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Date Posted: 12:44:05 07/05/02 Fri
Author: mvd
Subject: Re: Armageddon
In reply to: Adilbrand 's message, "Re: Armageddon" on 12:01:19 07/05/02 Fri

You touched on a few of my thoughts also. The Left Behind series is certainly popular, but though it delves into this subject, I would say that it is more of a symptom rather than a cause, though it certainly perpetuates the idea!

I think you are also right to say that it is somewhat of an outgrowth of our own mortality.

It is too easy to point at man's destruction of the earth as the cause. Though it is certainly a possible cause, it is likely not the only or root cause. Otherwise, as your Aztec example shows, the people of prehistoric and premodern times would show no signs of this particular fear.

It is interesting. In early times there was a marked fear of nature and the forces of the earth. Volcanoes, tigers, earthquakes, harsh living conditions in the desert all took on such menacing aspects that early man made these forces into gods and feared them, as if there was some willful, thinking force behind these things. Man often thought, strangely, that it was his own conduct that would offend or appease the gods. Virgins were sacrificed, offering sent up, etc. All in attempts to appease the killing forces of the Universe. Of course this "willful, thinking force" was only man's tendency to personify the world around him and project his own instincts onto his surroundings. Totemism, changlings, spirit guides, fairies, tree spirits, etc. All these are personifications of nature.

Perhaps all of these tendencies have built up this fear within us. I am interested to hear others viewpoints, that's for sure!

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