The Self-Fulfulling Prophecy of Apocalyspe

[tfarr007]

In the movie Religulous, Maher talks about religion being a self-fulfilling prophecy. He presents a theory that the very fact that we believe that we are headed towards apocalypse seems to make one more inevitable. This means that he tensions created by religion will ultimatley be the same tensions that will draw the world into its own self-destruction. He suggests that religion is simply another factor which divides humans and causes them to quarrel. Put more clearly he says that people will destory themselves because religion makes them hate each other (which is ironic since religion predicts this ending but for a different reason). Does this theory seem applicable in a age where man both posesses the means (nuclear power) and motivation (religious fanaticism) to destory himself?

[Mathais]

Well we been heading that for along time he just like everyone else jumping on the band wagon. It reminds me of those national inquiry magizings The end of the world is near! Crap that they always post but coming from a christian ponit of viwe. Nobody knows when it is it just going to happen one day and everybody well it about time.

[tfarr007]

Right, i do not mean to try to pin down the date or the manner in which it happens, I am just speculating that if we do destroy ourselves, will it be because of religion? Is religion the reason that human thought was not able to advance to a point where humans could overcome their differences and work for the betterment of the species rather than just try ot blow themselves up? If so, this means that religion is the reason for the same apocalypse that it prophesizes.

[dwringer]

well a lot of the people who get turned in to suicide bombers believe in a sort of apocalypse, and a lot of the people they are bombing do too. So yeah, I think it's a pretty major factor in world affairs that most major religions believe the apocalypse can and will happen. What I worry about is how much American leaders believe in it. Or Iranian. Or Israeli, or Pakistani, or whatever. Trying to be non-denominational here ;p