Week in Review: Signs of the End Times
by Mary - August 25, 2006 - 7:04 PM

armageddon.JPGAs you may have heard, scholar Bernard Lewis recently announced in the Wall Street Journal that August 22, 2006 would be the end of the world. Or, more precisely, that if a man did come around on that date, he’d probably be the president of Iran:

This year, Aug. 22 corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to “the farthest mosque,” usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (c.f., Koran XVII.1). This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind.

So, it didn’t happen. Deep breath. But did you notice all the other signs of the apocalypse this week, right here on mental_floss?

* All the waters that were in the river turned to blood. And the fish that were in the river died, and the water stank.

* My very earthly mother just served us nine pizzas, and we mourned.

* The hound of hell appeared, dressed for the occasion.

* Little baseball-playing children swore as the Yankees swept the Sox. (I’m from Boston. This is apocalyptic.)

* There were phantoms, there were fires on the road, and the white man Chinese women dancin‘. (Not a Leonard Cohen fan? Here’s the reference.)

* The “destroy another fetus” part of that Cohen song became (at least partially and theoretically) moot.

* The planet was rocked by 244 earthquakes.

* “Suddenly the sky turned blood-red – there were tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city.”

* There were plagues of frogs and snakes.

* Religious fervor peaked as an organ sounded a rumbling bass note.

* And women wept.

Enjoy your weekends; we’ll see you Monday, assuming that the planet’s still here by then.

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Comments (1)

  1. Editor’s note: We weren’t sure if this should be considered comment-spam or not, and we’re a little worried that by writing about the apocalypse we may have somehow brought it about for our own blog…

    —

    Hello all,

    I pose to you and others that the context and meaning of these ancient texts have been lost on those confused by the assertions of religious leaders and founders. Ancient wisdom has been purposely recast and obfuscated into religion and mysticism. Consequently, the interpretations presented about the sources and meaning of these texts and the philosophy and cosmology of ancient Hebrew sages is completely wrong. Before you scoff and write me off, you should understand that I speak from personal experience…

    Understanding the Fatal Flaws in Judeo-Christian-Islamic Prophecy

    Remember the saying that “the truth will set you (and others) free?” How does “opening one’s eyes to the truth” relate to “making the blind see again” or “shining the light” or “illuminating a subject?” Notice the inherent symbolism associated with this supposed New Testament “miracle?”

    As certain world leaders strive to instigate a fabricated “battle of Armageddon,” it is vital to understand and spread the truth about these ancient texts to help bring about an end to such abominable evil. You can never expect philosophies based on lies and great error to lead to peace and harmony. How many more millennia of terrible proof is necessary before humanity finally gets a clue that most have been utterly deceived by the very concept of religion.

    Without it, Bush, the Neo-Cons, and their cohorts could never have gained and retained political power by manipulating an already deluded and susceptible constituency. Likewise, their thinly veiled partners in crime, Bin Laden and his ilk, could never have succeeded in their roles in this centuries-old Vatican-led grand deception.

    We are all trapped by a web of deception formed by money, religion, and politics. The great evils that bedevil us all will never cease until humanity finally awakens, shakes off these strong delusions, and forges a new path to the future.

    Here is Wisdom…

    Peace…

    posted by Seven Star Hand on 8-25-2006 at 7:52 pm

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