In Theory: End of the world as we know it?

“2012” was at the top of the box office last week. The movie’s plot revolves around the end of the world, supposedly predicted by the end of the Mayan calendar, which expires on Dec. 21, 2012. The movie is described as “an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.” The supposed end of the world in 2012 continues to be a hot topic by believers and nonbelievers alike. Does your faith reveal anything specific about the end of the world or how it might look like? And what do you think about the supposed Mayan prophecy that the world will end in 2012?

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The short answer is: No, the Bible doesn’t predict anything specific about the end of the world.

The various visions of cataclysm it contains are just that — visions, poetic fantasies, metaphors, which have more to do with the writer’s immediate time and trauma than events foreseen in the distant future.

Biblical scholars’ best guess is that when Jesus spoke of coming days of doom, he meant either the destruction of the Second Temple (which happened in AD 70) or the persecution and martyrdom of his followers — or again, he was only speaking in poetic metaphor about the arbitrariness of life and death, and the consequent need for spiritual attentiveness: “Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come” (Mark 13:33).

One amusing passage (2 Timothy 3:1-5) sounds a lot like the horrible days are already here: “You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come.

For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power.”

Sounds all too true already, right?

I think that our timeless fascination with the end of time is really just our fear of death, and awareness of the transitory fragility of life.

The terrifying truth is that the end of life could come any time, for any one of us.

THE REV. AMY PRINGLE

St. George’s Episcopal Church in La Cañada

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Believers and nonbelievers alike may have certain opinions about the end of the world — and how it will present itself. We have many illustrations in the Holy Bible that give pictures of what that may look like. But as far as the Mayan calendar and other types of prophecies, they have come and gone in history. I prefer to go straight to God’s word when contemplating such events.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:36 that, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Here, Jesus is speaking of more than just his return, but the following scriptures go on to speak of final judgment in apocalyptic literature (see also Matthew 13:37-43 and Revelation 19:20). Jesus tells us we are not going to know the exact timing or nature of events, only the father has the authority to identify these.

So while we have ideas of how — and when — the end of the world may come, we really do not know. And professing to may lead to false prophesies according to Christian belief.

THE REV. KIMBERLIE ZAKARIAN

La Vie Counseling Center

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Judaism does not lend credence to any “end of the world” theories.

The biblical narrative of Noah tells us that after the destructive forces of the great flood, God promised that never again would he cause such devastation, and he placed a rainbow in the sky as a token of this covenant.

Our belief system teaches us that the world was created for us to inhabit, cultivate, and nurture so that it may become a garden for goodness and kindness. The divine mission for humanity and all of nature necessitates a physical realm, and the Earth’s destruction would contradict this spiritual purpose. We believe that the world as we know it will one day transform into an even better environment of universal understanding and peace; as the prophet Isaiah (2:4) articulates, there will come a day when humanity “shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against another, nor shall they teach their young the ways of war any more.”

While I’m pretty certain that most people who watched “2012” were simply entertained by the spectacle and didn’t take the movie seriously, there are unfortunately some who have been adversely affected by the talk of a cataclysm. Over the past few months, people have approached me in the grocery checkout line, in the doctor’s waiting room, and many other places to inquire sincerely and with great concern about the destruction of our planet. This is a counter-productive result of all the apocalyptic talk, which has left some people unnecessarily frightened.

In my opinion, religious leaders should soundly dispel these “end of the world” theories and reassure their congregants that there is nothing to fear. We should all encourage people to live and enjoy life to its fullest, to be charitable and do good deeds. So long as we continue to follow our best instincts toward love and kindness, our future will remain bright and secure through 2012 and beyond.

RABBI SIMCHA BACKMAN

Chabad of Glendale and the Foothills

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The Mayan culture, as many of the other ancient cultures, shared their spiritual beliefs through symbols and stories.

I think to take their calendar end date of Dec. 21, 2012, literally, is just looking at the tip of an iceberg. The real message is hidden underneath the literal interpretation.

Consider the Mayan calendar functioning very much like the odometer of your car. When the odometer reaches the end of a numerical series, it rolls over and begins again at zero.

Think of the Mayan calendar representing a cycle of growth or understanding, in consciousness. Instead of a literal “end of time,” it means that the human race will evolve in a much higher vibration, ready to begin a new cycle of life expression. I am looking forward to the higher expression of love, compassion, healing and creativity that is in humanity’s future.

I have seen the movie “2012” and enjoyed the special effects, the acting and the theme of hope throughout the story. But, it’s “entertainment.” I didn’t leave the theater fearing the future date of Dec 21, 2012, because I don’t literally interpret the story.

Unity’s definition of God or Divine Mind is that God is omnipresence — everywhere present, equally at all times; God is omniscience — all knowing (all science); and God is omnipotent — all power. God does not end with a certain culture’s calendar date. Dec. 21, 2012, will come and go from our experience; but, God will still be there.

A new book by Ruth Graham (daughter of evangelist Billy Graham) has just been released.

The title of the book is the perfect attitude to take with all “end of the world” stories: “Fear Not Tomorrow, God Is Already There.”

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The Bible teaches that everyone really, deep down, believes in God, and that deniers of God’s existence are merely rejecting that truth in favor of their own sinful lifestyles (Romans 1:18-32).

Any apocalyptic fear of 2012 proves the point that people worry about their relationship with God. Fear of death accompanies lack of faith.

Everyone is unsettled by death, but those who are right with God can face Earth’s end with relative peace.

NASA has now pointed out the fallacy of the movie’s premise of catastrophic planetary collision, and I think they make a good sense.

Besides this, the Mayan calendar is hardly an authority on God’s timetable. Mayans were polytheistic nature worshipers who took human sacrifice to incredible bloodthirsty lengths. They had no prophetic pipeline to God, and if their insights reflected the view of Satan himself, it would still be only the guessings of a subordinate. Mayan civilization also went extinct, so how’d they miss that date if they had any special knowledge?

Christians vary on ideas about end-times. Historically, more would say the terminus arrives with Christ’s Second Coming, but popularly, there are all sorts of left-behind scenarios and 666 conspiracies.

I’m with the first group, believing it comports more reasonably with scripture, but it’s not an issue essential to anyone’s Christianity.

Whether the final event is the sudden Parousia (Second Coming), or comes with preliminary prophetic plights, the Bible doesn’t pinpoint dates.

It only says there will be an end, and we must be faithful until then. God’s people then inherit heaven, and the atheists and evil-doers are banished to a hellish, godless eternity (whatever that’s like).

So I don’t worry about the end, and certainly not about Hollywood’s fantasies regarding it.

I don’t take my cues from Pagans, and I frankly don’t mind if it happens tomorrow.

My sins are forgiven; Christ is my savior, God is my father, the Holy Spirit is my companion, and the three are one.

Like the old hymn refrain, “What have I to fear, what have I to dread?”

THE REV. BRYAN GRIEM