"Doomsday" in America: What Does It Represent?
"Doomsday" in America—What Does It Represent?
For the vast majority of people around the world, Saturday, May 21, 2011, was just an ordinary day with no special significance. However, for certain religious zealots in the United States, this day was absolutely extraordinary.
There is a Christian radio station called "Family Radio" that is quite influential among religious populations in the United States. Its president, Harold Camping, had previously issued sensationalist prophecies: that on Saturday, May 21, 2011, Jesus would return to the world we inhabit (the Second Coming of Jesus).
In the Bible, the arrival of this day is certain and repeatedly emphasized, though no specific date is given. This day, also known as "Judgment Day" or the "End of the World" (doomsday), would see Jesus descend from the heavens to take away the 200 million believers (the elect) he has chosen (the Rapture); then God would destroy the world he created. Those remaining would watch helplessly as the devout believers were saved, while they themselves faced final death: being cast into Hell.
In his 1994 book titled 1994, Camping had already proposed that "doomsday" would occur between September 15 and 17 of that year. As it turned out, nothing happened. He later explained that he had made a slight error in his calculations, and that the more accurate date was actually 6:00 PM on May 21, 2011. Of course, this day also passed, and still nothing happened. But here lies the advantage of religion: no amount of fact can prove God does not exist, and the devout will continue to believe steadfastly—on May 23, he again explained to his followers that the failure of the May 21 forecast was due to his misunderstanding of the Bible's "apocalyptic" revelations, and that the true arrival of "doomsday" should be October 21, 2011.
This should not be viewed merely as entertainment for fools. The notion of "doomsday" originates from monotheism and is recorded in the Bible. Although the accounts in the Old and New Testaments differ, it is a fundamental tenet that all believers must hold; otherwise, "original sin" and "salvation" would have no footing, faith in God would become empty talk, and the allure of Heaven and the threat of Hell would lose all efficacy. Such "prophecies" have an extremely deep religious-cultural foundation in the West, to the point of affecting the deepest reaches of that culture: psychological abnormality. Consequently, for over a thousand years, prophecies concerning the end of the world have appeared incessantly, with countless recorded instances. The resulting terror and the accumulation of a phobic psychology inevitably impact a nation’s character and the political decision-making of a modern state. Everything from celestial movements and planetary distributions to earthquakes, tsunamis, and tornadoes can be given a religious interpretation and artistic representation. It spans upward to aliens and "Star Wars" and downward to atomic war, weapons of mass destruction, and even "clashes of civilizations," where alien nations, states, faiths, and values are viewed as threats to one's own security. This keeps the people of that country in an atmosphere of terror at all times, allowing forces with ulterior motives to seek private gain, which has truly become a major factor in global instability.
Of course, this is not to say that natural disasters can be ignored, but rather that one cannot agree with using religious dogmas like God or "divine retribution" to explain them, nor with perfunctorily dismissing them through a religion-adjacent "awe of nature." A more proactive attitude and the only correct course of action lies in the "magic weapon" [1] of "developing the country through science and education" (科教兴国). Therefore, we cannot take the frequent occurrence of natural disasters as a laughingstock to ridicule the concept that "man can conquer nature" (人定胜天) [2], nor can we allow the mind to be dominated by views such as "living at the mercy of heaven" or doomsday delusions. Instead, we must implement "developing the country through science and education" in practice and place the functions of capital and currency in their proper positions. In fact, more than just nuclear war or the recurring use of weapons of mass destruction, even conventional wars cause ordinary people [3] immense fear; they absolutely do not wish for them to occur in their vicinity. For over a hundred years prior to sixty years ago, the Chinese people tasted enough of the suffering brought by war. Empathizing with others [4], peaceful coexistence became the primary maxim of Chinese diplomacy. However, conflicts and wars are man-made, directly related to the political and economic demands of certain countries and interest groups. High technology is used to manufacture high-precision killing machines; "mighty is the king, while the defeated is the bandit" [5]—whoever has the bigger fist and kills more represents "human rights" and "freedom." Then, they continue to keep their own people in a manufactured state of terror. This is a problem of social structure and social systems, the resolution of which must ultimately depend on the awakening and the voice of the people of all nations themselves.
In China, there is a famous story about "the man from Qi who worried about the sky." Liezi: Heavenly Blessings [6] records:
"There was a man in the State of Qi who feared that heaven and earth would collapse and fall, leaving him with nowhere to rest his body. He became so worried that he could neither sleep nor eat. There was another person who was concerned about this man's worry, so he went to enlighten him, saying: 'The sky is nothing but accumulated air (qi); there is no place where there is no air. You bend, stretch, and breathe within this air all day long; why then worry that it will collapse?' The man asked: 'If the sky is indeed accumulated air, should the sun, moon, and stars not fall down?' The enlightener replied: 'The sun, moon, and stars are merely luminous bodies within the accumulated air. Even if they were to fall, they could not strike or wound anyone within the air.' The man then asked: 'What if the earth should perish?' The enlightener said: 'The earth is but accumulated blocks of soil, filling the four voids; there is no place where there is no soil. You tread and stomp upon it all day long; why then worry that it will perish?' The man was greatly relieved and overjoyed, and his enlightener was also greatly relieved and overjoyed."
The collapsing of heaven and the rending of earth can be considered a type of "doomsday." There are four attitudes toward this discourse: the "Man of Qi" is closest to the Western doomsday theory, but with a fundamental difference—it is unrelated to religious prophecy and is instead a form of ungrounded anxiety. The "enlightener" used the logic of "air" (qi) and "blocks" (kuai) to explain it to him, which worked well; the Man of Qi no longer worried, and the enlightener felt his logic was very persuasive, so both were happy. Thinking from the perspective of traditional Chinese culture, ideas about the end of the world are possible, but one can be persuaded out of them without having to live in terror and trepidation all day long. Therefore, when talk of "doomsday" is clamorous, it is necessary for society to resolve these doubts and anxieties to avoid triggering social panic. The "Heavenly Blessings" chapter continues:
"When Zhangluzi heard of this, he smiled and said: 'The rainbows, the clouds and mists, the wind and rain, and the four seasons—these are what constitute the heaven through accumulated air. The mountains and peaks, the rivers and seas, the metals and stones, and the fire and wood—these are what constitute the earth through accumulated shapes. Knowing they are accumulated air and accumulated blocks, how can one say they will not perish? Heaven and earth are but a tiny object within the void, yet the largest among existing things. That they are difficult to exhaust or bring to an end is certain; that they are difficult to measure or know is also certain. Those who worry about their perishing are indeed worrying about something very far off, but those who say they will not perish are also incorrect. Since heaven and earth cannot avoid perishing, they will eventually perish. When the time of their destruction comes, how can one not worry?' Master Liezi heard this and smiled, saying: 'To say heaven and earth will perish is a fallacy; to say they will not perish is also a fallacy. Whether they perish or not is something I cannot know. Nevertheless, that is one possibility, and this is another. Thus, the living know not of death, and the dead know not of life; those coming know not of going, and those going know not of coming. Whether they perish or not, why should I trouble my heart with it?'"
"Zhangluzi" disapproved of both previous attitudes, believing that while the Man of Qi’s worry was indeed superfluous, the enlightener was not necessarily right either—because while the destruction of heaven and earth might not happen immediately, it will happen eventually, so how can one tell the person involved not to worry? "Master Liezi" was the most straightforward: whether heaven and earth perish is unknowable to us, so why keep it in one’s heart and seek out trouble? This involves the philosophy of life, which will not be discussed here, but it reflects a demand to treat such issues seriously rather than allowing them to be used as religious dogmas over and over again to fool the masses. This is worth reflecting upon.
In reality, in today's scientific civilization, there are roughly two groups that believe in doomsday. One consists of those with ulterior motives, and the other consists of those forgotten by scientific civilization. Both are social problems.
Looking at the West as a whole, although the United States was founded a very short time ago, the intensity of its religious belief is somewhat beyond the norm. On this point, American intellectuals and politicians are very clear, and they often take pride in it as a model of "religious freedom." According to 2008 Gallup statistics, 78% of people in the U.S. believe in some religion, while 15% do not believe in a religion but believe in a "Higher Power." The majority are Christians. This is also why many politicians say the U.S. is a "Christian Country." Consequently, if anyone running for government office does not profess belief in some religion, it is tantamount to announcing the end of their political career. The first American politician who dared to publicly admit to being an atheist was a California Congressman named Pete Stark, and that did not happen until 2007. (Editor’s Note: Professor Paul Kurtz, the leader of a well-known American skeptical organization, has maintained friendly academic exchanges with our country. He affirmed our magazine Science and Atheism, believing its aim was largely consistent with his own, but he did not approve of using the name "Atheism," thinking the word too negative and difficult for readers to accept. He urged us to change the name to "Secular Humanism." After coming to China for exchanges, he changed his view and began using the concept of atheism even within his own publications—he himself actually adheres to the philosophy of Pragmatism.)
Returning to our starting topic: according to statistical surveys by the Pew Research Center, 41% of Americans believe that Jesus will return to Earth at some point before 2050. Among them, 23% are very certain, and 18% think it is possible. However, only 46% do not believe Jesus will return within the next 40 years. Among white evangelicals (the most influential Christian denomination in the U.S.), 58% say Jesus will return during this period, the highest proportion among all denominations. Only 32% of Catholics and even fewer Protestants make the same prediction. Among people who believe in other religions, one in five also believes Jesus will return. Additionally, 59% of those without a college education are more likely to expect Jesus’s return to Earth compared to those with some college experience (35%) or those with a college degree (19%). Regionally, people in the South (52%) are more likely to predict the Second Coming of Jesus.
Actually, for those familiar with the American national situation, these circumstances are not surprising. If you know that only 39% of Americans believe in evolution and that churches are vigorously promoting "Intelligent Design" into school textbooks, the above statistics are not hard to understand. Some people wonder why many Americans also do not believe in the greenhouse effect on Earth; I think if so many people believe that the end of the world is not far off, what does it matter if the Earth warms or not?
One final question remains worthy of reflection: how was this national situation in the U.S. formed? Is it truly because religion brought about democracy, freedom, and science and technology? At the very least, studying the latest statistics can provide some inspiration: the U.S. is not only extremely polarized socially, but it is also extremely polarized culturally. One group of people not only rules and dominates the entire society in economic and political life but also rules and dominates the entire populace in religion and ideology. When the majority of the populace indulges in ignorance and superstition in their religious beliefs, while the cultural elites remain indifferent or silent for various reasons, it results in rumors and lies in public opinion and political operation becoming a common habit that no longer surprises anyone.
Let us look at the facts. The following is a sampling survey from the Pew Research Center/Smithsonian Magazine, April 21–26, 2010—Majority of White Evangelicals Expect the Return of Jesus Christ:
[Table omitted in translation but contents summarized: Shows breakdown of belief in Jesus's return by denomination, education level, and region, matching the percentages discussed in the text.]