Posted on 11/04/2009 8:06:30 AM PST by Artemis Webb
With the upcoming disaster film "2012" and the current hype about Mayan calendars and doomsday predictions, it seems like a good time to put such notions in context.
Most prophets of doom come from a religious perspective, though the secular crowd has caused its share of scares as well. One thing the doomsday scenarios tend to share in common: They don't come to pass.
Here are 10 that didn't pan out, so far:
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
History has countless examples of people who have proclaimed that the return of Jesus Christ is imminent, but perhaps there has never been a stranger messenger than a hen in the English town of Leeds in 1806. It seems that a hen began laying eggs on which the phrase "Christ is coming" was written. As news of this miracle spread, many people became convinced that doomsday was at hand — until a curious local actually watched the hen laying one of the prophetic eggs and discovered someone had hatched a hoax.
The Millerites, April 23, 1843
A New England farmer named William Miller, after several years of very careful study of his Bible, concluded that God's chosen time to destroy the world could be divined from a strict literal interpretation of scripture. As he explained to anyone who would listen, the world would end some time between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844. He preached and published enough to eventually lead thousands of followers (known as Millerites) who decided that the actual date was April 23, 1843. Many sold or gave away their possessions, assuming they would not be needed; though when April 23 arrived (but Jesus didn't) the group eventually disbanded—some of them forming what is now the Seventh Day Adventists.
Mormon Armageddon, 1891 or earlier
Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church, called a meeting of his church leaders in February 1835 to tell them that he had spoken to God recently, and during their conversation he learned that Jesus would return within the next 56 years, after which the End Times would begin promptly.
Halley's Comet, 1910
In 1881, an astronomer discovered through spectral analysis that comet tails include a deadly gas called cyanogen (related, as the name imples, to cyanide). This was of only passing interest until someone realized that Earth would pass through the tail of Halley's comet in 1910. Would everyone on the planet be bathed in deadly toxic gas? That was the speculation reprinted on the front pages of "The New York Times" and other newspapers, resulting in a widespread panic across the United States and abroad. Finally even-headed scientists explained that there was nothing to fear.
Pat Robertson, 1982
In May 1980, televangelist and Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson startled and alarmed many when — contrary to Matthew 24:36 ("No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven...") he informed his "700 Club" TV show audience around the world that he knew when the world would end. "I guarantee you by the end of 1982 there is going to be a judgment on the world," Robertson said.
Heaven's Gate, 1997
When comet Hale-Bopp appeared in 1997, rumors surfaced that an alien spacecraft was following the comet — covered up, of course, by NASA and the astronomical community. Though the claim was refuted by astronomers (and could be refuted by anyone with a good telescope), the rumors were publicized on Art Bell's paranormal radio talk show "Coast to Coast AM." These claims inspired a San Diego UFO cult named Heaven's Gate to conclude that the world would end soon. The world did indeed end for 39 of the cult members, who committed suicide on March 26, 1997.
Nostradamus, August 1999
The heavily obfuscated and metaphorical writings of Michel de Nostrdame have intrigued people for over 400 years. His writings, the accuracy of which relies heavily upon very flexible interpretations, have been translated and re-translated in dozens of different versions. One of the most famous quatrains read, "The year 1999, seventh month / From the sky will come great king of terror." Many Nostradamus
devotees grew concerned that this was the famed prognosticator's vision of Armageddon.
Y2K, Jan. 1, 2000
As the last century drew to a close, many people grew concerned that computers might bring about doomsday. The problem, first noted in the early 1970s, was that many computers would not be able to tell the difference between 2000 and 1900 dates. No one was really sure what that would do, but many suggested catastrophic problems ranging from vast blackouts to nuclear holocaust. Gun sales jumped and survivalists prepared to live in bunkers, but the new millennium began with only a few glitches.
May 5, 2000
In case the Y2K bug didn't do us in, global catastrophe was assured by Richard Noone, author of the 1997 book "5/5/2000 Ice: the Ultimate Disaster." According to Noone, the Antarctic ice mass would be three miles thick by May 5, 2000 — a date in which the planets would be aligned in the heavens, somehow resulting in a global icy death (or at least a lot of book sales). Perhaps global warming kept the ice age at bay.
God's Church Ministry, Fall 2008
According to God's Church minister Ronald Weinland, the end times are upon us-- again. His 2006 book "2008: God's Final Witness" states that hundreds of millions of people will die, and by the end of 2006, "there will be a maximum time of two years remaining before the world will be plunged into the worst time of all human history. By the fall of 2008, the United States will have collapsed as a world power, and no longer exist as an independent nation." As the book notes, "Ronald Weinland places his reputation on the line as the end-time prophet of God."
Well... if you keep swinging, your bound to hit something sooner or later.
bump
What? Y2K is NOT going to be the end?
Are you saying I can come out of my bunker now?
It’s like the little boy who cried wolf.
However, let us not forget that in the end, the wolf DOES come.
He left out 1987’s famous “Harmonic Convergence,” the planetary alignment with the Sun, Moon and six out of eight planets that was supposed to mark ending of a cycle of “hell on earth.”
Ben you've been on FR a long time now. I remember in 1999 there were a lot of FReepers (who have since disappeared) convinced that Y2K was going to be the end. Daily discussions on quality survivalist gear and how many pounds of dehydrated beans one should buy were omnipresent.
Well the latest one is from a loon by the name of algore!!!
Respected commentators such as Moses Lowman, Adam Clarke, Albert Barnes, and Andrew R. Fausset, who adhered to the historicist method of interpreting the book of Revelation, pointed out that the greation of the Papal States (the secular power of the papacy) took place in A.D. 752-756. Adding the prophetic 1,260 “days” (years) to this (based on the day-year principle used by historicists) gives us A.D. 2012-2016. These were mainstream Bible scholars writing in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Will read in depth later, but I will say that I read something similar in The People’s Almanac, IIRC. The headline for the piece: “Armageddon Outta Here”
Typo: greation = creation.
I used to love The People’s Almanac and The Book of List. The authors research was often incredibly shoddy but the books were fun and fascinating. I still have old and beat up copies of them.
“I remember in 1999 there were a lot of FReepers (who have since disappeared) convinced that Y2K was going to be the end.”
Sure, and before that, there were prognosticators such as Qidam claiming that “jaws were dropping” before Ken Starr’s grand jury and that Clinton was certain to be impeached and removed from office, yada, yada, yada. Qidam never returned to explain why his “insider” accounts turned out to be so wrong...
I was a Cobol programmer at that time, and my focus, as a consultant, in the last half of the nineties was Y2K code remediation. The potential was for absolute catastrophe. Many of my peers actually bought property in the sticks and made other arrangements. I was less concerned long term, but thought there would be possible short term ramifications. I bought about 100 lbs of various bean types and Peanut butter, and a few other odds and ends, just in case.
I figured odds were that some “third world” countries could have some issues but it was unlikely the “first world” would have anything more than a few companies go out of business over errors. That is pretty much what happened.
Interestingly, the first day Costco was open after the beginning of the year I saw a once in a lifetime thing: Long lines of people in the return line bringing back everything from power generators to masses of potato chips. It was a hoot. I knew at the time I was witnessing a once in a lifetime social event and watched in amazement.
Meanwhile, this time I DID buy 13 acres in rural Kentucky and fully expect to need it. It’s not that I think this is the end of the world any more than 1939 was the end of the world for Europe. However, I can read the tea leaves as well as the next guy. And sometimes it is pretty bleeping obvious.
The Bible says we don’t know the day or the hour. I take that to mean we also don’t know the four year time frame.
Yeah a good “bathroom reader”—sometimes they will turn up at a “swap shack” at your local landfill/dump.
Also:
>>When comet Hale-Bopp appeared in 1997
The Church of the SubGenius is a parody religion worshipping a piece of clip art named J.R. “Bob” Dobbs. They later said Hale-Bopp really meant, “Hail, ‘Bob’!” They claimed a “Rupture” would happen on July 5, 1998. Actually they would later say that it was slightly inaccurate—the year in question was upside down.
Thus we are safe until 8661.
Bad science results in just as many failed doomsday predictions as bad religion
Global warming, a modern ice age, ozone depletion, population explosion, AIDS, resource limitations (food, metals, oil, water), high energy particle collider experiments, the igniting of the atmosphere by the first atomic bomb, SARS and now H1N1.
good point
I remember that.
There’s lots of money to be made frightening people with clever sounding predictions based on interpretations of Revelations and other works. Expect it to continue. I’ve been hearing that the anti-Christ is showing up next year for, well, years and years.
Thew funniest thing I heard on the radio news last week was some guy who is an actual Mayan priest who was complaining about all the idiots in the US who think the Mayan calendar ends in 2012. Apparently no one consulted any actual Mayans before coming up with their predictions.
Live everyday as if it were your last.
One day you’ll be right ...
I was born on May 5, 1950. That made me 55 on 05-05-05. I didn’t buy a lottery ticket or do anything special. Guess what? Nothing special happened except Mrs SLB made me a nice cake.
Right now I'm working on getting away from the city myself. What does 13 acres in a rural area go for these days?
Well, I’m hoping to be mentally and spiritually prepared just in case things come to a boil in the near future. The sad thing is that world conditions could get much worse in the years to come, as the Bible does seem to indicate will be the case just prior to the Lord’s return. Many who are counting on a quick pretribulation rapture with no worries preceding it won’t be ready for that.
You left out everything written by Paul Ehrlich (Population Bomb), and the work of the late and unlamented Rachel Carson.
Where's the harm in having those things all of the time? The worst thing about any of these predictions is that some people do go nuts.
And, no disrespect to the Mayans, it's worth noting that I have a calendar that ends on December 31st of this year, so...
I see it as we are on “Hell on Earth” with the likes of Obambie and the DumbocRaps in charge!
I was lurking then and do remember.
..and you would have wasted your life swinging instead of living.
What is weird is there must be some glitch in the software, I am seeing these old threads pop up daily again.... oh wait, they are new?
“Bad science results in just as many failed doomsday predictions as bad religion.”
You could generalize that to “humanism results in just as many failed doomsday predictions as religion.” OTOH, humanism has produced the most spectacular catastrophes imaginable. Soviet Union, China under Mao, Pol Pot and on and on. It would take a huge meteor strike or a new equivalent of the Black Death to produce a death toll as robust as that of the humanists.
Remember Gary North?
:)
So now your making judgments on how other people choose to spend their lives...jeesh.
I see that Ted Danson’s claim that the oceans would be dead in 20 years (which has come and gone) did NOT make the list.
That’s because he now admits it was a lie (hyperbole) to drum up interest in the environment.
Al Gore’s BULLS*** didn’t make the list either.
I call shenanigans on the “scientific” community that created this list.
Judgment was "dismiss" I guess.
There WAS almost a mutually assured destruction nuclear launch from the Soviets in 1983. The man with his finger on the button disobeyed the order (he took it to be a system error, which it was). He was punished for his disloyalty.
Perhaps, but I would cite your examples as doomsdays that have come true, rather than failed doomsday predictions.
But I understand your point.
Oh yes, I do. Funny how when people kept mentioning him as a Y2k expert, it never came up that he's been a survivalist since the 60's and teaches classes on how to survive in the wilderness(for a fee, of course), all the while predicting the inevitable downfall of modern civilization and the need to go back to basic ways. Because of that belief, he has been attached to many doomsday predictions for a long time. He never did really apologize other than to say he was wrong and mystified that the bad things he predicted never came to pass, but at least he's been quiet since then. If he's still around, he might yet jump onto the 2012 bandwagon though . . .
Remember the "experts" on those threads who all worked on computers and just knew their own systems were doomed to fail? "Experts" who claimed that manual shutdown procedures would not work because they had been computerized(and thus not really understanding the term manual?). "Experts" who claimed that having the wrong date in the computer would lead to all the worlds oil wells being shut down and unable to be restarted. "Experts" who claimed that banks would lose track of how much money they had and didn't have any manual way to figure it out, despite them mailing out paper statements every 30 days? Those threads were full of people making up stories about how bad it was going to be and how they had "inside knowledge" to prove it was worse than we were being told.
Remember the people on those threads who claimed they were not stocking up on survival goods but were instead stockpiling guns and ammo under the theory they could just kill people and steal what they needed from others? The ones who said that telling people not panic and retreat to the woods with survival gear was going to get innocent people killed?
Hysteria has a way of overriding reason it seems, and my memory of those days show me that there are always people who come out during those times and egg on the true believers by pretending to be experts or claim to have access to inside knowledge or who claim they know people in power who "know" the truth. I suppose it's kind of the madness of crowds phenomena where the bigger your group of hardcore believers gets, the more they encourage each other to go further with their stories and bolster their own beliefs.
Gee, that all sounds so familiar :-)
"Then, when noting happened, They just stopped posting for a while and pretended they never believed in it when confronted about it. I still see them post once in a while, and I just shake my head that they still believe in crazy things. I'll bet some of those same people now believe 2012 is the new end of the world."
Nah. Now they're birthers.
I was one of those “experts”. I really was concerned, but only to a certain degree. I would read about some of those “experts” and wonder what they were smoking. It was a little like being a Christian and then have a non-christian telling you what all his Christian acquaintances believed, and knowing the guy has no clue what he is talking about.
And the reason I remembered Gary’s name is that one of the doom and gloom threads here a couple of days ago pointed me to an article that turned out to be from him. He’s back!
Disclaimer. I AM a current doom and gloomer.
How could they ignore the 70s ice age, silent spring, and the population bomb? Heck speaking of Ehrlich I bet you could get 10 failed doomsday prediction just from that putz.
The next scheduled end of the world is due in 2011, according to biblical theorist Harold Camping. He tried the same thing in 1994, but we seem to have survived.
. . . and some of them were 911 truthers too. It's a given people who have one kooky belief probably have many of them. A lot of these same people probably also believe that the government is still hiding the "truth" about their deal with the aliens --not to mention the aliens role in the Kennedy assassination and the faked deaths of Elvis and Marylin Monroe.
Crazy believer mode on
You know the aliens helped us fake the moon landing footage, right? They shot it for us on the actual moon using alien technology far beyond what we could have done in 1968! They even left "artifacts" up there to "prove" that we had been there. Why can't the rest of you see it! It's so obvious! The original astronauts were really space aliens and the plan was to fool the Russians into believing we actually had intercontinental ballistic missiles and could get to the moon! Then the Russian fooled us right back by making their own deal with different space aliens and there was a war caught on film on one the so called moon missions! Now all the governments of the world are trying to keep it all a big secret because the aliens killed each other off and now we have to go back to the moon to just to prove we really did it the first time(which we really didn't)!
/crazy believer mode.
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