Apocalypse me now?

[fourpawsonthefloor]

It seems everywhere I turn around nowadays there's news articles about specific churches dedicated to preaching how the world is ending (but lets face it that's been happening for like...2000 years nearly). But then there's also a lot of other crap going on with the world's weather and all those dang earthquakes and so on so forth. Then there's also 2012 and the massive amount of drama with that (y2k anyone?).

So, I'm curious on how others feel about it (and hoping that I'm not poking any bears here in doing it). I think everyone has the right to what they believe.

That said, I personally am thinking maybe ol' mother earth is a little pissy and we're about to get a bit of an ass-whoopin' in the next while. Maybe it's because we're looking for it - myself especially because I follow disasters as I'm involved in a group that does assist during them. Still, I am firmly in the believe pile in regards to climate change.

So now that I've kicked the hornets next, what do people think?

[steyn]

I think the only reason the Aztec's calender didn't go past 2012 is that they didn't bother calculating past it. Who in their right mind would want a calender that goes so far into the future? Why add unnecessary data when it's not needed at the current time?
The same thing happened with Y2K, people just didn't bother adding that extra two digits. Who in their right mind would want to add unnecessary data when it's not needed at the current time?

As for the actual earth's climate thing? Well, yeah, I gotta agree that that's probably going worse and worse as the human race's years goes on.

[The Drastic Spastic]

So now that I've kicked the hornets next, what do people think?

*shrug* This is also my opinion about the current economic situation. A bunch of shit that is completely out of my control. Why worry.

[NachtcGleiskette]

I don't put any stock into the Mayan calendar 2012 thing. Considering they were conquered, is it possible that perhaps THAT is why they didn't continue the calendar? It seemed to be an ongoing project.

Everything else....wouldn't it be lovely is we could convince everyone that global warming isn't a political issue but actually an environmental one? Because as it stands, our politicians seem more intent on calling the recent weather issues some kind of divine intervention for whatever awful things we're doing that their party doesn't support, rather than what scientists have been telling us for years.

Case in point:

"I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We've had an earthquake; we've had a hurricane. He said, 'Are you going to start listening to me here?'" - Michelle Bachman

[Edited on 3/9/11 by NachtcGleiskette]

[fourpawsonthefloor]

So now that I've kicked the hornets next, what do people think?

*shrug* This is also my opinion about the current economic situation. A bunch of shit that is completely out of my control. Why worry.

You know, there's a lot of wisdom in doing that. Though I have an avid interest in it, I'm not sitting here stewing either. Giant earthquake happen tommorrow and make my property seafront? Ok. All I can do in the now is to take sensible precautions (like having a disaster kit) and then just keep on living. I might get hit by a bus tommorrow and I may live to be 101. Worrying isn't going to change a thing, other than causing a lot of anxiety I don't need.

[Kered]

I think the only reason the Aztec's calender didn't go past 2012 is that they didn't bother calculating past it.

Well, obviously, since my calender ends on December 31 of this year, that's when the world will end! But my phone calender goes until December 31, 2099, so that's a conflict of interests...... All kidding aside, I highly doubt that the world will be ending come 2012. Do you know how many times the apocalypse has been predicted? Way to many. And I doubt that everyone will be dying anytime soon. The only people who may be hurt by the "2012" apocalypse would be the people so freaked out by it that they end up hurting themselves. But that's just my opinion.

[Ult_Sm86]

I think if I don't get to see the Avengers movie, it would be the biggest let-down since they said "WE GOT SOMETHING NOW BESIDES BREAD" and it was just toast.

In all honesty though, I can't believe the world would actually end in 2012. I mean... there's a lot of awful things going on in the world sure... but isn't there always a lot of awful things going on in the world?

I think the ante just feels upped 'cause we're living in the moment. But can you imagine living during the COLD WAR? (Or for those who lived during the Cold War, jeez, I bet that sucked!)

The Bay of Pigs? The Cuban Missile Crisis? Or go back further. WWII? Hitler? Nazi Party sweeping through Europe? Bombing LONDON? I mean... it must've felt like the end of the world then too.


It's really just all in "the moment". A lot of people will cite "The Good Ole Days" but, in the words of Penn & Teller, that's B.S. It's all about perspective.

[Edited on 3/9/11 by Ult_Sm86]

[fourpawsonthefloor]

It's all about what 'ending' means too. Ending as in bam, world blows up like those crappy old fake world blowing up montages they had in the slew of 70's-80's movies? Nah. Ending as in over a relatively short historical time period there being a drastic change that therefore forces some major serious huge haulovers? Yeah, I can see that.

I don't personally think I or anyone is going to be teleported to heaven, a la rapture style, but that's totally ok if others do.

I do think we're going to make huge adjustments in the next couple of decades - bigger than any other generation behind us has made.

[Angelique]

The Bible says some important things about the end of the world that we all can and should apply to day- and being Christian isn't even necessary. First of all, nobody, not even Jesus Christ knows when it will happen. Anybody claiming special knowledge of dates and times is either a fraud or passing off speculation as fact. We shouldn't take them seriously. More importantly worrying about it won't accomplish anything good. Ultimately, all we can and should do is to live as best we can while we can, both as if the world will end tomorrow while also considering that there may be seven more generations for which we'll be responsible.

[Ult_Sm86]

The thing is no matter which belief you delve into (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism) it all pretty much goes about the same way. So I don't really take a lot of what the Bible says as fact in this department.

The likelihood of the world actually ending in 2012 is mind boggling. A lot of people are using this fake-made-up-physics and made-up-mathematics to justify their delusional theories. They do things like (shown in the Episode I showed above) count steps on Mayan temples and claim that this must in fact mean something.

So the Mayans were good at math? So they were great astronomers and calculators (for their time). But like Penn points out, they also mutilated virgins and did some other terrible horrible things in the name of their beliefs (including perhaps wiping themselves out??) and the idea that anything from that long ago, from a group of people who are so far removed from the amount of technology we have at our fingertips now, could be taken as the least bit credible? Is almost as much of a joke to me as a thousand eyed thinger from Heaven and a dragon and "A Divya Yuga comprising four yuga's and lasting for 4.3 billion years".
But I suppose that's just splitting hairs.

[Angelique]

The Bible says no one knows the day. Given how many people who claimed otherwise were proven wrong, I think it's safe to say that the what the Bible says there is a fact. The Bible also says not to worry- another good idea regardless of your religious beliefs or lack thereof.