Doomsday Psychology

I will not deny that 2010 has gotten off to a rocky start. This year has brought along with it a myriad of earthquakes, oil spills, floods, volcanoes, and other disasters (both natural and manmade). Every time the big media outlets begin their zealous over-reporting of these happenings, I have to force myself not to read the comments sections. Doing so reminds me why the media gets so excited over “Doom and Gloom” stories: People in general (and fundamentalist Christians in particular) absolutely love to fantasize that the end of the world is nigh and God is in the process of casting his final judgment.

Throughout history, man has attempted to foresee the end of the world. Some of the greatest examples of failed doomsday predictions include The Prophet Hen of Leeds of 1806, the Halley’s Comet hysteria of 1910, our dear friend Pat Robertson’s 1982 prediction (along with his more recent suggestion that God smited Haiti), Heaven’s Gate in 1997, the Y2K panic of 2000, and God's Church Ministry of 2008. Each time a prediction never materializes, doomsayers just brush it off and eagerly start looked towards the horizon for the next evidence of a coming cataclysm.

The 2012 Mayan prophecy amuses me more than any others. The blatant misinterpretation that the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar predicts the end of the world in 2012 is an absolute insult to an extinct society; it was nothing more than an attempt for movie producers and book publishers to cash in. Amazingly enough, cash-in they did, for fundamentalists will even turn to extinct pagan societies and religions in search of evidence pointing towards “the end”.

Why are Christians so seemingly eager for the apocalypse? When I try to imagine what is going on in the mind of a typical doomsayer, three distinct possibilities emerge: 1) The Bible always speaks of war and strife (both internal and external), and the apocalypse signals an end to struggle. 2) Christians use the apocalypse as an attempt to convert non-Christians and sinners. “Repent, the end is near!” 3) Christians are really, truly miserable with their lives, and their only motivation is the hope that one day they will get to look down upon other sinners and doubters as they ascend into heaven.

The first scenario is very general and makes the most sense to me. The second scenario is based on my personal experiences with fundamentalists - lacking any true evidence of God or a coming tragedy, they attempt use fear and guilt as a motivator. However, the final scenario probably most accurately depicts the true psychology of a doomsayer. How many times have you heard a fundamentalist say things like “may God have mercy on your soul?” or “I will pray that God forgives you?” Such statements disprove actual concern for the sinners and instead indicate that the doomsayer considers him/herself to be in a higher position than that of the sinner. (Let’s be honest…everyone likes to feel superior in some way or another). But I digress. I am going to assume that the real reason Christians anticipate the end of the world is because they are simply sick and tired of their lives.

The Bible itself clearly states that no one can predict the end of the world. Granted, the Bible also contradicts itself by offering “teaser visions” of the apocalypse in Revelations and other chapters, but we all know that there is not one subject that the Bible doesn’t contradict itself on.

Luke 12:46 – “the Master will come on a day and at an hour when He is not expected.”

Matt. 25:13 – Jesus says “watch therefore, and be prepared, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

James 5:7 – “be patient until the coming of the Lord. Those who try to predict disregard this inspired teaching.”