The End is Near....

Did someone let Hal loose again?...
http://www.amazon.com/Late-Great-Planet-Earth/dp/031027771X



Seriously, I recall reading a religious studies book wherein the author talked about having to "mature" past such nonsense to get serious about G-d. He remembered constant "Rapture Classes" when he was a teenager entailing detailed scenarios of how modern headlines were playing out the prophecies of the Revelation (of course, they kept having to change the parallels every couple of years as leaders and other situations in the world changed). He finally realized that becoming caught up in such things was a crutch to let people check out of the world and forget their duty to their fellow man.

Of course, such things have been going on for centuries. There are many medieval stories of monastaries whose members were convinced that the AntiChrist had appeared and the end was only months away. No surprise when yet another group starts shouting it all over again. Change the date, recycle.