Poll: Doomsday 2012: Are you a believer?

[slowpoke219]

I always figured if all these people (religious nut jobs and laymen) honestly believed the end of the world was imminent and about to happen in the next few years, if they honestly believed it, what are they doing still going to work, and paying taxes and worrying about their 401k's? If I knew for a fact that the world was gonna end, and on a specific date a few years from now, Eff all that work and stuff! I'd cash in my retirement, head for Vegas, and see how much a 10 way would cost me. My point is, I don't think these people actually believe the crap that comes out of their own mouths.

 

[mensaap]

In belgium, there's this guy (scientist I think) that has created a group to flee to africa.
He has bought land there, and has begon building bunkers to save the human culture for future species, if his little community shouldn't make it.

In 2012 he's planning to live there with 5000 people because he believes that on december 22 2012 the sun will send waves of some sort that will cause the earth's core to turn.

The problem with this is, that if this should happen all the world's nuclear facilities will explode. And that's why he chose afrika: It doesn't have nuclear facilities + it's far away from the nuclear winter/clouds/whatever.

He claims that all of this is based on scientific facts, also as stated above, the mayas predicted it AND he claims it has happened before with for example the civilisation that build the sfinx (the cat thingy at the great pyramids) and other buildings (like the temple on the south pole).

Just a little info I remember from a documentary ^^
I myself don't believe in stuff like this, although universal factors could harm the earth, I'm pretty sure it will happen unexpectatly (sorry for the bad spelling).

 

[cleverlymadeup]

great not this total bs idea again

look the dec 22 2012 thing has been debunked and debunked very well. it's total and utter crap to think that they mayans, who didn't make a new calendar cause they got wiped out, predicted the end of the world

and anyone with any knowledge of the world knows that time will end on January 19, 2038 03:14:07 GMT

 

[slowpoke219]

great not this total bs idea again

look the dec 22 2012 thing has been debunked and debunked very well. it's total and utter crap to think that they mayans, who didn't make a new calendar cause they got wiped out, predicted the end of the world

and anyone with any knowledge of the world knows that time will end on January 19, 2038 03:14:07 GMT

Phew, what a relief.

 

[Saskwach]

I scanned, so I don't know if anyone's said this, but but: a lot of old cultures' beliefs, myths and prophecies are based on cosmological events. Important dates like this are usually the result of good astronomers seeing the patterns in the stars and the regularity of their movements and then attaching mythological significance to them. It just so happens that a feature of the Mayan calendar was "omg death of world, rebirth of world" or something similar. I suspect, then, that 2012 has nothing to do with anything happening on earth but with a great (and rare) event happening in the sky, or the end of an era.

Edit: I see huntedannoyed beat me to it. Good job there.

 

[The_Toe_Bighter98]

The only reason the world would end on this date is that Uwe Boll has finally gotten a good review for one of his movies. This clearly goes against the word of God, and everything will be destroyed because of this. So give Uwe Boll a hand, THANKS Uwe Boll!

 

[Duck Sandwich]

And here I was think we were doomed eight years ago. I need to keep up with all these new trends and doomsday dates.

You also missed June 6, 2006.

 

[man-man]

People please, the Mayans weren't amazing astronomers (everyone had an eye on the stars back then, and there were other civilisations who were more advanced in the field) and they just had a calendar that went round in cycles, every so often it reaches the end of a cycle and goes around again.

The 2012 date is one such time, when it reaches the end of the largest cycle they defined. This has happened numerous times already throughout history without the world ending, extraterrestrial contact or anything freaky happening. This whole thing is roughly equivalent to archaeologists a century or three from now digging up my desk organiser and going "oh god, this calendar ends on December 31st, which by our calendar is next week, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"

Now please, stop the lunacy and look at it with a little skepticism, nothing world-ending has happened for 4.5 billion years thus far, in all likelihood nothing will continue to happen straight through 2012.

If you're interested: http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4093

 

[star_topology]

Two things:

1. Worry yourself to death by trying to understand things your puny brain can't possibly comprehend.

OR

2. Live life and be a good person, and what will be, will be.

 

[mew905]

That is the georgian calendar I believe. While it would somewhat be equivalent to that, APPARENTLY (I havent looked into this too much, you know, not too concerned with this blasphemy) there is absolutely no recorded history before ~3000BC, or at the start of the current 'long run'. Now if you go by that (which alot of people do) then yeah, logically this makes sense. However what happened to the caveman? I understand we've come a very long way in just 2000 years, however I dont really think we've gone from having completely nothing and ending up building the pyramids (a HUGE feat, even today!) just under 2000 years later (I think, again not to up on the dates the pyramids were built). And then there are those historical items that were hand crafted thousands of years ago with what appears to be very advanced tools. Whether those items are fake or not, I dont know, nor do I really care.

 

[edcalaban]

We appear to have forgotten the Shadowrun approach: world ends because magic comes back and completely destabilizes the balance of power, leading to massive nation-state-corporations. Oops.

 

[Exterminatus]

I do imagine us humans will be the end of the world eventually, given our nature and all, I just don't think it will happen in 2012... Or any time soon, for that matter.

 

[Rampancy]

It bothers me when people base their theories on the end of the world on man-made calendars. Seriously... The Mayans made their calendar, just like you or I would have. They didn't really know anything we don't. Our calendar is equally flawed...

My opinion on the end of the world? Eventually. No sense trying to plan for it, nobody's gonna see it coming.

 

[portuga-man]

Lol.

Explain me this: why did all the doom sayers "conveniently" forgot about 2012 when we were approaching the year 2000?

second, it was all a misunderstanding. in the year 2012 the display of star constellations in our sky will change and we'll enter the astrological age of Aquarius. It happened many times before, and the mayans did their calendar based on the astrological age in which they lived. Since their astrological age ended in 2012, then so did their calendar. Just because doom sayers and any self-respecting troll can change the world "age" for "world" in the sentence "end of the age", that doesn't mean it will actually happen.

P.S: i'm not sure if it's the display of the constellations that will change, but it's something like that

 

[000Ronald]

To be mind-numbingly honest, I don't see how anyone could buy into this nonsense in the first place. Are some people's lives so mundane that they feel it nessecary to belive this bull? Or should I just give up on society because they're all this stupid?

I'm sorry, but I just don't get it...

 

[Lord_Foortwenti]

People please, the Mayans weren't amazing astronomers (everyone had an eye on the stars back then, and there were other civilisations who were more advanced in the field) and they just had a calendar that went round in cycles, every so often it reaches the end of a cycle and goes around again.

The 2012 date is one such time, when it reaches the end of the largest cycle they defined. This has happened numerous times already throughout history without the world ending, extraterrestrial contact or anything freaky happening. This whole thing is roughly equivalent to archaeologists a century or three from now digging up my desk organiser and going "oh god, this calendar ends on December 31st, which by our calendar is next week, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"

Now please, stop the lunacy and look at it with a little skepticism, nothing world-ending has happened for 4.5 billion years thus far, in all likelihood nothing will continue to happen straight through 2012.

If you're interested: http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4093

The part in bold isn't exactly true. While nothing has happened that has obliterated Earth, there have actually been a couple "Armageddon" type events that have happened on this rock of ours. The latest being the comet/meteor that hit the Yucatan Peninsula and wiped out the then-dominant life-form...dinosaurs.

I think it is certainly VERY possible that there will be some sort of doomsday event that will wipe out most of humanity on Earth at some point. The only real question in my mind is whether it will be something naturally occurring, or if it is instigated by us.

As for the end of the Mayan calender predicting this doomsday...it isn't impossible. But I think it's highly unlikely that anything will happen that day. It'll come and go and we'll all be left looking at each other and laughing, just like after Y2K didn't bring down modern civilization.

 

[ItaniKnight]

My opinion on the end of the world? Eventually. No sense trying to plan for it, nobody's gonna see it coming.

This is an interesting idea: All the scientists waking up one morning, looking outside, and saying, "BY THE BLOOD OF DARWIN THERE'S A FREAKING ASTER-"
Warms my heart, that does - as does the idea of a rogue asteroid sneaking up on earth...