[Moontanman]

Originally Posted by Buffy

Having had to prevent the world from ending a couple of times, I think I'm an authority here....I actually think the world is getting better, all we gotta do is get these religious fanatics to stop trying to kill everyone they think is an infidel/apostate/godless humanist/mechanical materialist/etc.

...and therefore, deficits *do* matter!

Cheerily,
Buffy

I for one would like to thank you for preventing the end of the world those couple of times. Having grown up terrified of nuclear war and worrying about how close to ground Zero I would be when the big one hit. It has been very nice to have raised my sons in world where nuclear annihilation was less than a major worry. But I have to admit that if the religious "wars" are allowed to continue we might eventually get it anyway. There really are people who think it's their duty to press for Armageddon. Certain evangelical Christians have this attitude. Personally I think it's our duty to prevent wars whenever and whereever possible. If Armageddon is going to come helping it along seems to be a bit presumptuous to say the least. If God is indeed omnipotent then he doesn't need our help with this one anymore than he needs us to kill everyone we think is worshiping the wrong way. Very contradictory to think that God wants up to do things like that. Personally I'll leave it up to God and try to keep things together as long as possible.

[Michaelangelica]

here is an excellent book detailing how it might all pan out in 'the real world'.

GOOD OMENS:
(THE NICE AND ACCURATE PROPHECIES
OF AGNES NUTTER, WITCH)
by
Neil Gaiman
and
Terry Pratchett

[Michaelangelica]

== DR KARL: MAYAN APOCALYPSE 2012 ==
The Mayans were wonderful astronomers and sophisticated mathematicians.
They also had a complex system of calendars which some people believe predicts the end of the world on December 21, 2012.
Mayan Apocalypse, 2012 (Great Moments in Science, ABC Science)

[Tolouse]

world Y2K

thanks for the link

it is an interesting read

espacially the last part

But there are two problems with this.

First, when a calendar comes to the end of a cycle, it just rolls over into the next cycle. In our Western society, every year 31 December is followed, not by the End of the World, but by 1 January. So 13.0.0.0.0 in the Mayan calendar will be followed by 0.0.0.0.1 - or good-ol' 22 December 2012, with only a few shopping days left to Christmas.

And the second problem is that it is always remarkably difficult to make predictions, especially about the future, and things that haven't happened yet.

[Kriminal99]

Not if I can help it.

[Ahmabeliever]

WAR on MUGS. Men Under Gods Standard.

The world did not end in 2000, nor 2005. I'm thinking third time lucky.

In 2012 the world ends followed by a parade in which the giant vengeful unicorn marches us all in front of countless MUGS who get to say - Told you so!

Hell could not be worse than having to admit to these cretins they're right.

But they're not. I forsee a war in which the general population finally say - F*** you! And the religious can either learn to live with real humane principles (that they claim as their own) and drop all the judgemental murderous horseshit, or die.

When, I don't know. Sadly, some idiot will see my statement as another indicator for end times. They interpret anything to their own fashion and cannot be wrong as their stupid egos have to be smashed to allow any real truth in.

The more I learn, the stupider they sound. I had to go through hell to realise God wasn't gonna help me, wasn't listening even, wasn't there and so did not care. 14 years to smash the ego created from 14 years of horseshit. Another decade undecided and bordering madness because of the confusion (the madness state creates absolutes in thinking from one extreme to the other). Thank 'God' for hypography.

I'm a smart cookie. How are these below average intellects going to grasp anything while cocooned by idiot social groups, idiot scientists, and idiot leaders. They believe in armegeddon, they will be the source of it.

Bomb Texas, Mecca.... Hehehehehe. (joke ok)

I guess - God is bollocks - is a new train of thought in human history. We take a long time to catch on...

[CraigD]

Originally Posted by Ahmabeliever

I guess - God is bollocks - is a new train of thought in human history. We take a long time to catch on...

"God is bollocks" – atheism by another name – is certainly not a new train of thought, appearing at least as far back as the 6th or 5th century BC. There’s no clear evidence that it's "catching on" in recent times any more strongly than in the past. A notoriously difficult demographic to measure, there’s a vague general consensus among demographers that around 5% of the world’s population is and has been throughout history atheistic.

For a bit of background, the wikipedia articles “ History of atheism” and “Demographics of atheism” seem to me as good as any encyclopedia’s offering.

A complicating factor is that among people who believe, objectively, that supernatural entities such as God, Satan, and the Flying Spaghetti Monster don’t exist, many believe that it’s advantageous to maintain the mindset that they do. It’s difficult to objectively determine if this position is right or wrong.

[Ahmabeliever]

Thanks Craig. I appreciate the time it took you to help my understanding.

Religion as valium for the masses. Thing is, it does not allow for the position of personal responsibility. Included is the wests way of trashing the planet and not caring because 'God will be back soon, what does it matter'.

I honestly see religion as a threat to human survival. It stops us from working in symbiosis among nations. It blames Satan for anything bad happening thus absolving us from blame or responsibility, God's will....

Without God, when we have to solve our own problems, I believe we will be much better off.

[Ahmabeliever]

I include our having to lean on each other, not a mythic entity, for support. We share, we learn, we grow.

Or we fess up in private, and pretend nothing's wrong....

[Ahmabeliever]

Apparently, according to advertising on the side of this page

THE END IS NIGH - NOW - 2008!

The Prophesied End-Time Revealed: 2008 - God's Final Witness

This guys going to look very stupid in a few months, like so many before him.

Self proclaimed as Gods final witness, he is allowed to reveal 'the seven thunders of Revelations' which Paul was forbidden to record in Revelation.

After the end of the world, there will be tea and cakes with a short word from our sponsor.