Page 40 - 200903 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - March 2009

40 Doomsday & Doomsday Cults 40 Doomsday & Doomsday Cults Doomsday & Doomsday Doomsday & Doomsday Cults Cults Continued from Page 38 Continued from Page 38 According to tradition, before that could happen the Jews had to be spread to the "four corners of the earth." Ben Israel convinced Cromwell to let the Jews back into England on these grounds. Perhaps he hinted to the megalomaniacal Cromwell that he himself was the chosen one. In any case, several people announced they were the messiah, but we'll mention just one: Sabbatai Zevi (1626-1676?). According to another Jewish mystical tradition, the year of doom was predicted to be 1648, the year Sabbatai announced his messianic nature. His power grew as more and more Jews and Christians joined in the chorus singing the praises of the new messiah and the glorious end of all things human about to come. Their joy turned to sadness, however, when, in 1666, their hero traveled to Constantinople and was arrested. His messianic nature was challenged and it wasn't long before he converted to Islam. As is always the case when a prophet or messiah is shown to be wrong, the faith of some of his followers became even stronger. They rationalized that the conversion Union tried to outpace each other in developing will be able to muster. So far no black holes was part of Sabbatai's messianic plan to bring nuclear weapons. What began as a race to have occurred on either the Earth or the Moon, Jews to Islam or Islam to Jews or maybe both. develop the most powerful weapons of mass and last I checked, both were still floating in He was eventually banished and died alone in destruction in history gradually gave way to a space with one orbiting the other. Montenegro. Even so, there are people alive philosophical position known as nuclear Some people think that the attraction of today who await Sabbatai's second coming.*&* deterrence. Even though both sides eventually doomsday thoughts is linked to the desire to In the nineteenth century, the Baptist had enough weapons to destroy our species find meaning and significance in life.* preacher William Miller (1782–1849) said the many times over, neither side would use its Apparently, some people's lives seem worthless world would end on 22 October 1844. Miller is weapons because to do so meant extinction for unless they can die and live some other sort of credited with being the inspiration behind the them as well. Now the great fear is that nuclear existence in a dream world populated by spirits Adventist movement of the 1830s and 1840s in material will get into the hands of terrorists or a who spend eternity worshipping their maker. I North America and other movements that rogue nation like Iran, which might use the think we can safely ignore the religious end- emphasized Biblical prophecy. Being wrong is weapon against Israel. Some end-times times doomsayers. rarely considered a fault by the faithful. Miller's doomsayers might long for such a day, because The same can't be said for all those who followers called the failure of the world to end they believe that Israel will be the site of the last warn us of impending doom if we don't change as predicted "The Great Disappointment." A battle on Earth, at Armageddon, mentioned our ways. Some of our behaviors may turn out Millerite named Hiram Edson wrote: "Our above. In fact, despite the widespread to lead to truly catastrophic destruction of our fondest hopes and expectations were blasted, destruction terrorists or Iran might cause, it is planet and our species. Nobody can see that far and such a spirit of weeping came over us as I unlikely that they will bring about the end of the into the future, however, to know for certain never experienced before....We wept, and wept, world. In any case, if they do, the irony will be which of the doomsayers are right. We should till the day dawn." Miller thought there might be that the only reason some obscure passage in be able to weed out the Chicken Littles like some error in the Biblical chronology, but he one book of the Bible had anything to do with Richard Noone and Walter Wagner rather easily never gave up his belief that the Second Coming the end of the world is that some people, in their and without much controversy. The task is more was imminent. He wanted to keep that happy zest for the end of life on Earth, hastened the difficult when evaluating the claims of those thought alive, as does preacher Ronald event by rationalizing that their bad behavior who see a future of catastrophic destruction Weinland, who predicts the world will end in was God's will. from climate change, genetic engineering, 2010. If so, that would undoubtedly upset those A recent example of the belief that various forms of pollution, or depletion of who think they have until 2012. science will bring about the end of the world natural resources. We have to be careful of the concerns the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), bandwagon effect from consensus viewpoints, False Prophets Of Doom buried in the mountains on the Swiss/French as well as of contrarian claims masquerading as border. Before it was turned on, some non- significant objections to the consensus. There The continued popularity of doomsday scientists feared it would create a black hole that will never be universal consensus among beliefs is illustrated by the popularity of the Left would devour us. A lawyer in Hawaii named scientists and other informed people regarding Behind series of books and films, based on a Walter Wagner sounded the alarm. According to these controversial issues. Any action taken will Biblical interpretation that involves something Bob Park, Wagner "read far too much science have to be based on probability and carry with it called the rapture. Millions of copies of the fiction as a youth" and "fantasizes that he is a some degree of uncertainty. We need fear being novels have been sold. And despite the physicist by virtue of an undergraduate biology wrong much less than we need fear having ideas preposterous nature of the belief, millions of degree with a minor in physics." Wagner stifled because they don't fit with someone's people apparently expect to have their bodies worries that the LHC is "a doomsday machine political agenda. We may make the right separated from their clothes and jewelry as they that ... is posed to destroy the world by creating decisions for the wrong reasons, but that hope is are teleported to some supernatural dimension. a black hole." How? By smashing particles into not a principle the future of our planet should As noted above, however, not all one another. Scientists aren't too worried, since depend on. [] doomsayers are religious prophets. Some look nature has been smashing particles into one to science as the likely cause of the end of the another on Earth and on the Moon for billions of For the latest Earthquakes News world. I grew up during the so-called Cold War, years with much greater energy than the LHC www.xzoneearthquakewatch.com when the United States and the former Soviet