As some of you may know, today, May 21st, has been declared Doomsday by the same religious leader who has falsely predicted the end of the world three times previously.

As the guy said after he jumped off the Empire State Building on the way down - "So far, so good!"

MountainMan Wrote:As some of you may know, today, May 21st, has been declared Doomsday by the same religious leader who has falsely predicted the end of the world three times previously.

As the guy said after he jumped off the Empire State Building on the way down - "So far, so good!"

I had this event on my work outlook calendar for three years, ever since I met a man during a field trip that told me about it!!

It ain't over 'till it's over...

In any event, I'll just hold-off buying groceries for next week....

One of my clients who has developmental disabilities was doing her job at a local convenience store yesterday when a customer who actually believes today is the end of the world told her about it and scared her. Fortunately her job coach was on the scene and helped calm her down. It hadn't occurred to me some of these folks might be in my neighborhood! I'm guessing there will be a lot of sheepish people tomorrow...although I suppose if one is really invested in the idea they might just decide they were slightly of calculation and try again later. Its the people who quit their jobs and spent their savings in preparation for today that really get me.

nachoman Wrote:I had this event on my work outlook calendar for three years, ever since I met a man during a field trip that told me about it!!

Found it!!, I have an ancient stone tablet, upon which is carved, (translation)

" On the morning of the twenty second day of May,
in the year that is marked 2011, in the manner of the day for the keeping of time,
look to the eastern sky, and behold------
Sunrise"

I have no clue as to the identity of the scribe whose hammer and chisel made those marks upon the stone, but I'll give two to one odds, that he was not a religious man.
In the spasms of the sun's death, the Earth will die, as well as all life upon it -------- I have far better things to do, than count the years 'til that happens. and, no intention to live all the centuries here until it does.

I am NOT proselytizing here, and since it is the lower berth, I just have to chime in as one of the resident ministers here...

The Christian scriptures remind us who believe that NO ONE, not even Jesus himself, will know the day or time of the Messiah's return - only God the Father. These crackpots come up with all kinds of theories but either ignore that part of the Bible or find some verbal jujitsu to twist it around and make it mean something else besides the plain meaning. I've had conversations with such folks and there's usually a deeper, emotional issue driving their fanaticism.

So I don't buy it that today is the end. But I DO think something serious is going to happen in 2012 - not the end of the world, but I've heard too many folks speak about it to completely dismiss it altogether. Something big is going down next year...

OR, an alternate way to look at it is that 2011 is the year the stuff hits the fan and 2012 is the beginning of a new peaceful and prosperous era. We're certainly due for a major spark event in this present 4th turning crisis period, if the MENA events weren't enough. All the ingredients for major global catastrophe are here, just simmering away. All we need now is one good spark to set it afire before we make up our minds to live differently and build a better world. IN other words, it's gonna get worse before it gets better.


Okay...enough for now.


Galen

25 minutes and counting...

According to the local newspaper, the event won't happen until 6 p.m. local time.

Duck and cover!

Well, it's past the dooms-day hour and we're still here...

Here's proof!
[attachment=7618]

Just a couple of weeks ago, I found this book at the local library:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/History-Future-David-Wilson/dp/1552781690">http://www.amazon.com/History-Future-Da ... 1552781690</a><!-- m -->

Very interesting read about various attempts through time to predict things (both religious and secular events). Notably, all prognosticators of all stripes have been wrong to date.


Andrew

Are you guys kidding? have you seen New York? its not there anymore! i thought i survived!

Shipwrecks, lots and lots of shipwrecks





The earth is swallowing our machines! EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!






... Ok so maybe i got lost in woods behind my work, but if i didn't know any better, you might think it was the end of the world!!!

and just when you think its safe....


BUS OF DESTRUCTION! But seriously, the end of the world was good fun while it lasted.

MasonJar Wrote:Very interesting read about various attempts through time to predict things (both religious and secular events). Notably, all prognosticators of all stripes have been wrong to date.


Andrew

And should some poor schlub eventually get it right, there'll be nobody around to tell him what a good boy he was.

Incidentally, for us believers, Galen's got it right. The rest of you, I guess, can get that thrill of living on the edge every time one of these crackpots wanders onto the scene.

Wayne

Does anyone remember the final skit in Beyond the Fringe? After the chant of "Now is the end." there is a beat and the leader says "It was Greenwich Mean Time, wasn't it?" followed by "Well, same time tomorrow. We must get it right one of these days."

I'd like to know why people seem bent on this fixation on world destruction involving the deaths of billions of people, including innocent children? Like it has to happen or it will happen because some one over 1,500 yrs wrote down some ancients scribblings with no evidence and no real idea about how the world really works. I boggles my mind that these ideas still grip peoples minds in the modern age and make people behave so foolishly and waste their lives on such drivel.

Here's my prediction for the future after this latest waste of time. 2012 will come and go. We will all still be here in 2013, the world will continue to orbit the sun, years will come and go. It will continue to orbit the sun for billions of years as it has done for the 4.5 billion years it has done already. The Earth will go on with or without us. And if we do suffer some form of extinction, the Universe won't miss us either. It will continue to expand and cool off.

We are not special, there is no god, or gods. We should enjoy what short time we have, devote our time trying to expand our knowledge and develop humanity to the apex of our abilities. This above anything else should be our ultimate goal.

I know I didn't make to too many friends here when I expressed this POV sometime ago. However I stand by the idea and opinion that I base my life based on experience, sound facts, testable ideas, knowledge and evidence. Without any of the above its all wishful and even sometimes, dangerous thinking.

But if people are going to express their beliefs about these things, then I in turn hold on to the right to express the knowledge and information I have collected regarding the reality of our existence.

Peace.

Yeah, here we have yet another opportunity to decide if it is more important to express our opinions about a topic that might bring out strong emotional reactions and alienate each other, or to let it be. Whether we embrace a faith or not, it would be very helpful here to remember that our choices may not be the same as those of other Big Blue members, and that religion is an issue that can be very important and personal. Since it seems likely that none of our membership actually anticipated the end of the world yesterday and that the whole episode was more of an oddity to comment on, can we try to avoid a conflict over religion in this thread? Members who have a faith need not defend it here, nor do members who see no need for faith need to have a last word from their position. If we really wish each other peace then lets leave this one be.

Ralph

tetters Wrote:I'd like to know why people seem bent on this fixation on world destruction involving the deaths of billions of people, including innocent children? Like it has to happen or it will happen because some one over 1,500 yrs wrote down some ancients scribblings with no evidence and no real idea about how the world really works. I boggles my mind that these ideas still grip peoples minds in the modern age and make people behave so foolishly and waste their lives on such drivel.

Here's my prediction for the future after this latest waste of time. 2012 will come and go. We will all still be here in 2013, the world will continue to orbit the sun, years will come and go. It will continue to orbit the sun for billions of years as it has done for the 4.5 billion years it has done already. The Earth will go on with or without us. And if we do suffer some form of extinction, the Universe won't miss us either. It will continue to expand and cool off.

We are not special, there is no god, or gods. We should enjoy what short time we have, devote our time trying to expand our knowledge and develop humanity to the apex of our abilities. This above anything else should be our ultimate goal.

I know I didn't make to too many friends here when I expressed this POV sometime ago. However I stand by the idea and opinion that I base my life based on experience, sound facts, testable ideas, knowledge and evidence. Without any of the above its all wishful and even sometimes, dangerous thinking.

But if people are going to express their beliefs about these things, then I in turn hold on to the right to express the knowledge and information I have collected regarding the reality of our existence.

Peace.

Oh, come on...have a little fun with your life! Play Mayan Roulette next year in December with the rest of us. The winner gets...well...not much...but it'll be FUN!! Maybe Hollywoody will release some more movies about it!