“Why Would Nonreligious People Find Apocalpytic Views Appealing?”
Read a May 20, 2011, essay at the Science + Religion blog that explores the appeal of apocalyptic thinking for secular people.
Tag: disasters
“The end is always nigh in the human mind”
Michael Shermer, author of The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies — How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths (2011), wrote a June 7, 2011, column in New Scientist explaining that for both religious and secular people, apocalyptic thinking is spurred by a desire to bring order to the randomness of events.
“Harold Camping Admits Rapture Prediction ‘A Mistake'”
Read a March 9, 2012, ABC news story about an online post in which Harold Camping acknowledged being wrong about a 2011 doomsday.
“NASA refutes December 21, 2012 doomsday claims based on Mayan calendar”
Read a Nov. 13, 2012, article from The Sun in San Bernardino, Calif., about NASA rebutting doomsday claims based on the Mayan calendar
“Does Anyone Really Believe in the Mayan Apocalypse?”
Read a Nov. 20, 2012, LiveScience.com article about the cultural fascination with the end of the world.
“Poll: What Evangelical Leaders Believe about the End Times”
A poll in 2011 by the National Association of Evangelicals showed that a majority of its board of directors believe in one of various end-times scenarios.
“Survey: Few Americans see earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters as a sign from God”
A March 2011 poll by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 44 percent of Americans believe recent natural disasters are signs of the end times. The number rises to 67 percent among white evangelicals.
“Concentrate on Jesus, not end-of-the-world prophecies, Pope tells audience”
Read a Nov. 19, 2012, article from Catholic World News about the reactions of religious leaders to the end-of-the-world mania. Mainstream religious leaders, like Pope Benedict XVI, said Christians should focus on Jesus and not on doomsday prophecies.
“Mayans Protest ‘Twisting of Truth’ Over 2012 Doomsday Predictions”
Read an Oct. 31, 2012, article from The Huffington Post about the many Mayans who objected to the perceived exploitation of their traditions.