Tag Archives: December 21st 2012

December 21, 2012 · 12:02 am

END OF THE WORLD MYTHS: THE MILLERITES

William MillerSince last December Balladeer’s Blog has been featuring some of the crackpot end of the world scares of the past in honor of the latest big-time fraud, the December 21st, 2012 “Mayan Apocalypse”. Since this is the Big Day here’s a look at how persistently foolish human beings are when it comes to end of the world hysteria. The Millerites stand as an all-time tribute to the way large numbers of people can be persuaded to believe ANYTHING and keep on believing it no matter how many times it’s proven false.

WILLIAM MILLER was the most famous and tenacious “Prophet of Doom” from the 1800’s and his thousands of followers were Continue reading →

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May 19, 2012 · 1:24 am

END OF THE WORLD MYTH: JOHN DEE-STRUCTION OF THE EARTH

John Dee sharpened his beard on a daily basis.

Plenty of gullible people think the world will end this December 21st so Balladeer’s Blog has been examining various end of the world myths and predictions from the past.

March 17th, 1842 – Just as many people mistakenly believe that the Mayan calendar explicitly predicts the end of the world on December 21st, 2012, the year 1842 saw a mad rush of people putting their faith in a non-existent prophecy attributed to the venerable mathematician and astrologer John Dee.

The Elizabethan scholar noted Continue reading →

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May 13, 2012 · 5:19 pm

END OF THE WORLD MYTHS: 15TH CENTURY BLOCK BOOKS

Plenty of gullible people believe the world will end this coming December 21st, so Balladeer’s Blog has been examining various end of the world predictions and scenarios from the past.

Block books from centuries ago were a form of illustrated storytelling, most often associated with religious topics. Naturally in a period of limited literacy the graven woodblock picture- stories made theological tales even more popular with the masses. In approximately 1455 – 1480 these “proto- comic books” addressed the Antichrist and the End Times.

These particular block books depicted the Antichrist being Continue reading →

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May 6, 2012 · 6:29 pm

END OF THE WORLD MYTH: ZOROASTRIAN VERSION

 Since so many gullible people actually believe the world will end this December 21st Balladeer’s Blog has been looking at other end of the world scenarios on a regular basis.

In the Zoroastrian version of the end times the Big Event will happen 3,000 years after Zoroaster/ Zarathustra introduced the world to the belief system that bears his name. For those who date Zoroaster’s birth to around 1,000 BCE that means the end could come any year now, but for those who date his birth closer to 600 BCE the world still has hundreds of years to go.

The approaching climax to the ancient battle between the chief deity Ahura Mazda/ Ohrmazd and his evil archenemy, the demonic Ahriman/ Angra Mainyu, will be kicked off when the sun and moon are no longer seen in the sky and a Continue reading →

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March 19, 2012 · 9:26 pm

END OF THE WORLD MYTH: TELESPHORUS

 It’s no secret that the kind of kooks who think we never landed on the moon and that the “faintings” at Obama campaign appearances are real and not staged also think the world will end this coming December 21st. Balladeer’s Blog has been examining some of the countless end of the world theories of the past.

Telesphorus of Cosenza (generally believed to be a pseudonym) threw his Continue reading →

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March 12, 2012 · 9:20 pm

END OF THE WORLD MYTH: PURIM 2012

 With December 21st loonies insisting that’s when the world will end Balladeer’s Blog has been looking at previous end of the world scares, one of which just passed.

But you'll notice not one person was killed over this picture.

I was informed by a sincere commentor on my Criswell post that the feast of Purim, celebrated March 7th, 8th and 9th this year, was supposed to be the date that Jesus returned to claim his people and usher in the end times. The person, from Continue reading →

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March 7, 2012 · 12:19 am

END OF THE WORLD MYTH: THE LATE GREAT PLANET EARTH (1970)

 This time around Balladeer’s Blog will be examining the incredibly detailed end of the world scenario presented in Hal Lindsey’s 1970 book The Late Great Planet Earth. The book’s interpretation of Biblical “prophecies” in terms of contemporary geopolitical events was so thoroughly researched that it still provides good reading fun as pure escapist fiction. The book was a phenomenal hit and was later made into a documentary (snicker) narrated by Orson Welles in his “anything for money” phase.

Here is a brief outline of the way in which Lindsey’s book depicted the End Times:

1. The Antichrist, posing as a human politician, finally brings peace to the eternal problem child of the world, the Middle East. This accomplishment enhances his political Continue reading →

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March 2, 2012 · 9:19 pm

END OF THE WORLD MYTH: CRISWELL PREDICTS

 People who think we never landed on the moon and that the 9-11 attacks were staged by the U.S. government also think the world will end this December 21st. Balladeer’s Blog has been looking at previous end of the world scares.

This time around is a much lighter story than usual. Criswell, the Continue reading →

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February 23, 2012 · 9:44 pm

END OF THE WORLD MYTH: GROUNDHOG DAY 1962

 Conspiracy kooks who believe that we never landed on the moon and that the 9-11 attacks were staged by the U.S. government also believe the world will end this coming December 21st. Balladeer’s Blog has been examining some of the previous end of the world scares that suckered in large numbers of people.

Feb 2nd, 1962 – For the first time in 400 years seven planets were to line up on this date. Astrologers in India believed that this would result in the destruction of the Earth. Millions gathered in Continue reading →

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February 15, 2012 · 10:09 pm

END OF THE WORLD MYTH: THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF RED DEATH

 If you actually believe that we never landed on the moon and that the 9-11 attacks were staged by the U.S. government then you probably also believe that the world will end this coming December 21st. Balladeer’s Blog has been examining some of the previous end of the world scares in history.

November 13th, 1900 – This date was the predicted end of the world according to the Brothers and Sisters of Red Death. This group was a very odd religious cult that Continue reading →

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