The Suburbs

Arcade Fire's latest album, The Suburbs, is out now and you can stream the whole thing on NPR. I've listened to it twice now and I think it is just as good as their first two albums, although I think it is like both of them in that it will take several listens to fully appreciate it.

It's the End of the World As We Know It

I got an interesting little pamphlet in the mail the other day from a group called Family Radio. In big bold letters on the front it proclaimed...

THE END OF THE WORLD IS ALMOST HERE! HOLY GOD WILL BRING JUDGMENT DAY ON MAY 21, 2011

I guess I don't need to worry about finishing school or going to work anymore, I thought as my feeble mind tried to come to terms with the fact that the world is ready to exit stage left.

I guess I shouldn't be amazed anymore by the lack of critical thinking in humans and our very short historical memory, but I am every time I see something like this. These people are apparently not cognizant of the fact that Christians have been predicting the imminent end of the world and the return of Jesus since about, oh, five minutes after he died. Check out this handy reference guide of apocalyptic predictions. I just pinched myself and indeed it seems the world has, in fact, not ended.

Oh, and my own calculations indicate the world will end on March 3, 2011, so you better hurry up and save your soul.

Here's another Chicken Little recently predicting armageddon.


He's probably just trying to sell books, though.

Christian eschatology and it's many forms has been fascinating to me ever since I read the Book of Revelation as a wee lad. I wonder how much of the constant predictions of the imminent end are driven by a fear of this world, a fear of this harsh, cruel world. The typical conception of paradise certainly sounds far better than what we have here. When you look at our world and it's many faults and hardships and battles, I imagine that some people just think, "Screw it! I don't want to deal with this. I want my buddy, Jesus (and his Calgon), to take me away!" People are good at doing everything they can to avoid hard things and pain. Being whisked off to heaven seems a good way to do that.

Oh, and my calculations indicate the world will actually end on March 4, 2011, so I hope you get right with JC 'cause I'm not wrong like all of those other people. Really.

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

It shouldn't be a secret that I approve of this notion.