While shopping at Sandton City a few days ago a rather forceful young lady came up to me and handed me a pamphlet. The pamphlet had big bold letters saying: “The End of the World Is Almost Here! Holy God Will Bring Judgment Day On May 21, 2011.”
The first thing that came to my mind when I saw this was: “Wait a minute I thought the world was ending in December 2012?” She simply looked at me, perplexed by my rhetoric. Then she asked the question most people dread: “Have you found Jesus?” and to her surprise I said: “Yes I have actually.” She then proceeded to tell me the importance of May 21 and how the world will burn.
The group that was heralding this message to the masses call themselves Family Radio and they are based in Oakland California in the United States (far from home aren’t they?). They even have free books to help you prepare for May 21 2011. I politely took her pamphlet and I actually gave it a read; I found it riveting. It had the right amount of truth in terms of events that were documented in the Bible and the right amount of excitement and fear to cause panic to those prone to doomsday fears.
I am not really going to talk more about what I read in the rather dense pamphlet, but rather the obsession with the end of the world. We’ve heard it lots of times: the world is going to end. Nostradamus said it, Newton figured out the exact date and the Mayans have it in their prophecies. We are a society obsessed with the end of the world; it seems if we do not have some doom facing us we are not content.
The year 2000 was a big one. Everyone had their theories about what would happen and people went to great and ridiculous lengths to prepare for it. Then we entered the 21st century and not much happened aside from the exponential growth in the number of users that discovered the internet. I suppose we could all satisfactorily say that the world crumbled as we used to know it because now we exist more online than we do offline. Some businesses consider Facebook and Twitter to be demons as they hinder work performance, so perhaps that’s how the world “ended” in the 21st century.
We claim to be a science-driven society yet we seek out these prophecies and try to prove them right or wrong. It’s not just the prophecies that “preach” the end of the world. Even legitimate scientists also confirm the end of the earth. Global warming, a reality, is also another signal to doomsday; they just don’t have an exact date yet. We’re running out of resources, there are natural disasters and Mars is getting closer to us — it can be seen by the naked eye. It’s as if the planet and universe are revolting all at once to prove a point. The interesting thing is, as much as most people laugh at the end-of-the-world prophecies, there’s an argument for it. I have read the book of Revelations and, yes, it scared me senseless, but if I were being incredibly literal and honest I will agree with those who say we are living in the end times.
I have some questions, however. Would you like to know the exact date and hour the world is going to end? I personally don’t want to know, I like surprises. Also, what if the world doesn’t end on the May 21 2011 — which is nine-and-half-months away? Then what? And perhaps the most important question: Which time zone is the end of the world? Are we talking Greenwich Mean Time here, or is it a gradual process that moves through each time zone? I am not trying to discredit what the people from Family Radio believe. I am just not sure scaring everyone senseless is the right approach to yet another end-of-the-world date release.
The Daily Maverick also has a detailed story about the Family Radio Johannesburg street campaign.
My standard answer is “I didn’t know he was lost”. These people are so invasive and opinionated. Seem to specialise in giving the easily impressed nightmares, so must be related to politicians!
Personally I dont care when the world is going to end. If it ends on May 21st 2011, or 21st Dec 2012, what exactly can anyone do about it?
If I should really know the exact date, I would rise early, dress in my finest, Sit on the porch, with a bottle of the most expensive whiskey I could find, and smile as the moment arrived!
THe Praetor
Geologically, in geologic time, we are in fact doomed. I have always thought this deserves more thought but I find no resonance in society.
Many nutters have predicted the end of the world as you well know.Now ordinarily, when the date passes and nothing happens, you’d think that would be the end of them ? Well No!! Many survive and survive well…So well in fact, that even an educated close family member of mine has been seduced terminally by such an organisation, the SDA for that matter, who are descendants of a great doomsday cult from the 1800′s who got it wrong then…and still.
Go figure. That’s resiliance, surviving an eroneous prediction of the end of the world! It must be almost harder than surviving the end of the world itself !!
Regarding…
“I am not really going to talk more about what I read in the rather dense pamphlet, but rather the obsession with the end of the world.”
Here is where sadly you divert in the wrong direction. The direction should be into your Bible, starting with the references given in the pamphlet. May 21st, 2011 is proclaimed in Gods holy word. May God have mercy on us all.
I don’t see the point of this blog.
What is it going to be: judgement day, or doomsday or end-of-the-world day.
Judgement day: being judged on what you are and have done. If you know in your heart that your life and doings are not ‘kosher’,'halaal’ or anything less than holy then it could easily become doomsday. And indeed, scare the s… out of you.
But having read Revelations too, is there not a promise of a new earth to replace this one which is full of violence, racial hatred (caused by men) and ‘natural’ disasters claiming countless lives and bringing misery to millions?
So it is not all gloom and doom but a future to look forward to. For believers in any case.
There is no way to quietly slip into this new world it seems. If Revelation is a guideline more upheaval and suffering is in store for mankind, not to mention flora and fauna. What is happening now is just the beginning.
As for Jesus ‘being lost’(Judith) ever cleaned out a house and found something you did not know you still had? You ‘lost’ sight of it, so the question would be valid, not?
Mars has been visible from Earth for a couple of billion years.
The End of the World will happen but not in a few months – rather in a couple of billion years when the sun expands.
Nothing that we can do will change the eventual fate of the Earth.
Michelle,
You can relax -the world will not come to an end on May 21, 2011. I can make that prediction with as much certainty as any “Christian” can.
If these people would only read their Bibles!
Jesus Christ, whom Christians accept as the embodiment of the Word of God, told his disciples that HE HIMSELF did not know THE EXACT DATE when the end of the world would come -that that detail was known to God alone. He even warned his followers to steer clear of those who would offer bold predictions about the end.
Ironic that these groups who take it upon themselves to warn people in the name of “Holy God” and Jesus Christ, turn out to be the very people that Jesus said we should not take seriously!
I confuse the annoying doomsayers by pointing out that our modern Western/Christian calendar is made up (and has had some subtle and some not so subtle adjustments over time) so their calcs & rantings are absolutely meaningless. In any event, as the Buddhist Era calendar predates the Christian one by some 543 years, it stands to (their) reason that the world actually ended long ago, so if you are experiencing any misery right now… its because you are already in hell. ROFL…
does it help worrying about the end of the world? why would you even want to prepare for it? its pointless, no?
btw, mars has always been visble to the naked eye, about four or five years ago it was the closest to the earth in about 30 000 years, its moving away again, and will only be that close again in another 30 000 years.
anywho, as far as doomsday stories go, look into nibiru and the annunaki. fairly interesting stuff…
@Predator, I suppose don’t cry over what can’t change, yeah?
@Bluewater Paul, geologically we are indeed in trouble…
@Cry out for mercy, so are we all doomed then? may He have mercy on us all then.
@Marlie, I do apologise
@Jon Story, you’re right but there’s a fair amount of fear in that book but true there’s hope too.
@Ernst and RDZ, I apologise, though I watched a doccie on Discovery that said it’s getting closer and much more visible recently. So either way I am always excited to get my telescope and seek it out when I can’t see it with my naked eye.
@Roadrunner I guess I have time to buy into latest social media venture then…
@the end already came, so we are in hell! no wonder it’s so bliming hot!
My father was trained to be a minister. He knew large tracts of the bible by heart, in both Latin and is English. He could quote most of Revelations word perfect. Luckily, he never found Jesus because he had so many problems with the interpretation of the Bible, particularly the inconsistencies when he attempted to cross reference one section with another that he would have confused the poor guy. He did seriously damage the faith of many Christians throughout his life. I don’t support his spiritual views but I have to say that many (ALMOST ALL!) of his comments on the bible apply.
Dad studied classical languages at University (just after the turn of the last century) and had read Nostradamus, in Latin (together with the French notes). He had the sanest view of those stupid documents. “You can read anything into them that you want – pure rubbish!” I’ve read an English translation and I have to agree.
Unlike my brilliant father, I have learned to look for my knowledge in the appropriate place. When it is scientific knowledge, I go to science. Human actions and emotions are better handled by psychology. Motors and machines are best handled through engineering. Spirituality is best handled by religious publications like the Bible, Bagathevita (spelling?), Rumi, the Sikh books and so on.
Look for your knowledge in the right place!
What does the bible have to say on energy harvesting through the touch of your finger, This week’s new engineering technique that may revolutionise our gadgets, particularly cell phones. I did a search and could find nothing…
What does the Technical brief on energy harvesting have to say on religion, I did a search and could find nothing…
Searching for the evolution of the species in the bible is as stupid as searching for GOD in Darwin’s amazing works. Darwin based his research on demonstrated fact and this is in absolute conflict with “Belief” and “Trust”, two words essential to spirituality.
The Bible is the book of GOD, but then so is Einstein’s works “The General Theory of Relativity”. The messages were both amazing gifts from GOD and both unfortunately were transcribed by fallible men and include mistakes. While on earth, men will make mistakes.
Scott Peck drew the World’s attention to the difference between those who are RELIGIOUS (Living the Lie) and those who are spiritual beings. Throughout my long life, I have found those living in Scott Peck’s forth quadrant of spirituality to be humble individuals, able to find Gods work everywhere, not just in one religious book. Many of the greatest rogues I have met go religiously to church each Sunday “for forgiveness” then steal again on Monday.
“By their fruits shall ye know them…”
Science tells us we have hundreds of centuries to go…
Shucks, so the world will end on my birthday next year?
“Without religion we would have good people doing good, and bad people doing bad, but it takes religion for good people to do and say bad things.” We are all angels, we are all demons, we are just human.
They are lying to you.All they are saying contradicts Revelation and the Book of Daniel.
I find it interesting that “Doomsday prophesies” almost always evoke religious responses. Where are the “Atheists” and what do they have to say on this matter? I will hasten to add that I am not an atheist and in fact I think most atheists are no different from fundamentalists (In being dogmatic).
However, there is one atheist argument that had me unsettled . “When you are dead, you do not even know that you are dead because you do not exist to make that judgement”(Put differently I do not have a soul that will be able to say “There lies my dead body , I can see it from the vantage point of heaven, hell or whatever”. Of course those who believe in “reincarnation” may contend that I may well get reincarnated as my dog and bark as they attend my funeral for my irreverence!)
My point exactly ? From a personal point of view , atheists believe that I do not have to worry whether “doomsday ” occurs in my lifetime or not . The situation when I am dead will be no different from the situation before I was born! I will not exist period!
However doomsady differs in one important respect! WE WILL ALL BE DEAD AFTER DOOMSDAY!
After doomsday , there will be no one to know that humankind once existed because the will be no humans left to pass on our collective memory!It will be like we never existed!(And no god with memories of his wonderful creation either!)
Poor Jesus; seems the Church has lost him again, and these dimwits from California have landed on our shores looking for him.
I have to agree with Marlee though; what’s the point of your blog. You give the impression of skepticism, but then actually go on to confirm that you find this end-of-world nonsense plausable. For your information, the only people obsessed with it, are those who are religious, and by extension, superstitious.
“It had the right amount of truth in terms of events that were documented in the Bible…” Events documented in the bible are largely fictional, but off course you have been taught to believe differently.
Thanks to those who set you straight on the Mars thing, but what’s this about time zones? Any event occurs at the same instant in time relative to the universe, no matter where you are on the planet, or in which time zone you find yourself.
Scientists who warn about global warming, are not doomsdayers like these Family Radio nutjobs. They are merely stating the consequences of damaging the environment.
I suggest you acquaint youself with more real science and less Nostradamus and Bible studies.
I will tell you Michelle, strange things have been coming out of America in recent times – all connected with the end of the world. You have seen it all in their movies, the aliens et al. When I found May 21, 2011 Judgement Day on my bed’s headboard some three evenings ago, I thought my wife wanted us to go back to the trenches, so to speak. When no one could account for the pamphlet’s presence in the house, I suspected it was another Will Smith shenanigan.
After scanning the document, I could not help but reminisce about the ‘near misses’ mankind has had with Doom sayers in recent times, fresh on my mind being that one in Uganda at the turn of the 21st century.
Led by a troika of a ‘saved’ prostitute, a failed politician and self-styled prophet,a former Catholic priest with a masters degree in theology, the sect promised its followers the ‘end of everything’ at the dawn of 2000. The followers were made to forgo their earthly achievements and wait for the big moment… The rest is history.
What will Family Radio broadcast beyond May 21, 2011?
@Thandinkosi – your reply was most interesting to me.
What is the difference between spiritual and religious?
There are many Holy Books and not one of them actually gives a date because nobody knew when it would be.
Wonder where Nubira is now and whether the so-called Gods who came to earth from there were able to salvage their own planet and inhabitants.
Where are the atheists? Well here’s one.
Anyone who believes in “God” or gods is a religious nut and not to be taken seriously.
Atheists come in many forms. Some are “fundamentalist” (like me) who think religion is a bad thing. There are those who couldn’t care less about other people’s religion or gods and seldom, if ever, mention their atheist beliefs. They are quite content to let anyone hold whatever beliefs they choose.
No-one can “prove” whether a god exists or not, and if there were any good arguments, or proof, for such a god all atheists would become theists.
When will they world end: Who cares! Dead is dead.
what whole point of the story. Let the world end if it will end. however people you must continue with your struggle.
I enter the debate on a time lag.
Carl Johann Callemann, microbiologist and expert on the Mayan Calendar, tells us that this calendar announces a significant shift for all of us, in the year 2011. It is a shift of consciousness, awareness, not an apocalyptic end of the world. Fine with me – I think a shift for the better will do us all a world of good. Google his name and see what he says. Che sera, sera?