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From: bts@unc.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: End of the World Survey
Message-ID: <6040@unc.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 19-Oct-83 20:03:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: unc.6040
Posted: Wed Oct 19 20:03:30 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 20-Oct-83 22:02:52 EDT
Lines: 44


     Christians: Do you believe the world will end in or
around the year 2000?  Is your belief based on religious
grounds?  If so, this survey is for you.
     Non-believers:  Do you think that fundamentalists in
the current U.S. administration are basing environmental and
defense policies on the assumption that the world's days are
numbered no matter what we do?  ("We ARE the last genera-
tion, and we'll damn well enjoy it!")  Well, there's some-
thing here for you, too.
     I was first introduced to this idea as a child near
Charlotte, North Carolina.  It was the year that "2001"
opened, and churches all over the area were denouncing the
film as sacrilegious.  Not for the religious themes of the
film-- no, just for suggesting that there would BE a year
2001!  These were the same people who taught that Jesus had
preached from the King James Version of the Bible and that
the Baptist Church was older than the Catholic-- having been
founded by John the Baptist.  So, I don't take it as a fair
sample of Christian attitudes.
     Well, what better place to obtain a fair sample of
views than from the readers of this group.  Please overlook
the flippant style of the first couple of paragraphs and
answer the following questions:

     1. Do you believe that the world will end in or around
        the year 2000?

     2. If so, then
        (a) on what do you base your belief?
        (b) how do you live your life differently because
	    of this belief?

     3. If not, then how tolerant are you of people who may
        believe it? (If their behavior reflects this belief,
	is it entirely their business?)
     
     Please send your answers to me, and I'll summarize them
for the group-- if there are any answers.  I'm also
interested in the history and diversity of such beliefs--
particularly where you can supply references.
     Thanks.

     Bruce Smith, UNC-Chapel Hill
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