Not the Apocalypse again
There is a popular belief currently circulating in the more extremist Christian groups that the end of the world is, indeed, nigh. They call it "The End Times", and they genuinely believe that Jesus Christ himself will return to earth and the world will end (according to the book of Revelations).
They believe it's going to happen because they see the creation of Israel and violence in the Middle East as fulfilling prophecies set down in the Bible. Some even believed that the world would end this year.
Let me first say this: People have thought the world was going to end many, many times before. I remember the last time the world was supposed to end, needless to say, it didn't happen. Peopel thought the world was going to end back in the 70s, they thought it was going to end in 1844, 1590, 1635, 1700, 1378, 1533 and many other dates. Just in case you had forgotten, it's 2006 and none of the predicitons made in the past have actually been fulfilled.
Now, normally I wouldn't write about this, it's a couple of Christian extremists who parted company with reality a long time ago saying the world is going to end. It didn't happen the last hundred or so times they said it would, so why comment? Because it is effecting the policy of certain Governments, and is directly related to Israel.
You see, part of the End Times is supposed to be the nation of Israel being formed. Many of the "End Timers" (as the proponents of this theory are known) believe that the illegal settlements in the occupied territories in Palestine (such as those in the West Bank, and the ones that were, until recently, in Gaza) are parts of Israel and if Israel does not own them, the end of the world is beign delayed. Now, to the vast majority of sane people, the apocalypse being delayed is a good thing, "End Timers" are convinced that they are going to be saved and therefore want the Second Coming to happen ASAP.
What this means is that they support Israel when it says that it will retain the occupied territories and that they support the repression of the Palestinian people and the theft of their lands. As if this wasn't bad enough, it actually has an effect on World Leaders. A few years back, George W. Bush wanted Israel (then under Sharon) to work towards a two-state solution with Palestine. Now he doesn't.
So, what does this mean? It means that as long as these people continue to believe that the end of the world is upon us, the USA (where the bulk of these people are concentrated) will continue to support Israel, the Palestinians will continue to be oppressed and we'll still be faced with the same problems many years from now.
The sooner "End Timers" realise that they are not the first people to predict the end of the world, that everyone before them has been wrong and the world is not going to end this time either, the better for everyone, not least the starving Palestinians in the prison that is the Gaza Strip.
They believe it's going to happen because they see the creation of Israel and violence in the Middle East as fulfilling prophecies set down in the Bible. Some even believed that the world would end this year.
Let me first say this: People have thought the world was going to end many, many times before. I remember the last time the world was supposed to end, needless to say, it didn't happen. Peopel thought the world was going to end back in the 70s, they thought it was going to end in 1844, 1590, 1635, 1700, 1378, 1533 and many other dates. Just in case you had forgotten, it's 2006 and none of the predicitons made in the past have actually been fulfilled.
Now, normally I wouldn't write about this, it's a couple of Christian extremists who parted company with reality a long time ago saying the world is going to end. It didn't happen the last hundred or so times they said it would, so why comment? Because it is effecting the policy of certain Governments, and is directly related to Israel.
You see, part of the End Times is supposed to be the nation of Israel being formed. Many of the "End Timers" (as the proponents of this theory are known) believe that the illegal settlements in the occupied territories in Palestine (such as those in the West Bank, and the ones that were, until recently, in Gaza) are parts of Israel and if Israel does not own them, the end of the world is beign delayed. Now, to the vast majority of sane people, the apocalypse being delayed is a good thing, "End Timers" are convinced that they are going to be saved and therefore want the Second Coming to happen ASAP.
What this means is that they support Israel when it says that it will retain the occupied territories and that they support the repression of the Palestinian people and the theft of their lands. As if this wasn't bad enough, it actually has an effect on World Leaders. A few years back, George W. Bush wanted Israel (then under Sharon) to work towards a two-state solution with Palestine. Now he doesn't.
So, what does this mean? It means that as long as these people continue to believe that the end of the world is upon us, the USA (where the bulk of these people are concentrated) will continue to support Israel, the Palestinians will continue to be oppressed and we'll still be faced with the same problems many years from now.
The sooner "End Timers" realise that they are not the first people to predict the end of the world, that everyone before them has been wrong and the world is not going to end this time either, the better for everyone, not least the starving Palestinians in the prison that is the Gaza Strip.
posted by CJM | 6:36 PM
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