The Vajra Parrot Squawks!

When it comes down to it some fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians are at heart most unbiblical in their beliefs. For a start, their sola scriptura position, regarding the role and place of the scriptures, is not found in the very Bible which they claim promulgates this doctrinal position.

Furthermore, when it comes to Doomsday - the fabled 'end times' that the media is hyping at the moment - the strange plethora of prophecies flying about from the frothing mouths of foolish fanatics also betray these scriptures which quite clearly state that

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Matthew 24:36

Trinitarian issues arising from this aside, the Doomsday event is surely not something that a self-appointed pastor from Hickville, The Sticks is going to be given advanced warning of - if Jesus himself is being kept in the dark - is it? I'm no genius, but I see a little paradox between some fundamentalists' claims about the Bible and their use of it.

I find the obsession with Doomsday in certain religious circles rather perplexing. It betrays a collective state of mind that is not at ease with itself nor the world around it; caught up in fear and anxiety and desperate for release from a threatening world, it also desires vengeance against any who do not share its psychotic worldview. All too symptomatic of spiritual/mental illness.

Anyway, when this latest prophecy is disproved (and the Prophet of Doom has assured his disciples that he's made yet another miscalculation - as he also did in his 1994 prophecy) it will swell the ranks of a multitude of other fake Doomsday predictions that have seduced and frightened the gullible for the past couple of thousand years. Here are a few for your entertainment:

* Scientists announced that Earth would pass through the tail of Halley's comet in 1910. A discovery of comet tails that included a deadly gas called cyanogen in 1881 by an astronomer was brought into spotlight as the media covered the speculations about how everyone on earth could be bathed in deadly toxic gas, which resulted in a widespread panic across the USA.

* Doug Clark predicted in '76 "The death of the United States and the birth of one world government under President Carter." He announced that President Jimmy Carter would be "the president who will meet Mr. 666, the Antichrist, soon."

* In May 1980, Pat Robertson, a media mogul, televangelist, and Christian Coalition founder, astonished and bewildered many by announcing that he could guarantee that by the end of 1982 there was going to be a judgment on the world.

* In 1990, Vladimir Solovyev, eminent Russian theologian, foretold that in an upcoming war the Japanese (!) would win and conquer much of the world, but be defeated by the Europeans in the end. A brilliant writer and thinker would then arise and unite the world and especially all religious leaders. Then the Jews would accept him as the Messiah but only until they learned that he was not, in fact, a Jew, which would result in a revolt in Jerusalem and the eruption of a volcano from the Dead Sea...

* Followers of the “Hyoo Go” (Rapture) movement, a collection of Korean "end-times" sects made much noise in 1992. They firmly believed that Jesus was coming in the air. When the prophesied events failed to pass, much turmoil broke out among the sects, some even attacking their pastors with knives.

* In 1997 rumors arose that an alien spacecraft was following the comet Hale-Bopp but it was kept a secret by NASA. Though the claim was refuted by astronomers, a San Diego UFO cult named Heaven's Gate was convinced that the world would end soon and 39 of the cult members committed suicide in the same year. The body of Marshall Applewhite, who was the leader of the cult, was found among the dead.

* Nostradamus has enchanted many for over 400 years. His writings have been translated and retranslated in dozens of different versions. Many Nostradamus followers believed that in the seventh month of year 1999, a great 'king of terror', whatever that meant, would come from the sky.

* As the new millennium approached, many people became disturbed that computers would not be able to tell the difference between 2000 and 1900 dates. Many predicted catastrophic problems ranging from massive blackouts to nuclear holocaust, but January 1, 2000 began with yet another bright new morning.

* Ronald Weinland, "God’s Church" minister, stated that “by the fall of 2008, the United States will have collapsed as a world power and no longer exist as an independent nation.” in his book, 2008: God's Final Witness.

There is one common thread running through all of these: untruth.

Let's not buy into the hype of charlatans and psychopaths who peddle such nonsense on the net and the airwaves, but see these absurdities for what they really are. It's a shame that this minority of 'believers' tarnishes the reputation of the majority - sincere and sensible Christians who find this as nonsensical and non-representative of their religion as I do.

Today's going to be a good day. Let's enjoy it.