The End-Of-The-World Delusion: How Doomsayers Endanger Society

By Justin Deering

The End-of-the-World Delusion is a well-written, thoroughly researched, and very readable book. Deerings lively narrative makes complex and complicated topics accessible to the average reader. He certainly pulled me into his book despite my cynical view of the topic. Deering offers the reader riveting histories of end-of-the world beliefs and covers an extraordinary array of ground in this well-researched book, discussing everything from the Mayan end-of-times predictions, Christian rapture beliefs, pandemics, economic doomsday scenarios, and other apocalyptic predictions.

Robert Watson, PhD, author/editor of thirty-four books, including The Presidents Wives and Americas War on Terror

People from many different corners of civilization seem to be saying the same thing: the end is near. In The End-of-the-World Delusion, author Justin Deering explores such scenarios, discussing why they are not likely to occur or have any visible impact on this planet within our lifetime.

Providing a thorough analysis, Deering chronicles the numerous instances of such predictions throughout history, examines frequent religious and cultural sources of these end-of-world claims, analyzes the sociological and psychological dynamics and dangers, and outlines other forms of end-times beliefs, ranging from religious to pop culture in nature. The End-of-the-World Delusion provides concrete information that helps evaluate these dubious assertions, relates how such beliefs have harmed individuals and society, and talks about why people are inclined to nurture such beliefs in the first place.

Setting the record straight by detailing the history of failed doomsdays, Deering shows that nothing can be gained by worrying about the end of time, and that we must learn a lesson from the past, live in the present, and plan for the future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781475913538

Justin Deering

Justin Deering graduated from Lynn University with a degree in business, and is a member of the honor society, Sigma Beta Delta. He worked his way through college as a tutor and has experience in conducting research and presenting it in a logical manner. Deering and his wife, Megan, live in Florida.

Book preview

The

End-of-the-World

Delusion

How Doomsayers Endanger Society

Justin Deering

iUniverse, Inc.

Bloomington

The End-of-the-World Delusion

How Doomsayers Endanger Society

Copyright © 2012 Justin Deering

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4759-1355-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-1354-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-1353-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012906718

iUniverse rev. date: 5/25/2012

Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1: A History of the World’s End

Chapter 2: Christianity and the Rapture Doctrine

Chapter 3: The Maya and 2012

Chapter 4: The Secular Apocalypse—Climate Change

Chapter 5: The Role of the Media

Chapter 6: The Economic Impact

Chapter 7: Why Is This Belief So Common?

Chapter 8: Possible Resolutions

Chapter 9: Other End-of-Time Beliefs

Conclusion

References

Appendix A: List of Failed End-of-World Predictions

Appendix B: List of Soon to Be Ex-End-of-World Predictions

Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.

—Nick Fury, The Avengers

Acknowledgments

Let me begin by thanking my parents, Richard and Elaine Deering, both of whom are college professors and have always provided encouragement and fostered an environment of learning. Without your influence and guidance, not to mention the feedback and editing, this entire book would not have been possible. I would also like to thank my two brothers, Jeffrey and John Deering, talented writers and seekers of truth and wisdom in their own right.

I must also give credit to some of the brilliant minds of our society. These great thinkers hail from all corners of society. Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, whose title The God Delusion inspired the title for this book, documents very carefully and surprisingly respectfully the dark underbelly of religion. Rush Limbaugh provided an excellent blueprint for refuting some of the hysteria regarding the environmental movement in his 1992 bestseller, The Way Things Ought to Be. The magicians behind the hit Showtime documentary television show Penn & Teller: Bullsh*t have done a fabulous job debunking popular myths and misconceptions, and their research into and conclusions about the end-of-the-world topic are difficult—if not impossible—to refute. The work of scholars across all disciplines, including historians, theologians, astronomers, psychologists, and various others, has contributed in some way to the collection of theories contained within. They represent different religious beliefs, ranging from the Catholic Pope to the most outspoken secular humanists, as well as different political beliefs, from conservatives to liberals to everywhere in between. The point is that there is no shortage of individuals who contributed something along the line.

I also feel it appropriate to express a note of appreciation for all of the instructors and staff at Lynn University, where I attended college, and which happens to be the site of the third presidential debate in 2012. In addition, I must express my sincerest gratitude to my students, whose various perspectives and personal knowledge on a variety of topics have enriched my own understanding. I feel I have learned as much from you as you have from me.

Finally, I would like to thank my loving wife, Megan, whose infinite patience made it possible to complete this book, and whose fantastic memory ensured that details I had discussed with her were not lost.

Preface

If you’ve picked up this book, chances are you’ve already heard an end-of-the-world theory or two. Regardless of whether you’re a believer or a skeptic about the idea that the end times are near, if you’re interested in examining and understanding some of these claims, you’ve come to the right place.

But first, a little information about myself. I’m a business major, and I graduated as a member of the Honor Society from Lynn University. I made my way through college by tutoring other students, which I continue to do today. Tutoring others has been the most rewarding profession I have ever had. Many of my students are working professionals—teachers, nurses, social workers, even a Christian minister—all seeking to further their education. I have helped them with their research assignments on just about every subject—English, history, science, psychology, sociology, theology, economics—and a lot of the information we learned together from these wildly different subjects turned out to be relevant to this book.

The end of the world is a subject I’ve been paying attention to since at least 1997, when the doomsday cult Heaven’s Gate was emphatic that the Hale-Bopp comet would bring about the end. In fact, I remember visiting their website and reading their theories about how we were on the threshold of the end of civilization, which was about to be recycled. I remember the excitement of Y2K, living through the transition to a new millennium. This atmosphere of enthusiasm also came with some amount of concern. To save memory, most computers were only built for two-digit years, and no one knew what problems might arise when the year 2000 came and the systems’ programming would lead them to behave as if it were 1900. These issues were further compounded by some in society who thought the dreaded Y2K bug might lead to the collapse of civilization. All of this paled in comparison to those who thought that the year 2000 would usher in an alien invasion, the return of Jesus Christ, or any other number of disasters.

Time went on, of course, and the world went on with it. But doomsday theories would persist: would June 6, 2006, tie in to 666, and would that mean the Antichrist was here? Would the Rapture begin in May of 2011, to be followed by six months of hell on earth, until the world would ultimately be destroyed in October of the same year? Would the Mayan calendar’s end on December 21, 2012, prove to be humanity’s end? Or some type of spiritual transformation, a new beginning?

Once, I laughed at those who believed in such theories, especially those who continued to fall for the same story—the end of the world—again and again. My attitude began to change when I realized how much these stories truly scared people. The Heaven’s Gate cult, whose words I had read and whose religious beliefs I had been exposed to, had committed mass suicide. Many others had done so before them, and many more have done so since. It may seem barbaric to live in a society where people are dying over their religious beliefs, but that was what was happening—right under our very noses. I began to realize that this was no laughing matter.

As I began to research the subject more, I found that many in our society—even if they don’t buy into any particular scenario—have the vague sense that these are the end times. I’ve encountered people from all walks of life who think it’s entirely possible (even if unlikely) that today might very well be the end of the world. It could happen literally any time—we just don’t know.

As I looked for a book that discussed why such beliefs are not only foolish but dangerous, I discovered there simply weren’t any books like that. There might be one that talked about why Christians who believed that the end would come soon were wrong, or another that explained how possibilities of an environmental catastrophe have been greatly exaggerated, yet another that dismisses any apocalyptic claims associated with the Mayan calendar. Some authors sought to expose individuals who claimed to have been alien contactees or abductees as frauds, while others picked apart claims made by supposed psychics such as Nostradamus. Those books have been fantastic for their intended scope, but none of them were really quite as broad as what I had in mind.

So I sought to put together such a book myself. And I’m just the man to do it. I have read countless articles in magazines, newspapers, and journals, scoured through tons of Internet websites, watched documentaries on television and on film, and, of course, read dozens of books like those I have described. Many in society have made a living by capitalizing on the fear of others—specifically, the fear that the end of the world is at hand. I wrote this book for a simple reason: someone needs to set the record straight.

Introduction

We are bombarded with messages that the world is coming to an end. Our way of life is catching up with us, we are told, and soon we will have to pay. Whether rooted in the Rapture doctrine of Christianity, environmental concerns, or the Mayan calendar makes little difference; the end result is the same. Doomsday predictions abound, and scammers and con artists (not to mention the media) have found a way to capitalize on this.

The purpose of this book is to encourage a healthy skepticism and to reduce the power of the doom-and-gloom crowd. Rather than take advantage of the more gullible in society, as some preachers, scientists, and authors are wont to do, the objective of this book is to provide concrete information that allows the reader to question the dubious claims that permeate our culture.

This is not to be taken as a wholesale rejection of preachers, scientists, or authors. Indeed, to reject the latter these would be quite a hypocritical undertaking. Rather, my purpose is to refute the pronouncements that our time is up—that the human race, if not the entire planet earth—is in its last days, that these are the end times. Future generations of humanity may look back at these claims and laugh them off, seeing them for what they are. The twenty-first century, despite its technological advancements, may be looked at with pity or ridicule because of the ubiquity of these beliefs.

But there is one aspect of this subject that has not been mentioned: many of the people making these claims do not believe the claims themselves. They are like the snake-oil salesmen of old, peddling their wares and then fleeing town, disappearing before they can be held accountable. Many of the victims of these doomsayers have lost their money, their homes, and some have even lost their lives as a result of such irresponsible predictions.

By the end of this book, there will be no doubt in the reader’s mind that society would be much better off without these charlatans. After looking at current events and analyzing them in the light of a wide variety of academic subjects, including economics, theology, and history, only one logical conclusion can be drawn: a hoax is being attempted (in some cases, actually perpetrated) on the public, and the world would be a much better place if this were not occurring.

Chapter 1:

A History of the World’s End

"You know people been talkin’ ’bout the end of time,

ever since time began.

We’ve been livin’ in the last days, ever since the first day,

ever since the dawn of man."

—Dolly Parton, In the Meantime

Throughout history, there have been those who believed that they were living in the final days. This is still true today, of course. Somehow those who put out books or Hollywood movies are much more likely to be taken seriously than individuals who wander around crowded cities wearing a sign proclaiming The End Is Near. But regardless of the medium, is there really a major difference between the two in the content of the messages?

In appendix A at the end of this book is a thoroughly researched list of dates of failed end-time predictions. One can imagine that the list would be a great deal longer if such historical information had been better preserved. Yet, even with an incomplete list due to gaps in the historical record, it is obvious that people of every single century, without exception, have made predictions that their times would be the last. As one skeptic noted, Pick a date, any date. Chances are that a search of the Internet will turn up someone’s prediction for that day marking the end of the world, despite the obvious fact that no Armageddon up to the present has ever taken place at its appointed hour (Marschall, 2011, p. 40). This chapter discusses some of the more interesting cases.

The earliest such known prediction is contained in an Assyrian clay tablet, dating back to circa 2800 bce. This tablet, translated from cuneiform, reads as follows: Our earth is degenerate in these latter days. There are signs that the world is speedily coming to an end. Bribery and corruption are common. Children no longer obey their parents. Every man wants to write a book, and the end of the world is evidently approaching. This tablet is notable