Blood moons and apocalypse paranoia

[Katy]

 I think John Hagee, a pastor, wrote the first book about the blood moon thing.  I didn't read the book, but an aunt did.  I gather that he's not predicting apocalypse (any more than a Christian pastor always thinks Jesus could return at any moment), only a big change for Israel.  Assuming we believe the prophecy for a moment, this agreement with Iran that includes the USA now defending them against Israel might be the only thing the prophecy is about.  

 

So where did the connection with the end of the world come from?  Any why do changes always equal apocalypse to some groups of people?  Is this an evolutionary advantage where huge changes always meant risk to survival?  Are all the people obsessed with this sort of thing mentally ill?  I don't mean reasonable measures for storm season, or a religious doctrine which says it's wise to store food and supplies when you have plenty for the times when things are harder. I mean the obsessed people who are sure that the world will end at any time.

 

I have an uncle who wanted to do one job, a white collar job.  His dad was a prepper and insisted he choose a practical skill instead of college, "so that when they come and kill all the useless people, you'll get to live.  You'll be useful."   His life would have been so much better and happier if he'd gone for his dream job.  He's lived his life in fear, and this man is not a prepper (at least not beyond preparing for hurricane season) and doesn't seem to have any sort of mental illness.  It makes me very sad for him.  I suspect the dad was manipulating him so that he wouldn't go to college, get educated, and leave his control.  And even though the dad died 40 years ago, his whole life has been controlled by that man's fears.  Now, that dad did fight in Europe in WWII.  And his grandfather in WWI.  So maybe his fears came from war.  But it still never made any sense to me.

 

A few people I went to high school with in my facebook feed have been posting things lately that state they're "awake."  Which I take to mean they're conspiracy theorists.  One of these people went to an Ivy League grad school and is definitely intelligent, but recently started posting references to 9/11 being faked, and implying the end of the world will be soon.  This guy isn't even religious, at most he's a secular humanist with a yoga bent.  Where are these people coming from?  All of it can't be from Alex Jones.

[Heatherwith4]

Maybe it's a certain personality type? I attended a church as a teen that was a mix of Southern Baptist/Pentacostal. I have distanced myself from many good friends that also attended there, as they are sure that anything that happens is a sign of the "end times." I just cannot live my life like that.

I have had to get over the fact that this particular group discouraged me from having any sort of academic goals or attending college post high school.

[Katy]

Maybe it's a certain personality type? I attended a church as a teen that was a mix of Southern Baptist/Pentacostal. I have distanced myself from many good friends that also attended there, as they are sure that anything that happens is a sign of the "end times." I just cannot live my life like that.

I have had to get over the fact that this particular group discouraged me from having any sort of academic goals or attending college post high school.

 

I'm sorry.  That's terrible.  How did you get over the discouragement?

[Pawz4me]

I'm sure a lot of things play into it.  I think one of them is the desire to "know" something that others don't know.  The person wants to think they're more discerning or wiser than others.  Or something.

 

Unfortunately, we have an older relative who seems to have bought into this blood moon stupidity.  It's going to be an interesting few weeks.  It's DH's relative, and to say he has no patience for this stuff is a huge under statement.  So I'm trying to get him to be more patient while trying to keep rein on my own irritation about it, too.

[Carol in Cal.]

I think that there are people whose deepest reaction to life is always fear, and others whose deepest reaction to life is always denial, and others whose deepest reaction to life is always anger, and others whose deepest reaction to life is always joy.

 

As we get older we either sink into those reflexes or rise above them.

 

I believe that to be a real adult it is wise to be somewhat prepared for problems.  I believe that we are called to take care of others as well, so preparation assists in our ability to do so.  But neither of those should be allowed to overwhelm us to the point of living in fear and worry; rather we should rejoice in life, which is beautiful, and rejoice also if we have the means and health to care for ourselves and for others.  Basically, I think that rather than living in fear we should live in love, and faith, and joy.

[Carol in Cal.]

PS  And the blood moon thing is whacked.  It relies on a bunch of really stupid assumptions, and it also doesn't actually add up to the time frames that they talk about.  It doesn't require much investigation to debunk it completely.  It's just another 'we want to feel secure so we claim to know the future'-type bandwagon.

[Heatherwith4]

I'm sorry. That's terrible. How did you get over the discouragement?

I just had to let it go. I met my wonderful husband who encouraged me to go to school and by the time I agreed to do so I already had one baby and another on the way...I got a business degree, basically just to prove that I could do it.

 

I will still be pretty young when I'm done homeschooling, so I may go back to school again and get a degree in something I'm truly interested in. Anyway, I didn't mean to make the thread into a pity party, but my experience has made me really impatient with anyone who is obsessed with the "end times."

[PrincessMommy]

Maybe it's a certain personality type? I attended a church as a teen that was a mix of Southern Baptist/Pentacostal. I have distanced myself from many good friends that also attended there, as they are sure that anything that happens is a sign of the "end times." I just cannot live my life like that.

I have had to get over the fact that this particular group discouraged me from having any sort of academic goals or attending college post high school.

 

Did we go to the same church as kids??!!   That's the kind of church I went to as a teen until college aged.

 

I have no idea where the connection to the blood moon and end times comes from.  Most of the end times dispensationalism and Pro-Israel theology is pretty new as far as Church History goes.  I think it's younger than the US.  It seems to have become even more popularized in the late 60s and 70s with Hal Lindsey and people like that.  That's when the Charismatic movement really exploded.    If you talk to most traditional, main-line Protestants they don't know what that stuff is either. 

 

It is sad to see what some of my old friends from those early days are STILL talking about.   I have to admit I left a snarky comment on someone's feed when they jokingly brought this subject up (I wouldn't have said anything had he been taking it seriously because that wouldn't have been productive).  I have another friend who changed her screen name in preparation???   She's really into that stuff and it makes me a little sad.   

[Chris in VA]

My mother and her pervert husband are two of the religious idiots who believe this garbage. They love Pastor Hagee. However, he has left a loophole for the morons: if the earth doesn't really "end" by October, for sure something BIG will. Of course it's those darn migrants. Everyone knows we can't have them enter ' because they will include terrorists. But it's ok with this admin, since they love terrorists and hate 'Murica.

 

That makes me so sad. And mad. I've read something vague about ISIS "hiding out" people among refugees, but I think it's stupid and not true. It's just more fear of letting Muslims into the country. Just...garbage reasons we can't help people.

 

 

[Laura Corin]

Okay - this is not meant to be insulting, but I'm just wondering if there is something in American culture that fosters this kind of thing.  I'm trying to think of recent Western European examples of that kind of paranoia and end-times belief (in order to come up with a similar population size) but I'm not coming up with them.  That could just be my bad memory or perhaps US examples are just better publicised.  

 

Certainly the UK has had some kooky groups and ideologies, but at some early point they seem to fall apart.  Lack of commitment maybe?  Innate skepticism (for good and ill)?  We aren't very good, I think, at throwing ourselves wholeheartedly into things as groups.  Except sport, maybe.  Just thinking out loud.

[Katy]

Okay - this is not meant to be insulting, but I'm just wondering if there is something in American culture that fosters this kind of thing.  I'm trying to think of recent Western European examples of that kind of paranoia and end-times belief (in order to come up with a similar population size) but I'm not coming up with them.  That could just be my bad memory or perhaps US examples are just better publicised.  

 

Certainly the UK has had some kooky groups and ideologies, but at some early point they seem to fall apart.  Lack of commitment maybe?  Innate skepticism (for good and ill)?  We aren't very good, I think, at throwing ourselves wholeheartedly into things as groups.  Except sport, maybe.  Just thinking out loud.

 

Interesting.  Maybe it's genetic?  Certainly people who came here for religious persecution reasons had pretty extreme religious beliefs for their day. 

[PrincessMommy]

Okay - this is not meant to be insulting, but I'm just wondering if there is something in American culture that fosters this kind of thing.  I'm trying to think of recent Western European examples of that kind of paranoia and end-times belief (in order to come up with a similar population size) but I'm not coming up with them.  That could just be my bad memory or perhaps US examples are just better publicised.  

 

Certainly the UK has had some kooky groups and ideologies, but at some early point they seem to fall apart.  Lack of commitment maybe?  Innate skepticism (for good and ill)?  We aren't very good, I think, at throwing ourselves wholeheartedly into things as groups.  Except sport, maybe.  Just thinking out loud.

 

I tend to agree with you, although I don't know what it is that causes it.

 

[Paige]

Okay - this is not meant to be insulting, but I'm just wondering if there is something in American culture that fosters this kind of thing.  I'm trying to think of recent Western European examples of that kind of paranoia and end-times belief (in order to come up with a similar population size) but I'm not coming up with them.  That could just be my bad memory or perhaps US examples are just better publicised.  

 

Certainly the UK has had some kooky groups and ideologies, but at some early point they seem to fall apart.  Lack of commitment maybe?  Innate skepticism (for good and ill)?  We aren't very good, I think, at throwing ourselves wholeheartedly into things as groups.  Except sport, maybe.  Just thinking out loud.

 

I think Americans are more religious and more devout on average than Western Europeans and less Catholic or otherwise orthodox. The increase in devoutness minus the control of any kind of orthodoxy, can encourage the extremists to flourish. 

[mamiof5]

As a Catholic I do believe in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We do believe the world will end, but we don't know when? Only God knows. So...I just don't worry about it

[albeto.]

 Is this an evolutionary advantage where huge changes always meant risk to survival?

 

I'm not sure what this question is asking.  Fwiw, here's an interesting look at religion from an evolutionary perspective. 

 

 

 

 

 

Are all the people obsessed with this sort of thing mentally ill? 

 

I think we need to know much more about neurology to hypothesize how much religion plays into mental illness, and how much mental illness plays into religion. I think once we have that, we'll have a better idea of which questions to start asking when considering religious beliefs. I think some variables to keep in mind is the sheer size of our society (300 million plus people mean any outlier belief will have a sizable population), the internet (instant information in a handy pocket size), and social pressures that drive certain behaviors (watching politicians fall all over themselves to align with Kim Davis is an example).

[albeto.]

I think Americans are more religious and more devout on average than Western Europeans and less Catholic or otherwise orthodox. The increase in devoutness minus the control of any kind of orthodoxy, can encourage the extremists to flourish. 

 

I think in addition, European nations generally had a state sponsored religion which suppresses competition. In the US, we have a free market capitalism that really doesn't exist in other nations. 

[GailV]

This morning Dh commented that a guy at his work had quit his job because something big is going to happen tomorrow that required getting into prepper mode. He had apparently learned this at his church.

[albeto.]

My mother and her pervert husband are two of the religious idiots who believe this garbage. They love Pastor Hagee. However, he has left a loophole for the morons: if the earth doesn't really "end" by October, for sure something BIG will. Of course it's those darn migrants. Everyone knows we can't have them enter ' because they will include terrorists. But it's ok with this admin, since they love terrorists and hate 'Murica.

 

My parents are starting to get swindled by crap they never used to believe in. I think the elderly are a ripe crop for these folks, and it's such an awful, despicable thing they're doing - capitalizing on a fear they create. 

 

On the bright side, I'm glad I got another chance to get ready for the end of the world. I missed it the last few times.  ;)

[Butter]

John Hagee, a pastor

 

His megachurch is very near me.  He has a lot of followers.  He is kooky.

 

We do enjoy the fireworks they set off on the 4th of July and several nights near Halloween (they celebrate some Jewish festival) and a couple other random times, however.  We can watch them from our deck.  (Though I am a bit bugged about the cost.  There is a huge amount of good they could do for people in downtown San Antonio with the money spent on free carnival rides and fireworks which is largely enjoyed by people from the "rich" area where his church is.)

[Anne in CA]

Okay - this is not meant to be insulting, but I'm just wondering if there is something in American culture that fosters this kind of thing.  I'm trying to think of recent Western European examples of that kind of paranoia and end-times belief (in order to come up with a similar population size) but I'm not coming up with them.  That could just be my bad memory or perhaps US examples are just better publicised.  

 

Certainly the UK has had some kooky groups and ideologies, but at some early point they seem to fall apart.  Lack of commitment maybe?  Innate skepticism (for good and ill)?  We aren't very good, I think, at throwing ourselves wholeheartedly into things as groups.  Except sport, maybe.  Just thinking out loud.

Many years ago on the WTM someone linked an article about the "apocalypse" that happened when the Native Americans died and how that is part of our cultural sub-conscience and that is why Americans are fascinated with this subject.

 

Also, most of our ancestors survived the black plague and fled Europe. That would leave the feeling that the other shoe hasn't dropped that was somehow imprinted unknowingly by our forefathers.

[Stacia]

Gee, I'm out of the loop -- I didn't even know the world was ending until I read this thread.

 

Mentioning 'end of world' cults in the US vs. other countries.... I believe the cult in Japan that did the subway attacks years ago was an 'end of the world' cult.

 

Since this mindset seems to be popular (it seems like you hear about it at least once a year, if not more often), I don't understand how many buy into the newest craze for it considering that NONE of the previous guesses about it have been correct. Does society in general have collective amnesia?

[Laura Corin]

I think in addition, European nations generally had a state sponsored religion which suppresses competition. In the US, we have a free market capitalism that really doesn't exist in other nations. 

For clarity: England has a state religion, but any suppression of other religions is (for the last hundred years or so, I believe) only cultural.  France has not had a state religion since before the French Revolution.  Germany doesn't have a state religion.  Italy does not have a state religion......

 

This map is helpful:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_religion

[Laura Corin]

Also, most of our ancestors survived the black plague and fled Europe. That would leave the feeling that the other shoe hasn't dropped that was somehow imprinted unknowingly by our forefathers.

 

But the Europeans who stayed also survived the plagues....

[Laura Corin]

Mentioning 'end of world' cults in the US vs. other countries.... I believe the cult in Japan that did the subway attacks years ago was an 'end of the world' cult.

 

 

Yes - I thought about that, but picked Western Europe because the religious and ethnic mix was closer to that of the US.

[Lady Florida.]

Gee, I'm out of the loop -- I didn't even know the world was ending until I read this thread.

 

Right? We really should pay more attention.  :laugh: 

 

 

Since this mindset seems to be popular (it seems like you hear about it at least once a year, if not more often), I don't understand how many buy into the newest craze for it considering that NONE of the previous guesses about it have been correct. Does society in general have collective amnesia?

 

There's a chart that lists all the end of the world predictions for the past 100 or so years. Oh, there's a Wikipedia page that list them going back to ancient times. You'd think people in the 21st century would at least take a minute to google. I guess they think their armageddon is the real one,  We humans are strange animals. 

[HRAAB]

So Hagee is the one who wants a nuclear war between Israel and Iran in order to usher in armageddon? So his prophecies will be correct? And people listen to and believe him? Thankfully I'm not around people who believe this crap, or I might be convinced it's the end.

[J-rap]

I wonder if this is more prevalent in certain parts of the country.  In all my years, I've never known a single person who believes in this stuff, and I've been a part of many different groups, churches, and communities.  In fact, most of this stuff I've only heard about on this board.

 

[December]

This morning Dh commented that a guy at his work had quit his job because something big is going to happen tomorrow that required getting into prepper mode. He had apparently learned this at his church.

 

Oh, I heard about that a few weeks ago from my parents, who get very into end times stuff.  LOL, can't believe I forgot to get my prepping done.  It had something to do with today being the day that the Jewish year of Jubilee begins or something and God prefers to punish America on that date.  That's why September 11 happened when it did and then seven years later the stock market crash also happened in September.  So basically, God punishes America every 7 years at this time of the year. Not sure why God chooses a date that is supposed to be about forgiveness of debt to punish us...

[TranquilMind]

 I think John Hagee, a pastor, wrote the first book about the blood moon thing.  I didn't read the book, but an aunt did.  I gather that he's not predicting apocalypse (any more than a Christian pastor always thinks Jesus could return at any moment), only a big change for Israel.  Assuming we believe the prophecy for a moment, this agreement with Iran that includes the USA now defending them against Israel might be the only thing the prophecy is about.  

 

So where did the connection with the end of the world come from?  Any why do changes always equal apocalypse to some groups of people?  Is this an evolutionary advantage where huge changes always meant risk to survival?  Are all the people obsessed with this sort of thing mentally ill?  I don't mean reasonable measures for storm season, or a religious doctrine which says it's wise to store food and supplies when you have plenty for the times when things are harder. I mean the obsessed people who are sure that the world will end at any time.

 

I have an uncle who wanted to do one job, a white collar job.  His dad was a prepper and insisted he choose a practical skill instead of college, "so that when they come and kill all the useless people, you'll get to live.  You'll be useful."   His life would have been so much better and happier if he'd gone for his dream job.  He's lived his life in fear, and this man is not a prepper (at least not beyond preparing for hurricane season) and doesn't seem to have any sort of mental illness.  It makes me very sad for him.  I suspect the dad was manipulating him so that he wouldn't go to college, get educated, and leave his control.  And even though the dad died 40 years ago, his whole life has been controlled by that man's fears.  Now, that dad did fight in Europe in WWII.  And his grandfather in WWI.  So maybe his fears came from war.  But it still never made any sense to me.

 

A few people I went to high school with in my facebook feed have been posting things lately that state they're "awake."  Which I take to mean they're conspiracy theorists.  One of these people went to an Ivy League grad school and is definitely intelligent, but recently started posting references to 9/11 being faked, and implying the end of the world will be soon.  This guy isn't even religious, at most he's a secular humanist with a yoga bent.  Where are these people coming from?  All of it can't be from Alex Jones.

Not everyone who pays attention to the times, nor speculates on biblical prophecy is mentally ill. 

 

The guy's dad should not have overrun his will.  Your Uncle should have done what he wanted to do (if there was money for college). 

 

The end will come.  No one knows the day nor the hour, but believer are indeed encouraged to pay attention to the times.  Could be hundreds or thousands of years.

Or 3 years.

No one knows. 

 

Man is self-destructing the planet, and himself. 

[Lady Florida.]

My parents are starting to get swindled by crap they never used to believe in. I think the elderly are a ripe crop for these folks, and it's such an awful, despicable thing they're doing - capitalizing on a fear they create. 

 

On the bright side, I'm glad I got another chance to get ready for the end of the world. I missed it the last few times.   ;)

 

Much as I hate to admit it, I'm on the road to "elderly". I'm probably the age of some of the parents of WTM members. Thank goodness I'm not also on the road to suddenly becoming vulnerable to the fear mongering. Nope. Not me. I'm going to be like Margaret and Helen. ;)

[Katy]

So Hagee is the one who wants a nuclear war between Israel and Iran in order to usher in armageddon? So his prophecies will be correct? And people listen to and believe him? Thankfully I'm not around people who believe this crap, or I might be convinced it's the end.

 

I don't think he wants it.  I do think he believes that the biblical prophecies regarding end times are referring to a nuclear war, that the offending country will be from the North, and that God (perhaps in the form of Israeli defense technology) will save Jerusalem from attack.  He's also pretty convinced the US is the young lion in the scripture and that we will be unwilling or unable to help.

 

Oh, I heard about that a few weeks ago from my parents, who get very into end times stuff.  LOL, can't believe I forgot to get my prepping done.  It had something to do with today being the day that the Jewish year of Jubilee begins or something and God prefers to punish America on that date.  That's why September 11 happened when it did and then seven years later the stock market crash also happened in September.  So basically, God punishes America every 7 years at this time of the year. Not sure why God chooses a date that is supposed to be about forgiveness of debt to punish us...

 

Well I guess if the markets don't crash tomorrow we'll be safe after all?

[Orthodox6]

Oh dear.  This person lives in Texas.  Sigh. . .

 

The Christian world in which my family lives does not go in for theatrics.  God can end the world at any moment, on any day, in any year.  We are advised to live each day with the remembrance of death, which can occur suddenly, without warning, and without any relationship to when the world as we currently know it comes to an end.  We also are advised to live each day with love for, and trust in God.  "Give us this day our daily bread" says nothing at all [ ! ] about tomorrow.  (from normal commentaries on the Lord's Prayer)

[PeacefulChaos]

My FIL thinks there's a chance that 'the Lord is returning' any time now.

 

Granted, he always thinks that.  Which, as a Christian, I can't say I disagree with... but he tends to be a little crazy about it.

 

A few years ago, he actually gave us a date that he thought the Rapture was happening.  We were just like... okay.  He's not overly crazy about it, or annoying.  He mentions it sometimes, but that's about it.  He started to say a little something on Labor Day, I made a silly remark, everyone changed the subject, and he didn't say anything else.  It's not like he needs to worry about the rest of us, in his case, so I think he's just waiting/hoping.  I don't think there's anything wrong with that, unless people become obsessed with it or let it dictate their lives.  

For my own personal faith, I'm like, okay, whatever happens happens.  It doesn't affect my life on a daily basis.  I'm still going to plan to do things in the future.  People have been predicting all sorts of things for years and we're all still here, so...

[PrincessMommy]

Oh, I heard about that a few weeks ago from my parents, who get very into end times stuff.  LOL, can't believe I forgot to get my prepping done.  It had something to do with today being the day that the Jewish year of Jubilee begins or something and God prefers to punish America on that date.  That's why September 11 happened when it did and then seven years later the stock market crash also happened in September.  So basically, God punishes America every 7 years at this time of the year. Not sure why God chooses a date that is supposed to be about forgiveness of debt to punish us...

 

Hate to add to the whole end times furor but in the Eastern Orthodox Old Style Calendar Sept 13 is also the Liturgical New Year (the original calendar of all Christians).  This will be celebrated in many Slavic Countries such as Russia (oops... probably another bad guy in some of these people's eyes) and in Orthodox Churches that follow the Old Calendar here in the West.

 

I really do need to get my End of the World dates clear.  When exactly is it supposed to be?  I thought I had another week or so.

[ChocolateReignRemix]

I think there are some cultural differences as to why we see this more in the US than Europe (although these types do exist in Europe).

 

1.)  As addressed above, churches with a heavy bent towards End Times theology are significantly more prevalent in the US than most (all?) other nations.

 

2.)  In the US it is easier to live a more isolated/insulated/separated lifestyle than in Europe, which I think allows this type of thinking to percolate a bit more.

 

3.)  Europeans tend to have a longer view of history due to everything that has happened on that continent in just the past 100 years.  World wars, mass exterminations, and the possibility of invasion by a foreign power are events that people living throughout the continent have actually experienced in their lifetimes. The people and the relatives of people who have actually lived through horrific events and survived them are probably less likely to see petty random events as signs of impending doom.  Once your nation as actually dealt with real Nazis, referring to a president as one because he has a different view of what national healthcare should look like tends to be poor form.

[mommaduck]

I think there are some cultural differences as to why we see this more in the US than Europe (although these types do exist in Europe).

 

1.)  As addressed above, churches with a heavy bent towards End Times theology are significantly more prevalent in the US than most (all?) other nations.

 

2.)  In the US it is easier to live a more isolated/insulated/separated lifestyle than in Europe, which I think allows this type of thinking to percolate a bit more.

 

3.)  Europeans tend to have a longer view of history due to everything that has happened on that continent in just the past 100 years.  World wars, mass exterminations, and the possibility of invasion by a foreign power are events that people living throughout the continent have actually experienced in their lifetimes. The people and the relatives of people who have actually lived through horrific events and survived them are probably less likely to see petty random events as signs of impending doom.  Once your nation as actually dealt with real Nazis, referring to a president as one because he has a different view of what national healthcare should look like tends to be poor form.

 

Americans are very America-centric. Everything, including God, circles around the US. Good grief. I remember in all the sermons I heard growing up how America is in Revelations here, there, and that verse there. National narcissism?

[gardenmom5]

okay - I want it to end.  I just ate horrid kalua pork and want a hot fudge sundae to get the taste out of my mouth.  except I *REALLY* shouldn't be eating one (for the sake of my health.)

 

if the world is ending  - I can eat one with impunity.

[mommaduck]

okay - I want it to end.  I just ate horrid kalua pork and want a hot fudge sundae to get the taste out of my mouth.  except I *REALLY* shouldn't be eating one (for the sake of my health.)

 

if the world is ending  - I can eat one with impunity.

 

What you need is a huge baklava sundae. Wickedly good and can take three people to finish off. 

[TravelingChris]

When is this supposed to be happening?  What is a blood moon?  Is it related to a blue moon (which I believe means second full moon in one month)?

[TravelingChris]

Oh and I remember an apocolyptic group that had comet worship as part of their ideology.  There were members in CA and Canada and I think France too that committed suicide when a certain comet was close to earth.  This was many years ago but I think they put purple cloths on their heads.

[Minerva]

Oh and I remember an apocolyptic group that had comet worship as part of their ideology.  There were members in CA and Canada and I think France too that committed suicide when a certain comet was close to earth.  This was many years ago but I think they put purple cloths on their heads.

 

Heaven's Gate. They were trying to catch a ride on the Hale Bop comet. They were all wearing Nike shoes when they died. 

[Pam in CT]

Okay - this is not meant to be insulting, but I'm just wondering if there is something in American culture that fosters this kind of thing.  I'm trying to think of recent Western European examples of that kind of paranoia and end-times belief (in order to come up with a similar population size) but I'm not coming up with them.  That could just be my bad memory or perhaps US examples are just better publicised.  ...

 

 

Gee, I'm out of the loop -- I didn't even know the world was ending until I read this thread.

 

....

 

I don't understand how many buy into the newest craze for it considering that NONE of the previous guesses about it have been correct. Does society in general have collective amnesia?

Me either. I've also never known a person IRL who speaks about such things.  I do think this sort of thing is much more prevalent in certain geographic / cultural / religious pockets than others.  It's definitely not pervasive.

 

 

I think there are some cultural differences as to why we see this more in the US than Europe (although these types do exist in Europe).

 

1.)  As addressed above, churches with a heavy bent towards End Times theology are significantly more prevalent in the US than most (all?) other nations.

 

2.)  In the US it is easier to live a more isolated/insulated/separated lifestyle than in Europe, which I think allows this type of thinking to percolate a bit more.

 

3.)  Europeans tend to have a longer view of history due to everything that has happened on that continent in just the past 100 years.  World wars, mass exterminations, and the possibility of invasion by a foreign power are events that people living throughout the continent have actually experienced in their lifetimes. The people and the relatives of people who have actually lived through horrific events and survived them are probably less likely to see petty random events as signs of impending doom.  Once your nation as actually dealt with real Nazis, referring to a president as one because he has a different view of what national healthcare should look like tends to be poor form.

I agree with CR's first point, and really agree with the third (the second begs the question of why Australia and Canada also seem fairly inoculated against such things...).

 

I do think that as a society, we are pretty dang amnesiac.  Cuts across party / religious / socioeconomic lines.

 

 

 

 

 

Certainly the UK has had some kooky groups and ideologies, but at some early point they seem to fall apart.  Lack of commitment maybe?  Innate skepticism (for good and ill)?  We aren't very good, I think, at throwing ourselves wholeheartedly into things as groups.  Except sport, maybe.  Just thinking out loud.

 

You know, the sports thing is an interesting insight.  May not be so different after all.

 

 

(musing now on what rugby costumes we Americans would line up in, if each religious group had to pick a different style and color...)

[Katy]

When is this supposed to be happening?  What is a blood moon?  Is it related to a blue moon (which I believe means second full moon in one month)?

 

Astronomically speaking, a blood moon is when there is a lunar eclipse.  The earth passes between the sun and moon, but because of the gasses on earth it doesn't get completely black.  Instead, the moon glows read for a few minutes.

 

As for the prophecy, here's a wikipedia page on it:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Moon_Prophecy

 

Biblically speaking, there are prophecies the moon will turn to blood in Joel 2:30-31 and Revelation 6.

[gardenmom5]

What you need is a huge baklava sundae. Wickedly good and can take three people to finish off. 

 

:huh:  tell me more.  I make good baklava.  (after years of having to listen to mil sing the praises of her Armenian aunt's baklava.  I finally tried it and though it was good, I was not particularly impressed. then she tried mine and said it was better . . . :thumbup1: )

 

When is this supposed to be happening?  What is a blood moon?  Is it related to a blue moon (which I believe means second full moon in one month)?

 

there is a full moon on sep 28.  when there is a lunar eclipse that coincides with the full moon, it can cause light distortion through the earth's atmosphere causing a reddish cast to the moon.  in the middle of totality is when you get the most intense red color.  (if you want to stay up to watch it - there will usually be some observatory somewhere in the world live streaming it.  very handy considering our ubiquitous cloud cover. :glare: )

this blood moon is also the fourth blood moon/eclipse in a tetrad.  a tetrad is a series of four blood moons/eclipses which occur every six months. (each occurring at/on Passover or sukkot)

what all the doomsdayers are ignoring . . .  is this tetrad is the center part of a larger sequence of partial eclipses and full eclipses that doesn't end until January of 2019. (from an astronomical standpoint, the symmetry is quite interesting. the larger pattern actually started in 2011.)

 

so, I guess I shouldn't go gorge on a sundae after all . . .  :tongue_smilie: . . . . . :sad:

 

 

[mommaduck]

:huh:  tell me more.  I make good baklava.  (after years of having to listen to mil sing the praises of her Armenian aunt's baklava.  I finally tried it and though it was good, I was not particularly impressed. then she tried mine and said it was better . . . :thumbup1: )

 

 

 

Just really large chunks of warm baklava at the bottom of a huge dish, vanilla ice cream, topped with a ton of whipped cream and a cherry that you and a sibling or friend play rock, paper, scissors over...only to find that the waitresses caught you and toss a dish full of cherries onto your table to prevent any potential squabbles (it was my sister and I at my priest's restaurant). Oh, and, of course, extra honey drizzled over.

[Stacia]

<clears throat...>

 

Well, the blood moon came & went & Earth & its inhabitants are still here....

 

How do people who believed in the apocalypse happening on a certain date (whether is was last night or some other previous, failed prediction) do the mental gymnastics necessary in the days & weeks after it doesn't happen? I would assume they're willing to believe in apocalypse again down the road at some point.

[Paige]

<clears throat...>

 

Well, the blood moon came & went & Earth & its inhabitants are still here....

 

How do people who believed in the apocalypse happening on a certain date (whether is was last night or some other previous, failed prediction) do the mental gymnastics necessary in the days & weeks after it doesn't happen? I would assume they're willing to believe in apocalypse again down the road at some point.

 

That's easy- they believe that it is the start of something. The end result may not be noticeable for years. 

[Stacia]

That's easy- they believe that it is the start of something. The end result may not be noticeable for years. 

 

Ah.... ok.

[Ravin]

I think to believe an apocalypse was happening, I would pretty much have to see some very unsubtle happenings right in front of my face AND get reports of it happening all over the globe, not just here. Like, if you've ever read the book Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling...

 

I can't help but wonder if the whole "end times" fervor thing is a psychological response to population pressure. Like, through most of human existence, if we pack ourselves together too tightly, famine or war or plague--something Malthusian--has tended to actually happen to those people. Now, we have more people than ever, with more cultural turnover and upheaval than ever, and maybe a lot of peoples' brains just can't handle it, so they start looking for something that would "fix" the world and make it make sense again, shrink it down to something they can understand and manage better within, even if that means suffering, because at least then it would all start making sense to them.

 

Or maybe that makes no sense and I just need more sleep?

 

 

 

[Katy]

I think to believe an apocalypse was happening, I would pretty much have to see some very unsubtle happenings right in front of my face AND get reports of it happening all over the globe, not just here. Like, if you've ever read the book Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling...

 

I can't help but wonder if the whole "end times" fervor thing is a psychological response to population pressure. Like, through most of human existence, if we pack ourselves together too tightly, famine or war or plague--something Malthusian--has tended to actually happen to those people. Now, we have more people than ever, with more cultural turnover and upheaval than ever, and maybe a lot of peoples' brains just can't handle it, so they start looking for something that would "fix" the world and make it make sense again, shrink it down to something they can understand and manage better within, even if that means suffering, because at least then it would all start making sense to them.

 

Or maybe that makes no sense and I just need more sleep?

 

 

I think that makes a LOT of sense.  Perhaps a better explanation for any of this than I've ever seen.