berra is reported to have once said, “You should never make predictions—especially about the future.” New Agers and Mayanists who apply special significance to the end of the Mayan calendar (whenever that may be) violate this rule all the time as they predict death and destruction or any other number of wild claims. I’ll break that rule and use this opportunity to make a prediction of my own: When the end date of December 21, 2012 comes and goes without incident, many in the New Age movement will start pointing to some of the dates on this list, or come up with new ones, as the date when the Mayan calendar will really end, along with any number of harebrained things that supposedly coincide with it.

Update (October 30, 2011): In an earlier post, we reviewed how Doomsday prophets react when their dates fail to yield the results predicted. “The date was misculated” was #3 on the list, and that has already happened as a result of the failure of October 28, 2011 to produce any noticeable catastrophic or transformational events. One of the “new” dates has already been called as February 14, 2012. 9 Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

References

1. Kincaid, P.W. (2011, November 4). Proof that the Mayan calendar actually ends in 2011 not December 21, 2012. PRESS Core. Retrieved from http://presscore.ca/2011/?p=4984

2. Calleman, C.J. (2009, May 15). The risks of believing that the Mayan calendar ends December 21, 2012. The Mayan Calendar. Retrieved from http://www.calleman.com/content/articles/risk_of_2012.htm

3. Snedden, R. (2009). Aztec, Inca, and Maya. Mankato, MN: Black Rabbit Books.

4. Waters, F. (1989). Mexico mystique: The coming sixth world of consciousness. Athens, OH: Swallow Press.

5. Solomon, J.M. (2003). Playing in the mind of God. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.

6. Endredy, J. (2008). Beyond 2012: A Shaman’s call to personal change and the transformation of global consciousness. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications.

7. Hall, R.L. (1998). A comparison of some North American and Mesoamerican cosmologies and their ritual expressions. In M.G. Plew (Ed.), Explorations in American archaeology: Essays in honor of Wesley R. Hurt (pp. 55–88). Lanham, MD: University Press of America.

8. Keulemans, M. (2009, January). Wow: “2012” is really in about two centuries. NWT Online. Retrieved from http://www.nwtonline.nl/00/nt/nl/47/artikel/26050/Balen:_%272012%27_is_pas_over_twee_eeuwen.html [English translation: here]

9. NeuroTransmit. (2011, October 29). Why nothing happened 28 October, 2011: New calculation and explanation for Maya calender. The Cult of Amon Ra. Retrieved from http://cultofamonra.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/new-calculation-and-explanation-maya-calender-2011-2012-the-real-end-date-new-beginning/

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Oct
24

Doomsaying: A Form of Child Abuse?

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With all this talk about the end of the world being near, despite the fact that it isn’t, has anyone stopped to ask: Won’t somebody please think of the children?

Doomsaying is nothing is nothing new, and neither is the harm that it does the younger generation.


Two sisters, seven and eight years old at the time, joining Project Caravan to spread the word of the impending doom on May 21, 2011. Are they being raised by fit parents?

Here’s some explosive stats for you: In 1965, 350 children were asked an open-ended question to envision the world in ten years’ time.  Over 70% of them spontaneously mentioned nuclear war or made reference to a destroyed world.1  This is logical considering that many homes came equipped with bomb shelters during the 1950s and early ’60s and bomb drills (in which students practiced hiding under desks in case of an all-out nuclear attack) were not uncommon in the classroom.  That’s right, fears over nuclear concerns were literally being drilled into them.  Over half of 12-year-olds polled were aware of nuclear issues. Many felt that they would be robbed of the chance to live a full life and came to resent adults for it.

Others have noticed a similar trend today when it comes to global cooling global warming climate change.  It has been noted that many of the wilder claims and exaggerations made all too often are preached as though they are scientific fact, and have reached the ears of children—through teachers at public schools.  Children are being taught the greenhouse gas theory and that man-made pollution is going to destroy the earth.2  As one Washington Post staff writer put it, “For many children and young adults, global warming is the atomic bomb of today.”3

When Harold Camping and his organization, Family Radio, launched Project Caravan to spread the word about the impending end of the world on May 21, 2011, some had brought their children with them to participate.  Arianna and Breana Ramrajie, shown in the above picture, are two such examples.4

2012 hysteria is scaring children, as well.  This is, in fact, one of the very reasons that debunker sites such as this one exists. One of the greatest such sites, 2012 Hoax, features two prominent quotes, comments left by a concerned teacher and a concerned parent, respectively:5

…[I] am a teacher and my 3rd graders are hearing about this—A small child is talking about how if it’s ending, and why she shouldn’t just end it now. This isn’t anywhere close to funny any more.

And:

I have a 7 year old that happened to see a documentary on the history channel that scared him so bad, that he became depressed and began to question the meaning of life.  He is 7 years old.  This nonsense is scaring our children—it must stop immediately.  I found this website and tried the best I can to explain to him it was all a hoax.

It may be a natural tendency to point and laugh at the folly of some of these Doomsayers.  That may be fine for some of the adults, who are old enough to know better. But what chance did these children have?  How could they have possibly reasoned against the irrational beliefs of their parents?  What kind of adults will they grow up to be—will they learn from the mistakes of their parents, or will they keep the spirit of Doomsaying alive, predicting the end of the world as they become parents themselves?

References

1. Leviton, D. (1991). Horrendous death, health, and well-being. London, UK: Taylor & Francis.

2. Thomas, C. (2001, July 5). Stossel, ABC let the truth slip. The Daily Courier, p. 4A.

3. Johnson, D. (2007, April 16). Climate change scenarios scare, and motivate, kids. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/15/AR2007041501164.html

4. Ravitz, J. (2011, March 6). Road trip to the end of the world. CNN. Retrieved from http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-06/living/judgment.day.caravan_1_rvs-dish-world-ends

5. 2012 Hoax. Retrieved from http://www.2012hoax.org/

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Oct
22

Let’s File a Missing Persons Report for Harold Camping

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The owner of the multimillion dollar Family Radio network, Harold Camping, has not made any comment regarding the world’s continued existence after he called the date wrong, again. October 21, 2011 was supposed to mark the end of the world—sure, the details may vary.  Sometimes, the end was said to come with great earthquakes, other times it was said to be quiet. But whatever way the Lord chose to end the Earth, it was to be perfect.  And there was no doubt about it, in Camping’s mind—October 21, 2011 was a sure thing:1

Probably there will be no pain suffered by anyone because of their rebellion against God.  I really am beginning to think as I’ve restudied these matters that there’s going to be no big display of any kind. The end is going to come very, very quietly.

Well, we’re all still here.  So where is he today? What does he have to say for himself?  His daughter, Susan Espinoza, shared this with the Associated Press:

I’m sorry to disappoint you, but we at Family Radio have been directed to not talk to the media or the press.

Yes, he’s gone into hiding.  This is in stark contrast to the high-profile Project Caravan just a few short months ago, in which Camping’s followers left their families and their jobs, gave away their possessions and their pets, got into buses and RV’s and toured the country, warning everyone who would listen of the impending doom and plastering billboards everywhere along the way.2  The followers, based solely on Camping’s predictions, were extremely vocal with their message: Repent, before it’s too late!  The end is near!

And now, he cannot be reached for comment.

This isn’t really all that surprising.  He was already winding down his massive ad campaign after May, claiming there was simply “no point” in continuing to spread his message that the world would end in October.3  Besides, after calling the end of the world wrong for about the fourth time now, there is simply nothing he can say to convince anyone that he was right about anything in any way, shape, or form, and probably would not be able to get anyone to agree with him if were to make subsequent predictions.

Perhaps the New Age crowd can learn a lesson from this. Anyone attempting to “warn” people that the end of the world is coming on December 21, 2012, is completely misguided, and only setting themselves up to look like Harold Camping when December 22, 2012 rolls around.  All these crazy websites devoted to spreading fear and that warn about the various astronomical events that were supposedly foretold by Maya prophecy look just as foolish and “out there” as Camping does.

My advice to them: Repent, before it’s too late.

References
1. Newcomb, A., & Little, L. (2011). Harold Camping: Doomsday prophet wrong again. ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2011/10/harold-camping-doomsday-prophet-wrong-again/

2. Ravitz, J. (2011). Road trip to the end of the world. CNN. Retrieved from http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-06/living/judgment.day.caravan_1_rvs-dish-world-ends

3. Sinclair, J. (2011). October 21, 2011: Doomsday, says Harold Camping. Long Island Press. Retrieved from http://www.longislandpress.com/2011/10/20/october-21-2011-doomsday-says-harold-camping/

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Oct
20

Harold Camping Claims Rapture to Come Tomorrow

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So now Harold Camping claims tomorrow—October 21, 2011—is to be the date of the Rapture. Millions of saved Christians will ascend directly to heaven, the rest of us will die, and the Earth will be destroyed.

Some are calling this the “new” date after his failed prediction of May 21, 2011. Strictly speaking, this is incorrect. Camping always said May 21, 2011 would be “Judgment Day” and exactly six months later on October 21 would be the very end.

It doesn’t really matter, since in both scenarios, he’s wrong.

So what happens when Doomsday prophets are wrong? End-of-the-world predictions are nothing new; there have been hundreds of them over the years1 2. There have been enough of them that someone could literally spend their entire life worrying about how the end of the world could be right around the corner. Back in 1956, Leon Festinger, famed social psychologist, studied the issue and worked out a list of seven common themes found among Doomsday prophets when their predictions fail to come true3:

• The prophecy was fulfilled, spiritually
• The prophecy was fulfilled physically, but not as expected
• The date was miscalculated
• The date was a loose prediction, not a specific prophecy
• The date was a warning, not a prophecy
• A merciful deity changed his mind
• Prophecy was simply a test of the group members’ faith

Harold Camping is no different—he has walked right into least two of these claims after the date of May 21 failed to produce the results he was expecting. He has claimed both that May 21 was a “spiritual” fulfilling of his prophecy4 and that it was a warning5. Undoubtedly, once October 21 fizzles out and nothing happens, Camping will resort to options on this same list worked out by Festinger over fifty years ago.

As a result of his public and very well-known prediction, Camping has subjected himself to ridicule and mocking which will probably overshadow anything else he does for the remainder of his career. You can’t just call a date for the end of the world, turn out to be wrong, and then expect everyone to move on like nothing ever happened. Given his age, it is extremely doubtful he will ever gain back the following he’s lost or any semblance of credibility.

Can this scenario be used as a lesson? Will society ever learn what a faulty concept trying to predict a date for the end of the world is in the first place? Will New Agers and 2012ers see what’s happening with the Harold Camping situation, rethink their position a little more carefully, and learn from their mistakes? Can the world build a future, free from fear-mongering and irrationality, shouting that end is near?

There is always hope. Next time you see some crackpot wailing on about how the earth is in its final days, refer them to a site like 2012hoax.org or 2012delusion.com that focuses on debunking myths.

References

1. Nelson, C. (2011). A Brief History of the Apocalypse. Retrieved from http://www.abhota.info/
2. Rudd, S. (2011). 242 dates for the end of the world. Interactive Bible. Retrieved from http://www.bible.ca/pre-date-setters.htm
3. Festinger, L. (1956). When prophecy fails: A social and psychological study of a modern group that predicted the destruction of the world. New York: Harper & Row.
4. Herbert, G. (2011). Harold Camping says May 21 was a “spiritual” Judgment Day and end of world is still coming. Syracuse.com. Retrieved from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/harold_camping_may_21_judgment_day_end_still_coming.html
5. Berkowitz, B. (2011). Unlike a rained out ball game, Harold Camping offers no refunds to Rapture contributors. Buzzflash. http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/12720

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