"Doomsday" in America: What Does It Represent?
For the vast majority of people around the world, the Saturday in question was just an ordinary day. However, within the influential religious demographics of the United States, Harold Camping—president of the Christian radio station "Family Radio"—had once again released a sensational prophecy: that on this very day, the "End of the World" would arrive.
In the Bible, the arrival of this day is affirmed and repeatedly emphasized, though no specific date is given. This day, also known as "Judgment Day" or the "End Times," is when Jesus is said to descend from the heavens to take away a total of 200 million chosen believers (the Rapture [1]). God will then destroy the world He created; the remaining masses will watch helplessly as the pious are saved, while they themselves face ultimate death: descent into Hell.
In his 1994 book 1994, Camping had previously posited that the "End of the World" would occur in September of that year. When that date passed without incident, he claimed his mathematical calculations had been slightly off and rescheduled the event for this year.
This cannot be viewed merely as entertainment for fools. The doctrine of the "End of the World" originates in monotheism and is recorded in the Bible. Although the accounts in the Old and New Testaments differ, it remains a fundamental tenet that all believers must hold; otherwise, "original sin" and "redemption" lose their foundation, faith in God becomes empty talk, and the allure of Heaven and the threat of Hell lose all efficacy. This type of "prophecy" has an extremely profound religious and cultural foundation in the West, to the extent that it influences the deepest recesses of that culture: the psychological pathology of the individual. Consequently, for over a millennium, prophecies concerning the end of the world have appeared without interruption, with recorded instances being almost too numerous to count.
The terror caused by these prophecies and the resulting sedimentation of a fearful psychology inevitably impact a nation's character and the political decision-making of a modern state. From the movements of celestial bodies and the distribution of planets to earthquakes, tsunamis, and tornadoes—everything can be subjected to religious interpretation and artistic representation. It reaches upward to extraterrestrials and "Star Wars," and downward to atomic warfare, weapons of mass destruction, and even "clashes of civilizations." This worldview regards the peoples, nations, beliefs, and values of "the other" as threats to its own security. It leads a country's people to live in a constant atmosphere of terror, allowing interests with ulterior motives to reap private gains. This has truly become a major factor in global instability.
Of course, this is not to say that natural disasters should be ignored; rather, one cannot agree with using religious dogmas like "the will of God" or "divine retribution" to explain them, nor can one settle for perfunctory "reverence for nature" that converges with religion. A more proactive attitude and the only correct course of action lies in the "magic weapon" [2] of "invigorating the country through science and education" (kējiao xìngguó). Therefore, the frequent occurrence of natural disasters should not be used as a laughingstock to mock the concept that "man can conquer nature" (rén dìng shèng tiān) [3], nor should we allow the human heart to be dominated by ideas like "depending on heaven for food" or doomsday delusions. Rather, we must realize "invigorating the country through science and education" in practice and place the functions of capital and currency in their proper position. In fact, it is not just nuclear war or the use of weapons of mass destruction that terrifies the common people; even conventional wars are sources of extreme dread, and people are absolutely unwilling to see them occur in their vicinity. For over a century prior to 60 years ago, the Chinese people tasted enough of the suffering brought by war. Extending our own feelings to others, "peaceful coexistence" has become 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 ruler and the loser is the thief" [4]; the biggest fist and the most killings are equated with human rights and freedom. Then, the people of these nations are kept in a manufactured state of terror. This is a problem of social structure and social systems. Its solution will likely require the people of all nations to eventually awaken and speak for themselves.
In China, there is a famous story about "the man from Qi who worried about the sky." The Liezi, "Heavenly Gifts" [5] records:
"There was a man in the state of Qi who worried that heaven and earth would collapse, leaving him with nowhere to rest his body. He became so distressed that he could neither sleep nor eat. Another man, worried about the first man’s worry, went to enlighten him, saying: 'Heaven is but accumulated air (qi); there is no place where air does not exist. As you bend, stretch, and breathe, you move within heaven all day long. Why fear its collapse?' The first man asked: 'If heaven is indeed accumulated air, should not the sun, moon, and stars fall down?' The enlightener replied: 'The sun, moon, and stars are merely luminous objects within the accumulated air. Even if they fell, they could not strike or harm anything within the air.' The man asked: 'What if the earth crumbles?' The enlightener said: 'The earth is but accumulated clumps (kuai); it fills the four voids, and there is no place without these clumps. As you stomp and walk, you move upon the earth all day long. Why fear its crumbling?' The man was greatly relieved and happy, and his enlightener was also greatly relieved and happy."
The collapsing of heaven and the cracking of earth can be considered a type of "End of the World." There are four attitudes toward this discourse. The "man of Qi" is closest to the Western apocalyptic theory, but with one fundamental difference: it is unrelated to religious prophecy and is instead a form of groundless anxiety. The "enlightener" used the logic of "air" (qi) and "clumps" (kuai) to explain it to him, which was very effective. The man of Qi no longer worried, and the enlightener felt his logic was persuasive, so both were happy. Thinking from the perspective of traditional Chinese culture, ideas about the end of the world are possible, but they can be reasoned away without the need for constant terror and trepidation. Therefore, when talk of the "End of the World" is clamorous, it is necessary for society to resolve doubts and remove anxieties to avoid triggering social panic. The "Heavenly Gifts" chapter continues:
"Zhangluzi heard of this and laughed, saying: 'Rainbows, clouds, mist, wind, rain, and the four seasons—these are what constitute the heaven through accumulated air. Mountains, rivers, seas, metals, stones, fire, and wood—these are what constitute the earth through accumulated forms. Knowing they are accumulated air and clumps, how can one say they will not decay? Heaven and earth are but tiny objects within the void, yet the largest among existing things. That they are difficult to exhaust is certain; that they are difficult to measure is certain. To worry about their decay is indeed far-fetched; but to say they will not decay is also incorrect. Since heaven and earth cannot avoid decay, they will eventually decay. When the time for decay comes, how can one not worry?' Liezi heard this and laughed, saying: 'To say heaven and earth will decay is a fallacy; to say they will not decay is also a fallacy. Whether they decay 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 where they go, and those going know not of where they come. Why should I harbor any concern about whether they decay or not?'"
"Zhangluzi" disagreed with both of the first two attitudes, believing that while the man of Qi’s worry was redundant, the enlightener was not necessarily right either—because while the destruction of heaven and earth will not happen immediately, it will happen eventually. How could one tell the person involved not to worry? "Liezi" was the most straightforward: whether heaven and earth decay 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; however, it reflects a demand that such issues be treated seriously and not be used repeatedly as religious dogmas to fool the public. This is worth reflecting upon.
In reality, in today's scientific civilization, groups that believe in the end of the world roughly fall into two categories: those with ulterior motives and those forgotten by scientific civilization. Both are social problems.
Looking at the West as a whole, although the United States has a very short history since its founding, the intensity of religious belief there is somewhat beyond the norm. Both American intellectuals and politicians are well aware of this and 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, and 15% do not belong to a religion but believe in a "Higher Power." The majority are Christians. This is why many politicians say the U.S. is a "Christian Country." Consequently, for anyone campaigning for government office, not expressing a belief in some religion is equivalent to announcing the end of their political career. The first American politician who dared to publicly admit to being an atheist was Pete Stark, a California congressman, as recently as 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 affirms our magazine Science and Atheism, believing our interests are largely consistent with his. However, he does not approve of using the name "Atheism," arguing the word is too negative and difficult for readers to accept. He advised us to change the name to "Secular Humanism." After visiting China for exchanges, he changed his view and began using the concept of atheism even in his own publications—he himself actually subscribes to pragmatist philosophy.)
Returning to our opening topic: According to a statistical survey by the Pew Research Center, 41% of people in the U.S. 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 sect in the U.S.), 58% say Jesus will return during this period, the highest proportion of any sect. Only 32% of Catholics and even fewer Protestants make the same prediction. Among those who believe in other religions, one in five also believes Jesus will return. Additionally, 59% of those without college experience are more likely to expect the return of Jesus than 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 national conditions of the United States, these situations are not surprising. If you know that only 39% of Americans believe in the theory of evolution, and that churches are vigorously pushing "Intelligent Design" into school textbooks, the above statistics are not difficult 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 the end of the world is not far off, what does it matter if the Earth warms up or not?
One remaining question is worth consideration: How were these national conditions 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 provides an insight: the U.S. is not only extremely polarized socially; it is equally polarized culturally. One group of people dominates and controls the entire society not only in economic and political life but also in religion and ideology. When the majority of the public is immersed in ignorance and superstition regarding religious belief, while the cultural elites exhibit indifference or silence for various reasons, rumors and lies in public opinion and political operation become a normalized habit.
Let us look at the facts. The following is from the Pew Research Center/Smithsonian Magazine:
Possible/Certain to Occur (%) | Will Not Occur (%)
- Total: 41 | 46
- Protestant Sects: 54 | 32
- White Evangelical: 58 | 25
- White Mainline Protestant: 27 | 58
- Catholic: 32 | 57
- Non-Christian: 20 | 72
- College Graduate: 19 | 64
- Some College: 35 | 51
- High School or Lower: 59 | 31
- East: 29 | 64
- Midwest: 39 | 47
- South: 52 | 33
- West: 35 | 51
(References omitted) Managing Editor: Wang Jiafei