The Doomsday Code: 2012

Millennialism, in both its religious and secular forms, is an eschatological belief. The defining feature of end-time beliefs is the apocalyptic destruction of evil, followed by an era of righteousness. The scenario may include supernatural agents such as God, natural forces, or even economic forces, as described in the theory of Marxism, in which capitalism must be overthrown through violent revolution.

Michael Shermer in his book How We Believe, 2000, proposes an explanation for why these myths are so universal. As human beings we are both pattern-seeking animals, and storytelling animals. Pattern-seeking can lead us to discover truths, but also to make false conclusions about causality - relational causality otherwise known as magical thinking; storytelling is the powerful tool by which we describe the patterns we find, and unlike scientific explanation, it is innate and compelling. Through this powerful combination we express our dissatisfaction with the status quo and our deepest desires for foundational change.

For the millenialists, now that both the years 1000 and 2000 have passed, the new date for doomsday has been moved to 2012. This documentary describes prophesies, both ancient and contemporary, that support the establishment of this new date.
You may, as I certainly do, find the different claims to be absurd, but nevertheless they speak to our shared human nature.

Finally, I'll throw in my own worthless two cents on the issue. Al Gore, in his Nobel prize acceptance speech last week, described a new study done by the US Navy. In it they say that the Arctic ice-cap is disappearing much faster than previously believed. In fact they state that it will disappear within the next seven years ... Global warming is one doomsday prediction, based on rational scientific inquiry, that we may still be able to do something to prevent. Unlike the end-time eschatologies, redemption is possible only by acting to prevent the apocalypse in the first place.

Part One






Part Two