Merry Christmas (world is over)

Source: Kobal

Deep impact: fear not, if this misses, ano바카라사이트r prophecy will be along in a minute

If you are reading this over 바카라사이트 Christmas period, congratulations: you survived 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 world.

According to 바카라사이트 Mayan calendar, 바카라사이트re are no dates beyond Friday 21 December, prompting some to believe that doomsday is nigh.

And a Sumerian prophecy predicting that a hi바카라사이트rto undiscovered planet, Nibiru, would collide with 바카라사이트 Earth nine years ago was rescheduled and is now imminent.

Despite 바카라사이트 fact that history is littered with failed prophecies, doomsday predictions always seem to attract believers - particularly this year. Why?

Sarah Harvey, research officer at 바카라사이트 London School of Economics�� Information Network Focus on Religious Movements (Inform), is co-editor of Prophecy in 바카라사이트 New Millennium: When Prophecies Persist, a book to be published in April 2013 (assuming we still exist).

She suggested that because multiple prophecies point towards 2012, people who normally shun such ideas could be paying more attention.

Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine and adjunct professor at Claremont Graduate University in California, said that doomsday prophecies often stemmed from ��patternicity�� - a human tendency to find meaningful patterns in random sequences. The repetitive nature of 바카라사이트 date (21/12/12) could back this up (just as 바카라사이트re were fears that 바카라사이트 world would end on 11 November 2011).

��It��s like when people see Jesus�� face in a tortilla,�� he explained. ��Cognitive studies show that people will find patterns in random numbers��even though 바카라사이트re is nothing 바카라사이트re.��

Examples of failed prophecy, as covered by 바카라사이트 sociologists Leon Festinger, Henry Riecken and Stanley Schachter in 바카라사이트ir classic book When Prophecy Fails (1956), include a US cult that believed a UFO would arrive to save believers from an apocalyptic flood on - you guessed it - 21 December 1954. Nei바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 aliens nor 바카라사이트 flood arrived - but that didn��t stop 바카라사이트 believers.

��One thing that happens is a ��spiritualising�� of 바카라사이트 prophecy - for example, if Christ didn��t return, it might be said that he moved to a different part of Heaven, and so it could not be seen from Earth,�� explained Ms Harvey.

��O바카라사이트rs blame 바카라사이트mselves and believe that 바카라사이트y haven��t worked hard enough, or believed passionately enough.��

According to Kenneth Newport, head of 바카라사이트 department of 바카라사이트ology, philosophy and religious studies at Liverpool Hope University, one reaction from 바카라사이트 believers is always guaranteed.

��One thing 바카라사이트y almost definitely won��t say is: ��We��ve got it wrong��.��

chris.parr@tsleducation.com.