12/21/2012: Apocalypse Now, Later or Never?
Already one of the most talked about movies of the year, 2012 opens in theaters Nov. 13th. It is directed by Roland Emmerich and stars Thandie Newton, Amanda Peet, Woody Harrelson, Danny Glover and John Cusack.
Will the year 2012 spell the end of life on Earth as we know it? Columbia Pictures’ upcoming disaster movie “2012″ suggests that it will. Based loosely on interpretations of the Mayan long count calendar, which ends its 5,125-year cycle on December 21, 2012, the movie’s trailer features the tagline, “Mankind’s earliest civilization warned us this day was coming.”
But judging by the track records of other ancient apocalyptic traditions, we probably have nothing to worry about, says Allen Kerkeslager, Ph.D., associate professor of theology at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Kerkeslager has taught courses dealing with the apocalyptic traditions of other ancient cultures including Persian Zoroastrians and early Jewish groups.
Those drawn to concepts of the apocalypse for religious and cultural reasons have often pointed to various events in history as signs of a coming Armageddon, Kerkeslager says. (more…)
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