By James F. Cotter

We hear much these days about  planetary realignment, a pole shift, the beginning of a new age, even the end of the world, predictions of events that will allegedly coincide with the conclusion of the Mayan "long count" calendar--December 21, 2012. 

We've heard this sort of thing before.  The approach of the year 2000--Y2K--gave rise to a flood of fears and predictions.  Would computer clocks  be able to change  to 2000?  God God, what if they couldn't?!  (As it happened, they could.)  Inevitably, the year 2000 inspired predictions of the end of the world and/or the second coming of Christ.  This was not the first year of a new millennium, by the way:  Because there was no Year Zero, 2001--not 2000-- was the first year of the 21st century.  Either way, there was no second coming, no end of the world. 

Still, people can be hard to dissuade.  In 1831, William Miller, a farmer and preacher from upstate New York, began proclaiming that the prophecies of Revelation were imminent.  Miller gained quite a large following.  In 1840 he announced that Christ would return sometime between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844.  Finally, March 21, 1844 arrived. But Jesus didn't.  This was disconcerting to Miller's followers, especially to the thousands of them who had given all their belongings away, thinking they had no further use for them.  (1)

Miller pondered the matter, concluded that he had miscalculated, and revised the date to April 18.  On that date, once again, nothing happened.  But the movement was not finished.  Samuel S. Snow, at a camp -meeting the following August in Exeter, New Hampshire, gave his own take on the situation and asserted that the real date for the Big Event was October 22, 1844.  More than 100,000  Millerites,  many  dressed in white robes, waited expectantly  on hills and housetops.  Guess what happened. 

The result of their misguided faith became known as the Great Disappointment of 1844.  (2)

In addition to that event, a certain religious group has erroneously predicted the imminent end of the "system of things" no fewer than nine times since the 19th century:  in 1874, 1878, 1881, 1910, 1914, 1918, 1925, 1975, and 1984.  (3)

Even scientists have been known to make wacko predictions.  Vladimir Sobolyovhas analyzed prophecies made by Nostradamus, various Russian saints, and others and announced in 1997 that within two years the earth's axis would tilt by about thirty degrees.  Scandinavia and Britain would end up under water.  And the scenario doesn't end there.   Evil space aliens, too,  play a role in Sobolyovhas' declarations, but let's not even get into that part.  Suffice it to say that  not everyone can be blessed with lucidity.  (3)

And the claims about  2012?  According to David Morrison, a senior scientist at NASA, "There is no planetary alignment in December 2012.  As to ‘alignment with the center of the Milky Way,' that is a meaningless phrase.  It may sound scientific, but it is devoid of content.  To put it bluntly, these claims...of alignments and catastrophe in December 2012 are lies."  (4)  (5)

So if you plan to spend The Big Day on a housetop, you might want to bring along some crossword puzzles,  or an Agatha Christie novel.

 

 

REFERENCES

• 1. http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/religion/william-miller/
• 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Disappointment
• 3. http://www.bible.ca/pre-date-setters.htm
• 4. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/research/2007/morrison.html
• 5. 2012news.com/?p=29

 

 

This article brought to you By BreadStreet Investors' Union at http://BreadStreet.com

"Bringing Investors and Entrepreneurs Together for Profit"

Also see http://www.PrivateBusinessInvestments.com

http://www.breadstreet.com/ was established in 2004 to help entrepreneurs meet qualified accredited angel investors. BreadStreet.com provides instant access to a 10,000 + angel investors database. Both start-up companies and well established organizations are welcome. So, what is an angel capital investor, and what do they do? The term "angel capital" was coined in the early part of the 20th century. Angel capital investor was the term given to investors that would fund Broadway plays. Over time, the term angel capital investor or angel investor became synonymous with any investor willing to become involved with a startup business or a high risk venture. However historically, finding angel investors was a daunting task. But, today some groups have organized to make getting angel capital investors an easier process; BreadStreet is such an organization. Best Accredited Investor Profile: BreadStreet delivers a signed statement from the individual accredited investor; it includes the investor’s industry interests, contact details, annual income, net worth, available liquidity, investor’s financial professional’s contact information, and project confidentiality agreement. Further, prior to delivery, the investor will have expressed an interest in speaking with you about your investment and will be expecting your call. These are the best accredited angel investor leads available. Many of the accredited investor leads are currently liquid in the millions of dollars with written proof! BreadStreet.com can further provide assistance in filing with the SEC, qualifying for the Private Offering Exemption and possibly with getting a business valuation by an accredited appraiser. Visit www.breadstreet.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/news-and-society-articles/apocalypse-dance-faster-its-almost-closing-time-812482.html