Judgement Day

"It's the End of the World as We Know It" or so sang the rock band R.E.M., back in 1987.

According to Christian radio host Harold Camping, the End of the World is today, May 21, 2011. Doomsday is upon us. Since it is technically Saturday May 21 as I type this I wonder; will the world be here when I wake in the morning... or, will I even wake at all??? And now I wonder, will I even get to sleep tonight! Of course I will, I worked all night and I'm tired!

Mr. Camping's Doomsday theory has spread like wildfire. It's been nearly impossible to avoid it for the past week or so. The devout will be called to their father... and the rest of us are screwed. Fire and brimstone, Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria! (according to Bill Murray as Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters [Blu-ray]). Basically, the worst parts of the Bible come to life.

But then, wayyyyy back in 1999, everyone was worried about Y2K, so worried in fact that they came up with that cute little acronym. Planes were going to fall from the sky, ATM's were going to take all of your money, or spit it all out like a jackpot if you were lucky, computers would stop working and you wouldn't be able to heat a damned thing on your microwave. And yet, here we are.

American Baptist preacher William Miller predicted rapture would occur between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844. The Jehovah's Witnesses have set several dates in the past, Pastor John Hinkle predicted June 9, 1994 and Mr. Camping himself earlier predicted the End of Days on September 6, 1994.

And yet, here we are.


And don't forget the Mayans. We have been hearing how they predicted the end of the world on December 21, 2012 - the last day on their calendar. That prediction has become so irresistible that Hollywood just had to make a SFX laden movie starring John Cusack back in 2009. I have to wonder though, did the Mayans foresee their own end??

Hell, (whoops, maybe I shouldn't say that!) even Sir Isaac Newton proposed that the Apocalypse could happen no earlier than 2060.

So, I think I'll see you all tomorrow or the next day. If not, I hope to catch you on the other side!