Skeptic Dismisses 2012
January 21, 2009
Benjamin Radford, managing editor of the Skeptical Inquirer, has an article at LiveScience.com, World to End in 2012 (Check Back for Updates), that starts off with this paragraph:
Three children were recently removed from a remote church compound called Strong City in New Mexico. There had been allegations that children at the cult may have been sexually abused, though the matter remains under investigation and charges have yet to be filed.
He then proceeds to reminds us of past prophecies that have failed. Seemingly his whole argument for the world not ending in 2012 is that other, non-related prophecies were incorrect. It’s rather weak for a person of his position.
But to start out with mentions of cults and child abuse makes it seem like he has been paid to discredit the 2012 movement. Either that, or he has a personal grudge that he does not disclose.
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48 Responses to “Skeptic Dismisses 2012”
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With a name like Skeptical Inquirer….
you all look at the wrong places. Google things like hurricanes and earthquakes and you will see how all this is on the rise. not to mention the geologist in the US saying earthquakes in US are predicted to rise 37%. or the fact that Yellowstone is active right now and there was a swarm of almost 500 earthquakes around it from December 26 2008 to January 6 2009. go ahead and Google it. this is coming from scientist not 2012 fanatics. oooooo and by the way there was 80 record setting snowfalls in October of 2008….yea i did my research maybe you should
The sheeple will always bicker over the small aspects of an infinite amount of possibilities and the issues that are deliberately thrown out there to create confusion and despair in finding the real truth, which is well hidden from general public. I agree with Michael, it is obvious when one studies the weather that it is either being heavily manipulated via chem trails, HAARP or other electromagnetic devices or through a universal change, a cycle of events. I believe both is happening, but what is not truly known is whether our Govts are causing disturbed weather or are trying to rectify an increasing and unavoidable cataclysm in the future. Maybe not in 2012 but easily within 100 years if the current way of living continues.
might be the reason for Obamas gun control when you have 40million Americans evacuating a part of the USA it'd be easier to accomplish if you didn't have 10million people with guns
"SKEPTIC DISMISSES DOOMSDAY THEORIES." NOT "Skeptic Dismisses 2012." Someone is a little defensive! 2012 barely gets a brief mention at the bottom of his article. He calls 2012 the newest doomsday craze to catch on. Radford's article simply states that throughout human history, people have always come up with movements that insist on an imminent apocalypse (which then ultimately never happens). You can imagine how an objective reader, when looking for insight on doomsday theories, might preferably defer to the field of History (as Radford does) rather than a bizarre amalgam of Spiritual/Pseudo-Scientific/Prophetic/Cultural/Religious fields.
Jake – to be fair, 2012 is in the title of the piece.
Who says 'textbook' history is real anyway? Intuitively I feel most of what I was 'taught' about history was dead wrong or severely distorted. Sheeple will always believe anything their Govt or so called scientists tell them without ever questioning it or thinking for themselves. Just like the myriad of other groups worldwide, there will always be doomsayers endeavoring to profit by writing fear based books on how to 'survive' an apocalypse type event.
I agree that there will not be a doomsday scenario in 2012 that will wipe us all out. If it did happen. then it would come as a shock wouldn't it?! Any open minded person knows that skeptics are the most narrow minded individuals in existence; impossible to argue with, and most swiftly resort to foul language and personal insults to 'win' their argument, as I have seen ALL over the net by skeptics.
Michael, In Australia we are already disarmed after the black ops Port Arthur massacre occurred in the 90's. It is very disturbing to know that we have can no longer defend ourselves anymore. We can still have guns, but the regulations are so damn strict, guns and licenses for guns are virtually impossible to get.
It's a Depraved New World.
Imminent would mean soon coming, when the mayans predicted this, it was not imminent, it just is not to people who are catching on ^_^
If you truly believe that the world will end on 12-21-2012, arrange to have all your assets transfered to me on December 22, 2012. If you have any hesitation, you do not truly believe your own delusions.
We skeptics have our minds "narrowed" to only the facts of science, not psychobabble about ancient calendars and silly prophecies. I haven't seen any hard evidence for the world ending in 2012. Show me some and I'll be more "open minded."
Hey Anton, do you have any actual evidence that the weather is being manipulated by chem trails (please explain in detail what these are) or how in gods name the weather could be manipulated with an "electromagnetic device"?
being a little skeptical is good but you are just ignoring the signs chicken little. If a apple falls on your head it doesnt mean the sky is falling but perhaps a helmet would keep you from getting hit in the head. Its better to prepare as best you can for what ever may come then to sit on your butt and do nothing to protect yourself if something does happen I would rather be prepared and not need it then to need it and not be prepared. most people on the planet die from being stupid anyways. As far as history well lets just watch it repeat itself shall we.Enter text right here!
the earth's magnetic poles are gonna switch…that day….north to south…i'm sure it'll cause a disturbance in one manner or another…the earth will be centered in the milky way…that day…i believe nasa had a prior article discussing the black hole at the center of the milky way…the sun is expected to have huge solar flares in the month of december…up to that day……that was the science i heard……for me personally…i think it's the US economy…the economy continues to fall…US gets weak…someone like N. Korea takes a chance…fires one nuke…we all know once someone fires it…everyone is…the date will come 1month after the new presidential elections as well…maybe people will riot…not liking things…creating a new world…u kno those movies where buildings are crumbling and are on fire…most of the world will be in poverty…lol…that's my take…
Enter text right here!Lets be honest, noone knows the future. If anyone did, they would be richer than Bll Gates. I can tell you this: the US is following the pattern of all great civilizations before it – on it's way to a great fall. Also, God is still God, and for those who have faith, there is nothing to fear, even if we do not like the process.
You know you say you believe in science, well look at all the science that shows us that the earth went thr a rough period 26000 years ago and changerd the whole climate, to a point where it would be hard to live in certain areas. Also science has said that a gravitational pull on the planet may incress in the 2012 era. What that means is it will make the planet sort of breath and force all volcanoew to erupt. Now go and look at what all the volcanoes have been doing for the last year compaired to the last 100 years. Then see if science dont open your mind.Enter text right here!
Yea god is god,and like jesus said you dont know god. It wont be god showing up on 2012 or jesus. If you notice there are religious nuts all over saying 2012 is when jesus is coming. Thats whhen they believe the rapture is coming. I think it is really funny people can believe that but they cant believe the planet goes thro a natural cycle every 26000 years. They tried to keep record of it in our written language but what did all those nice christians do all thos years. They found and burned any books that did not say what they wanted. So maybe after this cycle we can try to pass it down right and keep god in your house where it belongs.Enter text right here!
I could not agree more with Brian. I dont think the world is just going to end but what i do belive is that life as we know it will change. Maybe no electricity or areas that are now habitable may not be. Something is going to happen. Only the prepared will survive. I am in florida.> I wonder if I should be in the mountains somewhere. My biggest fear is rising oceans. Not much I can due to prepare for a tsunami……………….
I am in Florida as well, and wish to abscond elsewhere. I also share extremely similar views of what may come AROUND the date 2012 (there is no exact science). Some form of major world change, global value shifts, widespread disasters which force value shifts, etc. But I imagine that much of the human race will still survive. Unless a new plague hits right after, or just before, the other disasters. Then we may just be numbered down to a third or less of our current global population. In any case, I think the safest individuals when this time comes around, will be those who have avoided "civilization". Tribesmen. Most of the surviving ones are far from ocean shores, know how to live without modern accomodations, and do not come into enough contact, or ANY contact, with a modern men carrying modern diseases. I have given consideration to becoming a mountain hermit if the signs of some impending horror become more apparent by the 2011-area.
why 2012 why not 9.9.09
chicken little's
then we all come back to Y2K, which never happened. i laughed at it then and i laugh about 2012. when it's my time to go; it's just simply my time. there's nothing anyone can do about it. as far as guns go…they kill. forget regulations, which are necessary. there's too much death in the world. and, what about kids that get a hold of guns because of irresponsible parents? ak-47s? c'mon now. my dad shot my mom when i was 16. get an alarm system or some high-powered mace. lol
Love 4 one another
precisely. we paid for the underground bunkers with our tax money. do you think that means they'll let us stay in them? I think not. That's why they're not going to give us any heads up in the face of a global catastrophy. They probably calculate that many of the general public would acquire arms and fight for what they paid for for their own protection. then they'd have problems.
oh it happens. it's happened many times. as history shows. what do you think happened to the dinasours. do you think they all just left on bussess? then threw their bones back at earth when they died? are you really that sensless to say global catastrophys don't happen LOLOL. it's proven fact they do. wow with people this stupid it's surprising we ever got anywhere
everyone who laughs about 2012, remember this. global catastrophy has happened for fact many times in the past. polar shifts have happened. many catastrophic events have happened on this planet many times wiping everything out to extinction. watch as the sceptics laugh, and remember that, LAUGHTER IS A SIGN OF FEAR
if you have your minds narrowed by what you consider to be " facts" by scientists, then that's okay, but at the same time, keep in mind that some " scientists " are predicting this could happen, and by this i mean solar cycle could be catastrophic to the entire planet, which is a fact they suggested may be a reality on 2012. and leading up to this. some" scientists " agree this planet x could infact exist and very possibly be coming now. as it showed to be 50 billion miles away in 1983 on heat signature now this heat signature shows to be 7.8 billion miles away, as of 1992. what is the heat signature. well, all they've said is " they don't know" .
. why are the govts' buying all the freeze dried food out? much more than they were previously buying per the oregon freeze dried foods. why did the USA bring 20,000 troops home a few months ago?. odd
santa is still santa, no offense, god is great when he doesnt' cause his people to be put in danger or blinded or brainwashed by faith. there are tsunami warnings and advisories on the coast for a reason. do you think the people head for the hills should they sound off? or do you think they wait for " jesus" to tell them to go.
if the world is to come to end in 2012 then it will end and there is nothing we can do about it pray that it dosent happen but if it does it does it will be gods will and none of us will have control over it maybe the world will end so that a new world can begin no one knows all we need to do is live our lives and be happy i know i sound like a holy roller and will probaly get criticized for what iam saying but when it come right down to it no one will know what will happen but one and that is god
hm.. luv it.
world will end skeptics will end, believers will end and an end to end is the beginning of the new beginning
Planet X a dead Dwarf Star possibly may come around the sun in 2012 would make since it being a star would also align with the galactic center of the galaxy. The Chandler wobble is a small motion in the Earth's axis of rotation coincided with the galactic alignment with the galaxy roughly every 26 thousand years. Our Solar System orbit’s the black hole of our galaxy roughly every 26000 years as well ends in 2012. Be advised, Earth will not be alone in this change. All planets of our solar system will feel the effects of The Dark Plane
This region is heavily packed with stars, especially those that go supernova, Type II. But type II are limited to the very "dense or star-packed regions of the arms of the spiral galaxies, such as our Milky Way. Because type II supernovae are so violently explosive, they present a grave and severe threat to every star system close to them. This motion has brought us into one of the most dangerous supernova-producing regions of our entire galaxy." We are now approaching this area. The gravitation field of the Galactic Plane can cause solar-like winds to behave like steering currents on comets and other objects to be pushed into Earth's gravitational plane and bring them crashing down to the planet with devastating effects.
The Earth has been pounded in the past, Thirty-four thousand years ago (34,000), the second part of a supernova explosion, the shock wave portion, hit the earth. The first shock wave comparatively did not disturb the Earth– It was rather unnoticed. Nothing happened, such that the inhabitants of the Earth would have become alarmed. Nothing heavy plummeted to the planet. They may have noticed a large array of ‘shooting' stars coming into the high, rarefied air.
They were caused by ions and small particles, all heavily laced with near to microscopic iron. This cosmic castoff from the supernova with cosmic substances in the cosmos were pushed onto Earth. These toxic radioactive particles would later cause havoc. Man, animals, and plants suffered with radiation sickness. Mutations occurred. Tests of archeological finds show that man then had one blood type: O, some 100,000 to 40,000 years hence. After the supernova influence, humans started showing up with blood types A and B; and O continue to express itself also. Blood types A or B did not exist thousands of years ago. According to some scientists, if we possess those blood types, we are "blood brothers/sisters" to a supernova in the not too distant past. God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.
I have to agree with Billy Parks…no one will ever know, only God. We could go on living as we have in the past for a few thousand more centuries or we could all separate into thousands of tiny particles today. no one really knows. I do know that if God says it is time than IT IS TIME. There will be nothing to do in preperation except live life in the now. We should all take the time to breathe in the beautiful world we currently live in, teach our kids the splendor they will find in nature and in all that God has created. To all you doomsayers…stop presenting 2012 as the end of time…all it does is scare our children, and I know if 2012 is the end, then I don't want my children to have to live in fear until that day. Just BELIEVE in God…the end won't matter.
ur the man
hi billy parks,..hmmm. i agree with u. you knw why / for me heres the facts….who knows millions or thousand generation past….technology and kowledge is no.1 againts the mother natures. think about it…money is from knowledge and technology….people got crazy.. now…no wonder why the mother nature got sick…..no cures
it wasn't iron laced particles that caused caused that disaster,It was riadation of the gamma ray band that blasted into our solar system from the supernnova. Scientist beleive humans with blood type O hid in dark caves and over time it's siad genetic mutation occured
The worlds not going to end 2012. The mayan's didn't / do not even say this. It's the end of an age for the EGO. The universal/collective EGO has been growing like a bubble that will inevidably burst. The burst will be expressed both mentally and physically as both are intertwined as one.
I have read a lot about the 2012 prophecy. To be frank it is difficult to come to nay definite conclusion, but the reworking of our history on a basis that questions all we what we had been taught in school makes what has been said about 2012 plausable.This has also opened one eyes to observe the world around him. There are many odd things that makes one believe that our ever spinning planet is in a critical zone in the cosmos. One observation which I would like to communicate to the groups is that in the countryside of the Sudan and when you are away from the city and glaring lights, and look at the sky, it is unsusually full of stars. The stars look so bright that you can see through during the night even when there is no moon. The stars also seem so close that you feel overwhelmed.
if you are a Christian then take heed to this and dismiss the rest of the bs!: Matthew 24:36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father"… So if you believe that the Mayans were God/the father, then 2012 will be the end!
… Gread is a human .. flaw… of personality.. for one whom can ..see into the future ..needs nothing.. and has evertything..
Enter text right here!eve Death is certain .. and rebirth is certain so there is nothing to fear that is also certain.. throughout space time
Enter text right here!Planet x =earth sun moon mars and all celectrial bodys..
Enter text right here!we are all enternal .. forever .. thoughout time.. so why fear ..it is a product of uncertainty
Enter text right here!well could be 2011 dec. 21, . some of my thoughts have shown this so .. peacve and I will see you in time..
Enter text right here!.. so begin a 2 dimension Realm.. there is a possbility of 2011, 2012, 2013.. all are possible time lines. thanks..
Enter text right here!… but 2013 is this one.= 0 = 3 =2010= 2013 time line in this dimension..
Enter text right here! our date of 2010 is not correct it is 2007 .. math is off 3 years.. ?.. warped space time..
oops i meant 2012,