2012 Doomsayers: Want to make 20 bucks?

Kevin R Brown
Superfan
Kevin R Brown's picture
Posts: 3142
Joined: 2007-06-24
User is offlineOffline
2012 Doomsayers: Want to make 20 bucks?

Yup. I've got a spare twenny in my paypal.

 

I'll take anyone in on it that the world won't end in 2012.

Quote:
"Natasha has just come up to the window from the courtyard and opened it wider so that the air may enter more freely into my room. I can see the bright green strip of grass beneath the wall, and the clear blue sky above the wall, and sunlight everywhere. Life is beautiful. Let the future generations cleanse it of all evil, oppression and violence, and enjoy it to the full."

- Leon Trotsky, Last Will & Testament
February 27, 1940


Kevin R Brown
Superfan
Kevin R Brown's picture
Posts: 3142
Joined: 2007-06-24
User is offlineOffline
 Quote:...In the past, the

 

Quote:
...In the past, the entire mantle of the Earth has shifted, resulting in what scientists call a 'pole shift'. These 'pole shifts' are supported by science.

No, you dumbfuck! No!

The magnetic poles have shifted in the past! Magnetic, not the physical fucking North / South poles! MAG-FUCKING-NETIC!

 

ARRGH!

 

Because I cannot emphasize enough how stupid it is I had to watch this on the History Channel, I will now replicate their error in a similar fashion below:

 

SOVIET UNION IMPACT 2012

Thousands of years ago the Mayans predicted our world would end in the year 2012. As we approach this prophetic point in history, we ask ourselves: Are we ready to face-down our own doom? And what could possibly cause all of humanity to collapse in such a brief moment?

The answer might come in the form of a massive impact.

 

The Earth wasn't always shaped the way it is now. Geologists all agree on this fact. Just a few decades ago there was a very large nation known as, 'The Soviet Union', surrounding by what historians called an 'Iron Curtain'. In fact, this wasn't just a large country: it was the largest country.

If we look on a map today, however, neither the Soviet Union or it's curtain of iron are anywhere to be found. These extremely large pieces of mass are missing.

Where did they go? Nobody knows for sure.

 

But it's possible that the Mayans predicted that they would be coming back to Earth in 2012 - with catastrophic results. If the Earth was suddenly struck by a hunk of rock and iron as large as the Soviet Union, likely billions upon billions of tons in mass, life on the planet would never be the same agaaaaiiiiiin.

 

 

If you promote, buy into or otherwise directly associate yourself in a positive way with 2012 prophecy crap, I just want you to know:

I fucking hate you.

 

Quote:
"Natasha has just come up to the window from the courtyard and opened it wider so that the air may enter more freely into my room. I can see the bright green strip of grass beneath the wall, and the clear blue sky above the wall, and sunlight everywhere. Life is beautiful. Let the future generations cleanse it of all evil, oppression and violence, and enjoy it to the full."

- Leon Trotsky, Last Will & Testament
February 27, 1940


Vastet
atheistBloggerSuperfan
Vastet's picture
Posts: 13234
Joined: 2006-12-25
User is offlineOffline
Kevin R Brown wrote:Yup.

Kevin R Brown wrote:

Yup. I've got a spare twenny in my paypal.

 

I'll take anyone in on it that the world won't end in 2012.


I would for the hell of it, but I couldn't collect if by some fluke it actually happened. So I'll pass.

Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.


nigelTheBold
atheist
nigelTheBold's picture
Posts: 1868
Joined: 2008-01-25
User is offlineOffline
Kevin R Brown wrote:Yup.

Kevin R Brown wrote:

Yup. I've got a spare twenny in my paypal.

 

I'll take anyone in on it that the world won't end in 2012.

Well, the world won't end in 2012. But I've got something special planned for New Zealand.

"Yes, I seriously believe that consciousness is a product of a natural process. I find that the neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers who proceed from that premise are the ones who are actually making useful contributions to our understanding of the mind." - PZ Myers


MattShizzle
Posts: 7966
Joined: 2006-03-31
User is offlineOffline
I've heard on the Skeptoid

I've heard on the Skeptoid podcast the Mayan calendar didn't say anything such - it predicted that historical period would end Dec 2012 (as other ones did before) - their calendar went through cycles of a certain length, and that date was simply the beginning of the next one - not to mention the Mayans were stone age and ceased to exist as a civilization before the European arrival (not counting Vikings. ) Even in this computer age, when was the last time you saw a calendar from the year 2528?

Matt Shizzle has been banned from the Rational Response Squad website. This event shall provide an atmosphere more conducive to social growth. - Majority of the mod team


Luminon
SuperfanTheist
Luminon's picture
Posts: 2455
Joined: 2008-02-17
User is offlineOffline
MattShizzle wrote:I've heard

MattShizzle wrote:

I've heard on the Skeptoid podcast the Mayan calendar didn't say anything such - it predicted that historical period would end Dec 2012 (as other ones did before) - their calendar went through cycles of a certain length, and that date was simply the beginning of the next one - not to mention the Mayans were stone age and ceased to exist as a civilization before the European arrival (not counting Vikings. ) Even in this computer age, when was the last time you saw a calendar from the year 2528?

Riiight. But these cycles are not only of Mayan calendar. The ecliptic of our solar system slowly rotates, and gradually points out to various historically recognized constellations. For some reason, old civilizations liked these constellations, and gave them a lot of mythological meaning and attributes.
The period is approximately, less or more 2150 years. So, every such a historical period, during which the ecliptic is turned towards a particular constellation, is supposed to have a characteristics of that constellation. So much for theory.

Surprisingly, the age of Pisces constellation begun in the time of supposed Jesus' life, and early Christians used the sign of fish. (pisces) The Piscean qualities, as for the macroscopic world, are like very deep devotion to any case, mainly religional, but to any other ideal, and also in a strong individualism. This age taught the whole humanity how to be individuals. And this is why we have so much of various religional, and particularly Christian denominations and fractions, they're both religional, and individualistic. Our religions, economics, cultures, nationalism, all that is a product of Pisces age.

Before that, there was the age of Aries (ram) and as Old Testament informs us, there was a great symbol of a sacrificed lamb, significant for that age.

Before that, the cult of golden calf, egyptian bull Apis, etc, signifies the Taurus age.

Surprisingly, the cultural symbols and cultures themselves follows the symbols on the sky.
By this logic, the Sphinx, the lion-like statue, is from the age of Leo, which is, I guess 10k-12k years ago. This of course belongs to the area of controversial archeology.

Let's return to the present. The Pisces age now ends, and here comes the age of Aquarius. This means, that everything Piscean in our world will be either destroyed or rebuilded, because it became rigid, crystallized, and harmful. Aquarian qualities are well known. They are as much synthesis and brotherhood, as Piscean age was individualism and separatism.
I am very glad hearing people like RRS, The Truth (hip-hop singer), etc, to respond very well to these ideas, I recently heard them on my RRS radio shows to embrace the same principles like I do, the sharing of world resources, respect to all living beings, and so on. It does feel right somehow, doesn't it?
By this logics, the beginning of Aquarian age (some time around autumn solstice of 2012) is not an end of anything. It's the end of old age of faith, but the great beginning of the so much expected and welcomed Aquarian age, when everything will be really set right, and we will not just talk about the ideals vainly, as it was in the Pisces age. We will actually fulfil them.
Of course, these changes are gradual. Aquarian influence in fact begun already in 1680 (in the half of Pisces age), expressed itself more in the era of hippies, and till today there is an increasing uprise of Good will among the humanity, opposed to the crises we are in. This is really a long-termed, gradual process, this is why nothing sudden will happen specially in autumn 2012, and not the end of the world in particular.

"End of time" is just a bad translation. It's "end of age".

 

Beings who deserve worship don't demand it. Beings who demand worship don't deserve it.


BobSpence
High Level DonorRational VIP!ScientistWebsite Admin
BobSpence's picture
Posts: 5939
Joined: 2006-02-14
User is offlineOffline
Since there is no agreement

Since there is no agreement among astrologers about just when these ages start and end, eg

Wikipedia wrote:
According to different astrologers' calculations, approximated dates for entering the Age of Aguarius range from 1447 AD (Terry MacKinnell) to 3621 (John Addey)

any associations one tries to make between these 'Ages' and historical events and moods is entirely fanciful and arbitrary. you can make up any story you like and find some aspect of history that can be seen as matching some associations of the name assigned to the Age. It is all so vague, you can 'see' some pattern after the fact, if you are keen to find one.

Meaningless claptrap.
 

Favorite oxymorons: Gospel Truth, Rational Supernaturalist, Business Ethics, Christian Morality

"Theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance. Indeed, it is ignorance with wings." - Sam Harris

The path to Truth lies via careful study of reality, not the dreams of our fallible minds - me

From the sublime to the ridiculous: Science -> Philosophy -> Theology


MattShizzle
Posts: 7966
Joined: 2006-03-31
User is offlineOffline
Especially since the

Especially since the constellatinos aren't the same place they were 2000 years ago (go far enough into the past or future the constellations won't be recognizable. )

Matt Shizzle has been banned from the Rational Response Squad website. This event shall provide an atmosphere more conducive to social growth. - Majority of the mod team


Sapient
High Level DonorRRS CO-FOUNDERRRS Core MemberWebsite Admin
Posts: 7587
Joined: 2006-04-18
User is offlineOffline
  We've made it past the

  We've made it past the 11:11 GMT deadline.  A new Maya calendar cycle now begins.  Time for a new fake end of the world story.