No End of the World, so what now?

Well, 21 May 2011 came and went without incident. We are all still here and the world is still firmly positioned in its orbit around the Sun. There goes another end of the world prediction down the drain. Or was it the rapture? Who knows? I just have two questions - who thinks up this nonsense? And why are there still people out there who fall for it year after year?  

I’m not trying to offend anyone but this is becoming quite ridiculous. How many doomsdays have to pass by before the blind followers wake up and start to question their leaders? When I first heard about the May 21^st forecast a few months ago I thought that no one could possibly be gullible enough to actually believe this load of hogwash. No one I know gave it any thought but I was surprised to discover that there were legions of Christians all over the world who really prepared themselves for the so-called Rapture. When I walked to the shop on the morning of the day in question I even spotted some misguided folks flocking to church, which was a little unusual for a Saturday morning in my neighbourhood. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of despair for them.

I would just like to make it clear that I am not attacking anyone’s religious faith. I have no gripe with Christianity here. What I do have a problem with are the people within the institution in positions of authority and trust who claim to know exactly what is being said between the lines written in the biblical texts. To use your influence and knowledge to mislead your followers and make them believe the end will come on a certain day is detestable to say the least. Now you have your devotees in a twist, giving away their possessions and making final arrangements for the grand finale and then the day comes and goes just like any other. Am I the only person who thinks that this is a senseless disruption of peoples’ lives? Does no one have any concern for the children of these devotees who are being taught this madness? I am fully aware that the concept of the rapture is not really accepted by mainstream Christianity, but the loyal few who do subscribe to such a belief are still human beings just like the rest of us and it is shameful to exploit blind faith in this manner.   

It saddens me that in 2011 CE we still have ignorant religious zealots who cannot let go of the past out of fear of what might befall them in an uncertain future. While it is true that we can gain an insight into our future by briefly glancing at our history, we must not use it to determine the hour of our demise. I have studied and practiced Chiromancy and various forms of divination and in my experience no real self-respecting diviner would make any prediction or speculation regarding a subject’s death. In fact, as far as I know, not even the Bible provides an exact date for the proposed day of judgement or Armageddon. So for some obscure evangelist to start throwing ludicrous prophecies around is totally bizarre to me. And besides, none of us actually believe that Humankind, or Earth for that matter, will exist eternally. There are so many threats to our existence on this planet that attempting to foretell when and how it will happen is pointless.

Anyway, I leave it with you friends. We need to start using our brains and think for a change. Let us abandon these out-dated old ways and step into the 21^st century with fresh, open minds. Let us file our past away in the archives and upgrade to the latest versions of life in the era of electronic enlightenment. Put down your dogmas for a while; pick up your Blackberry and IM someone, anyone. Stop this silliness and drink a glass of common sense.