The Genius of the Beast

You are correct in thinking that apocalypse beliefs my have biological origins. Mass extinctions have been occurring on this planet throughout the history of life approximately every 26,000 yrs.

Every life form that has ever existed has experience these catastrophic events, most species inhabited this planet have perished, and the life forms that survive today may have an instinctive awareness of pending catastrophe inherited from the cycle of destruction that is the norm in the universe. Creation and destruction is the norm in this evolving universe. It’s been observed in the natural behavior of animals to sense pending disaster, humans are no different. Our ability to pass down stories of ancient disasters since before the written word, has also fueled our curiosity for end times. The most ancient historical apocalypse was the story of the Sumerian, and Babylonian floods long before Noah’s story or Christian judgment day scenarios. Modern humans have experienced countless numbers of apocalyptic disasters and diseases since day one and our fear of doom and catastrophe is but one reason for the evolution of religious beliefs.
Thinking about pending doom may be a survival strategy that has helped us to survive.

Judgment day, end times, fears of apocalypse, are seeded in the very atoms that we are composed of. From the beginning of the universe all matter or existence has been wrought with disaster and impending destruction. Like you said in the Lucifer Principle,

“Lucifer is the dark side of fecundity, the cutting blade of the sculptor’s knife. Nature does not abhor evil; she embraces it. She uses it to build. With it she moves the human world to greater heights of organization, intricacy, and power.”

The universe uses destruction and unfavorable conditions to force matter and energy together and in doing so it builds complexity. Matter and energy have been victims of natural apocalyptic disasters from day one. We are the survivors. We are children of an on going apocalypse and creation we are the children of Shiva.

I consider myself a logical and pragmatic thinker. I'm also a realist, and at times the consummate cynic. So please forgive my rather simplistic approach to this fascinating topic (when is a topic from Howard NOT fascinating?) If I were to let every negative event that *could* happen to me, my loved ones, my closest friends, my acquaintences or complete strangers - all of whom inhabit this planet at the moment - consume me, I'd never leave the house. In fact, I'd likely make one last ditch effort to locate as many sand bags as possible to encase the windows. My late Mama would call this, "Stinkin' Thinkin.' I'd be one of the unfortunate rats described in that rather sinister experiment. Howard is dead right (pardon the awful pun!) about our innate biology driving this movement to 'the darkness'- still...I can't help but wonder if survival of a human race isn't truly the result of how we humans "apply" this biology - while we're stlll here. In other words, how we view our "souls."

Apply our thoughts one way; we're all dead, and there's nothin' we can do about it. Apply it another and we'll find a way to survive just about anything. Hence: mind over matter.

Great read!

Watchtower apocalyptic vision

The end of the world is coming someday.. but it won't be the Watchtower society Jehovah's Witnesses fulfillment

The Jehovah's Witnesses Watchtower first published in 1879 had the slogan: advertise,advertise,advertise the King and his (1914) Kingdom.

JW are a spin-off of the second Adventist which all came from the Millerite movement.
American war of 1812 army captain William Miller is ground zero for Jehovah's Witnesses.

Yes,the "great disappointment" of Oct 22 1844 has never died out... it lives on in the Seventh day Adventist (who admit it) and the Jehovah's Witnesses who deny it. The central CORE doctrine of the Watchtower,yes the reason the Watchtower came into existence was to declare Jesus second coming in 1914.When the prophecy (derived from William Miller of 1842) failed they said that he came "invisibly".

Ergo,no 1914 then there can be no 1918 inspection and sealing of the 'anointed' so the entire Watchtower Bible and Tract Society doctrinal superstructure comes crashing down like a house of cards.
--
Danny Haszard http://www.dannyhaszard.com

The Watchtower is a truly Orwellian world.

To Watchdog

Your bitter words about Danny Hazzard do not reflect kindness, love and truth.

You sound bitter.

I enjoyed your post, but you lost me when you brought climate change into the mix. Your statement equating belief in climate change science with religion just does not fly. You said "Climate-change-beliefs are a secular expression of an antique pattern...perhaps an instinctual pattern. They are a new way of saying that the end is coming and that only the believers will be saved. Only those who've embraced the right god or the right philosophy will survive.". Climate scientists are not saying that "only believers will be saved.". Far from it. The impacts of climate change will not discriminate based on belief. In fact, even if everyone were believers, it would mean nothing without massive action.

Sure, sometimes climate change rhetoric sounds apocalyptic and urgent. But this is not the same as some angry god scorching the earth of the unbelievers.

Friday: December 4th, 2009: Roxbury Community College, Boston MA
Re: Why the world will end in 2012: Is catastrophic built into your brain?
Attn: Mr. Howard Bloom:
God is not human! No human being can ever understand God’s mind and abilities!!God does not need to prove to us any scientific view: Everything about God is daily event practicing for our value and beliefs: Unfortunately, we are too blind to see God’s perspectives. Jesus made it clear to Pharisees and Scribes: “If you were blind I would make you see, but because you claim to see, I will also make you blind.” [Matt. 11: 25]
In the Jewish tradition history [Biblical of course,] the Book of Kings [1 and 2 Kings] together with the Book of Joshua, Judges and the Book of Samuel to the “Former Prophets” a collection of works that provide prophetic interpretation-historic of Israeli’s history from the conquest of Canaan to the end of the Israeli’ Monarchy from Saul, David, and Solomon to their descendants: God had never stopped to provide the daily event for the Israelites activities! He never specified a particular date from the beginning before the creation of the earth! The Bible does not need to prove a scientific view what-so-ever! God is a living God forever! “I will judge you!” God said: [Ezekiel 18: 30]: “For dust you are: And to dust you shall return!” [Gen. 3: 19: and Acts 17: 30]
God never had a rest to proclaim His word-event to the people including us today, He is the same God! [Mal. 3: 6: and Heb. 13: 8]: You need to know and understand the Scriptures!! No one knows when the earth will end, but it shall come to an end at God’s precise timing!! “I will come like a thief” Jesus said: You lack faith Bloom!! You are blind Bloom!! One thing for sure; you will one day perish! The world is a chaos today because you and I caused it!! Contradicting God’s word of Truth it is an abomination! God loves us and cares for us all, but God has also provided conditions and procedures that we His creatures need to observe on daily basis!! If we fail to observe God’s commands, covenantal, then God has every right to judge us accordingly!! We cannot escape God’s judgments!
God allows us to behave the way we choose but with consequence. “Fill up then, the measure of your father’s guilty.” How can you escape the condemnation of hell?” Jesus said, [Matt. 23: 30-33]: Are you growing any younger? Look at your face!! All of us are accountable before God our Creator!! Jesus Christ never failed but we are ever failing before God’s sight! Jesus Christ is the ultimate Judge on Earth! Anyone who preaches to specify date, he is a liar! Anyone, or a preacher, scientist who claimed to bring God’s message in the past with date specification; were not from God but from Satan! God’ Word of Truth stands forever acting accordingly. The End shall come at God’s precise timing not a mere man date specification!! Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation did not know when Jacob would go to Egypt! Neither did Joseph know his brother would sale him to slavery! Moses was born in Egypt his parents did not know how and why they hid the baby for three months and eventually cast him in the River Nail flowing. Pharaoh’s daughter raised him up, she didn’t know why? Everything was sealed up into God’s store for His own purposes! [Deut 32: 34]: But you see, God spoke the Word of Truth and kept acting fulfilling His Truth event:
“Let the dead bury their own dead!” Jesus said, [Matt 8: 22]: I am an independent international non-denomination evangelist. I believe in the true-living God in the radiance of Jesus Christ! I write about Him. I believe that the Scriptures are God’s Sacred Word of Truth that purges every individual evil hearts!!
Thanks very much for your time and attention: All the best:
Sincerely,
Athanasius-John T. Nkomo: E-mail: Masukoj@yahoo.com

A. Nonym

uswater@yahoo.com

"to a would-be 19th century prophet from Pittsburgh, a preacher named Charles Taze Russell."

He was a preacher of the "good news of the kingdom." Mr. Russell never claimed, to be a prophet, or have any divine knowledge other than that in the Bible as he and others may take in (John 17:3) and have help in understanding by the force Jehovah God uses to accomplish his will; the holy spirit.

Howard Bloom you are evidently misinformed and without a doubt because of the huge amount of ignorance that exists in "this world" that the Bible identifies the god of this world at 2 Corinthians 4:4 quoted from the Revised Standard Version,

"4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake."

At this pint I'll interject a verse from Proverbs that Solomon penned before he went a different direction. It's one of my favorite sciptures; Proverbs 4:7 quoted from The new World Translation Of The Holy Scriptures,

"7 Wisdom is the prime thing. Acquire wisdom; and with all that you acquire, acquire understanding." Online it cab be found here

http://www.watchtower.org/e/bible/index.htm

Def. of prophet = Displaying 1 result(s) from the 1913 edition:
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Prophet (Page: 1149)
Proph"et (?), n. [F. proph\'8ate, L. propheta, fr. Gr. , literally, one who speaks for another, especially, one who speaks for a god an interprets his will to man, fr. to say beforehand; for, before + to say or speak. See Fame. ]

Charles Russell never did make claims to speak for Jehovah God but diledgently studied the Bible. As The Hebrews were at the time of Jesus Christ ived were looking intently into the scriptures available to them at that time for the appearance of the Messiah because of things written in those scriptures that by chronological calculations were eagerly awaiting that appearance. Messiah is defined and means "annointed one" and interestingly the word christ also means "annointed one." In the case of Jesus it was not an appellative part of his name to distinguish Jesus from other persons but was a title applied to him. The book of Daniel contains chronological evidence of the facts. Mr. Charles Russell never claimed to be anything other than a Bible student. He aslo gave credit to other Bible students before him to have helped him study the Bible and for the amazing fact that it was even still in extant after all the time passing and the opposition to accurate knowledge of what it contains.
Christ was not just an appellative to the name Jesus so as to distinguish him from other men who may have been named Jesus. Christ in this case, "Jesus Christ", was an official title. Charles Russell was just a man and one might say a very good man who gave up a personal fortune for the sake of the "good news" and when he died had very little of value as this world views value. Charles Taze Russell was a man of humility and he always acted only as a "fellow servant."

A.(Alfred) Nonym
THE POINT BY THE NARROW MIND!!!! (Matthew 7:13, 14)

Take a precision watch with more the 10,000 parts apart and put them in a bag and no matter how long you shake the bag you will never have a functioning watch again,

Romans 1:20 quoted from The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures says in words we all can understand if our mind and eyes have not been blinded,

"20 For his invisible [qualities] are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable;"

and for added evidence even reasoning on the building of a hose Hebrews 3:4 says "

4 Of course, every house is constructed by someone, but he that constructed all things is God., "

So many peple exclaim HALLELUJAH not even realizing they're actually saying "Praise Jah" and Jah is a poetic shortened form of Jehovah, the name of the Most High God. (Ex 15:1, 2)

A. (Alfred) Nonym
The Point by The Narrow Mind (Matthew 7:13,14)

We have brochures on every subject, including 1914, (which was a hit out of the ball field if you compare the events during and after this era to the four horsemen and statements on the Mount of Olives, and which can be proven by bible passages not pyrimid passages Habikkuk 2:3 - it will all be wrapped up before Gods earth succumbs to man.) our JOURNEY,(history) and BLOOD.(Controlled studies are better. Google bloodless hospitals, which have been in existence for years and report no such grim statistics. OPPOSITE.)

Also, remember few are finding the narrow road, so it's not a popularity contest.

Judge us by the leaves on 'our' tree. Our Brochures and Magazines. ... And by the majority of our fruit that's "still on our tree."

12th Imam's concept is not Islam related. Islam never says that the world will end in 2012. But Islam says it will end some day. No human knowledge can know that information.

Circa 1996 the Watchtower society was compelled to make a strained public announcement that: 'we will NO LONGER SET DATES for THE END OF THE WORLD'.

Their unscrupulous apologist would like to whitewash Watchtower history of false prophecies but victims of their *fraud for God* like myself will not allow it.
The big difference between Jehovah's Witnesses and Christians is that the apocalyptic Watchtower Society's central core creed proclaims Jesus second coming in October 1914.
They sometimes try to obscure this failed prophecy,and say that he came 'invisibly'.Yes,all other Christians are awaiting Jesus return,the JW say he *already* came back in 1914 and is only working through their Watchtower society.

GOOGLE: Watchtower Jehovah 1914 1925 1975

( Jehovah's Witnesses trolls stop your rabid stalking & harassing of Danny Haszard)

Circa 1996 the Watchtower society was compelled to make a strained public announcement that: 'we will NO LONGER SET DATES for THE END OF THE WORLD'.

Their unscrupulous apologist would like to whitewash Watchtower history of false prophecies but victims of their *fraud for God* like myself will not allow it.
The big difference between Jehovah's Witnesses and Christians is that the apocalyptic Watchtower Society's central core creed proclaims Jesus second coming in October 1914.
They sometimes try to obscure this failed prophecy,and say that he came 'invisibly'.Yes,all other Christians are awaiting Jesus return,the JW say he *already* came back in 1914 and is only working through their Watchtower society.

GOOGLE: Watchtower Jehovah 1914 1925 1975

( Jehovah's Witnesses trolls stop your rabid stalking & harassing of Danny Haszard)

Circa 1996 the Watchtower society was compelled to make a strained public announcement that: 'we will NO LONGER SET DATES for THE END OF THE WORLD'.

Their unscrupulous apologist would like to whitewash Watchtower history of false prophecies but victims of their *fraud for God* like myself will not allow it.
The big difference between Jehovah's Witnesses and Christians is that the apocalyptic Watchtower Society's central core creed proclaims Jesus second coming in October 1914.
They sometimes try to obscure this failed prophecy,and say that he came 'invisibly'.Yes,all other Christians are awaiting Jesus return,the JW say he *already* came back in 1914 and is only working through their Watchtower society.

GOOGLE: Watchtower Jehovah 1914 1925 1975

( Jehovah's Witnesses trolls stop your rabid stalking & harassing of Danny Haszard)

Interesting thoughts on the "land grab" theory. As a former JW, I can say that *every single one* of them is familiar with the game of picking out "Which House I Want to Live in After Armageddon." This was/is a popular activity during field service, or door to door work. Think the JWs are knocking on your door just to convert you?? Ha!

Their apocalyptic belief system is far too complex to be explained by one theory, and it serves many purposes. For example, any religious authority which claims to be the mouthpeice of god, as the JW hierarchy does, can keep its members in a state of fear and obedience through the use of doctrines that preach the end of the world is right around the corner.

I no longer have the need to use scriptures to try and prove what I'm saying is right, I'll leave that to the nutjobs. I opened up my eyes and took a look around after spending my whole life trapped by the fear I may be destroyed at armageddon. As I like to say now for people who still believe a bunch of sheets of paper prove they know god: Set your bible outside, and the wind, rain, and elements will eat away at it and it will dissolve back into the earth. My religion IS the wind and the rain.

Charles Taze Russell died a life-long DOPE ADDICT!!!!

Although there have been numerous INDIVIDUAL false prophets over the centuries who proclaimed exact dates for Armageddon, the Jehovah's Witnesses are the ONLY DENOMINATION which has done so -- and REPEATEDLY.

In fact, the WatchTower Cult originated in the late 1870s for the sole purpose of proclaiming that the Second Advent of Christ had already occurred "secretly" in October 1874, and that Armageddon was to occur in October 1914.

For a short, but complete, summary of the JWs repeated false prophecies, the following webpage discloses the history of both the JWs and their predecessors:

jwdivorces.bravehost.com/jwinfo.html

The world has ended and no one has even noticed...

I found the concept of the "Lucifer Principle" interesting but can't help but to be skeptical. I tried to look for F. Steiniger's work regarding the specific experiments he conducted which were mentioned in the above text. I couldn't find them. He was a German scientist who did his work quite some time before the digital era so I can see how his work may be very hard to locate in English on the web. I'm sure it's cited in the author's book but I would be much obliged if someone could point me to those sources. Also, have his experiments been repeated by anyone else? and where might I find a body of work (if any) over-viewing this phenomenon.

I know from stories around the lab I work at that mice can be quite vicious but I have never heard quite such a horrific story and have always observed rats to be far more friendly to humans and to one another. How did he coax them to be so vicious? Also, why did only two of the rats out of the total fifteen pair up? Shouldn't more of them have done this - and shouldn't these rats have had an equal advantage and perhaps even leveled the playing field once all of the remaining rats were paired up? Or alternatively, shouldn't larger "tribes" have formed which battled until only one "tribe" of more than two rats was left?

Neither of these possibilities even seems likely as most well accepted theories about group selection are not even this explicit - they are usually slight effects that may occur over long periods of time(rather than this Battle Royal like scenario. Anyway, if anyone can provide references for this work as well as for repeats of his experiments, please respond to this post. Thanks.

It's simple. Postulating catastrophe scenarios spurs innovation, invention and creativity. By pondering what could kill us, we find solutions to prevent such calamities. Which is why I don't care whether or not climategate/climatology is real or lies, it is spurring innovation, green energy, solar, wind and these eventually will be beneficial to us. IF global warming turns out to be a myth, so be it, we will have by then invented better solar panels and better batteries. That is, of course, if our attention continues toward that end of creating better technologies and not instead toward taxing carbon or some other heinous plans of depopulation or some such nonsense. Isn't the purpose of nightmares something simlar as well? The sleeping brain ponders hellish scenarios in order to run simulations of how to escape certain doom.

~laughing delightedly~ Wonderful way to explain it and agree with you whole heartedly, Mr. Bromine.

I may prepare for the worst and the worst not happen; I may prepare for the worst and still not survive it if it happens, but if I don't prepare, my odds just dropped significantly ;)

I also agree with Oliver, that while interesting on its face, I'd want a little more info on the theory in general BUT let us suppose we are satisfied that there is some sort of survival programming in there....

What I wonder is: if there can be, historically traced, another millennium during which all the supposed disparate stories come together in a current world view?

Something like, what's the psychological affect on the collective consciousness (or to initiate the survival gene sequencing described i.e. seek an ally and destroy any "others")? That, indeed all these stories have always existed, but all cultures have not always been aware of each others'. What did the early christian's care of the Aztecs' endtimes? Aztec who?

Survivors are always non-believers in the collective known culture, not added up worldwide--are some of us looking at the "big picture" of humanity as a species and feeling our own version of the sequence? Or, will this collective expectation be the catalyst needed to precipitate same?

Does anyone follow my thought-line here? Or is this the path Mr. Bloom is pointing to with the line of questions at the end of the article?

Curious.

Charles Taze Russell was not a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization. He was a non-sectarian who did not believe in such an authoritarian organization. The "Jehovah's Witnesses" was not his, but rather that organization was the creation of Joseph Rutherford after Russell died.

Charles Taze Russell was a student of Bible prophecy; he never claimed to be a prophet, and many times denied being a prophet, and stated that his expectations should be regarded as prophecy.

Charles Taze Russell did not believe in the Armageddon that is preached by the Jehovah's Witnesses. He did not expect the JW kind of Armageddon for 1914.

Charles Taze Russell created the Watch Tower magazine to mainly in response to the attacks made upon atonement in the blood of Jesus, the ransom for all, which Biblical truth Rutherford led his "Jehovah's Witnesses" to deny. Russell certainly did not create the Watchtower to declare something which he never, ever taught: the second coming of Jesus in 1914. Russell never taught one word about the second coming of Jesus in 1914 at all, and nothing of such a nature ever appeared in the Watch Tower in the days of Russell at all. Russell never made any prophecies at all concerning 1914, so there were no prophecies that could have "failed." Russell gave many varied expectations that he believed would or could happen; but even in stating those expectations he allowed for that for expectation that possibly nothing would happen in 1914, although I believe he was correct in that times of Gentiles did end in 1914, and the "time of trouble" did begin then, and we are still in that "time of trouble," although the final storm appears to not yet arrived.

Since communism certainly makes clear the 'land grab' part is in it, as the chiliastic vision of the end of capitalism is.

You wrote, "We won't go into the Native American Ghost Dance religion. Or into Japan's Aum Shinrikyo. Take my word for it. They are catastrophe-beliefs."

With respect I think "we" should go into "Japan's Aum Shinrikyo". It would be more accurate to write that it WAS a "catastrope-belief" which predicted the end of the world to happen in 1997. Although at one time there were possible 20,000 members world-wide (mainly in Japan and Russia) current Japanese government estimates put the current membership of Aleph at 1,650. (Aum Shinrikyo no longer exists under that name, not since January 2000) There was a big drop off in membership numbers since Aum Shinrikyo's founder, Shoko Asahara, ordered the sarin gas attack on Tokyo's subway system which left 15 dead and an estimated 5000 injured. He is in prison awaiting execution. Aleph was founded by his third daughter in January and she is the current leader. To clarify how Aum Shinrikyo came to a 'catastophic' end before its prophecy that the world was coming to end in 1997 had a chance to come true:

"In 1992 Asahara published a book, within which he declared himself "Christ," Japan's only fully enlightened master and the "Lamb of God." His purported mission was to take upon himself the sins of the world. Asahara said he could transfer to his followers spiritual power and ultimately take away their sins and bad Karma. He also saw dark conspiracies everywhere promulgated by Jews, Freemasons and rival Japanese religions.

Ultimately, Asahara outlined a doomsday prophecy, which included a Third World War. Asahara's final conflict would culminate in a nuclear Armageddon. Asahara even used the term "armageddon," which he took from the book of Revelation.[1] Humanity would end, except for an elite few. Those elite few meant those who joined Aum.[1] Aum's mission was not only to spread the word of "salvation," but also to survive these "End Times." Asahara predicted Armageddon would occur in 1997.[1]

Asahara incessantly attacked the Jews and even the British Royal Family as principals in conspiracies. He named the United States as the Beast from the Book of Revelation predicting America would eventually attack Japan."

This quotation is taken from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleph_(religion)#Influence_of_Christianity

I can only write about what I know and have lived through here in Japan. However I am curious to know "the Native American Ghost Dance religion" reference is all about, and why we shouldn't go into that either? All the best from Tokyo.