Failed prophecy

There's much ado about prophecy these days, with commentators divided between believers and skeptics.
In one corner, there are the end-times advocates who contend we're in the final days, that the return of Jesus to straighten out the mess is imminent, and that only certain Christians will survive. Of course, people have been saying this for the past 2,000 years. How bad does it have to get before The Savior makes an appearance?
Jews are still waiting for their Messiah, after some 3,000 years, while Muslims await the arrival of their Mahdi to make things right.
And there are those who pay attention to the Mayan and ancient East Indian calendars, both of which end in 2012 and predict the end of "this world" and the birth of a new world. It's a bit vague, though, as to whether there will be a leader involved in this transformation.
Do you put any stock in prophecy?
One school of thought maintains that a fulfilled prophecy is a failed prophecy, that the purpose of prophecy is to wake people up and inspire them to change course.
In that respect, I'm continually reminded of George Orwell's prophetic novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four". The British writer uncannily saw a future world of endless wars with nebulous enemies. Published in 1949, the work accurately foresaw the current deployment of U.S. troops around the world, fighting wars this nation had no business getting into, hypnotized by the dulcet tones of Big Brother assuring the people that all is well, and a totalitarian government that sought to control the lives of its citizens. The current policies of misinformation, "doublespeak," torture, and government eavesdroping on private citizens was eerily predicted. Fortunately, Big Brother Bush is no longer able to fool the populace as he did in 2003, when he launched an invasion of Iraq to "instill democracy" in that chaotic, factionalized land. Unfortunately, American youth are still dying because of this madman's folly. And he still won't admit that he was wrong.
Was it prophecy? Was Orwell's vision simply that of a person who could see where things were headed and who tried to warn people, to wake them up? Isn't that what prophecy is all about? The predicted outcome is only inevitable if the words are ignored -- as they usually are.
While some people seem to be content being led around by the nose by "leaders," or waiting for "saviors" to emerge to make it all go away, I'm encouraged to see a grassroots movement in this country, outside government, to do what needs to be done -- without relying upon charismatic leaders.
It's long past time to wake up and become active.

Chapter excerpts

In Search of a Perfect World excerpts:

INTRODUCTION (Published in 2005)
"Huge industries, financial institutions, governments and purveyors of materialistic philosophies such as capitalism/consumerism have been teetering. Massive employment layoffs, scandals, corruption and a general feeling of insecurity mark this age, despite the self-serving boosterism of Wall Street." (Here we are, 4 years later. It was all smoke and mirrors)

CHAPTER 3
"Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah and did not predict the end of the world.
"... Christian doctrine and scriptures during the ensuing centuries would be developed along the parameters established by Constantine the Great."
"The (Crusades) degenerated into chaotic orgies of looting and murder that did little to advance the cause of Christianity and Western civilization in the Holy Land."
"... Pope Alexander III, in 1179, identified another threat to the power of the Church -- the Cathars. The pope declared a crusade against these enemies. During the subsequent 30 years, an estimated 1 million people died in Southern France -- all of them devout followers of the teachings of Jesus."

CHAPTER 8
"The history of millennialism ... demonstrates the resiliency of the notion that humanity requires a savior to escape from the bondage of this sinful world."

CHAPTER 9
"Sai Baba has declared that humanity is witnessing the end of Kali Yuga and will be making the transition to another Golden Age by the year 2012."
"The Mayan calendar ends in the year 2012."
"In Islam, the Imam Mahdi is expected to usher in the ideal state."

CHAPTER 10
"According to the Vedantic view, the recorded history of the world has been the history of Kali Yuga."
"Militant Islamists clearly said they were attempting to bring about their own idea of a utopian world."
"...if the Age of Materialism is ending, what follows? Call it the Age of Realization."
"If one accepts any form of end-times doctrine, what does one do? Let go of it."
"The search for a perfect world and hopes for salvation on Earth represents ... humanity's search for understanding the great mystery of life, for overcoming feelings of abandonment and alienation and as a recognition of the shallowness of material values."

Whose world is this?

With two years left in George W. Bush's presidency, evangelical "Christians" and certain corporate interests are pressing hard to ensure that they can create their versions of a perfect world, whether or not it benefits the majority of U.S. citizens.
Believing that the return of Jesus and destruction of the world is imminent, the "Left Behind" folks show little respect for the natural world and are focused upon wiping out their perceived forces of "evil," such as militant Islamists -- or anyone who disagrees with their aims.
Listen to evangelical radio talk shows or read letters to the editors of newspapers and a pattern emerges: Some people calling themselves Christians are complaining of persecution in the U.S. They demand "freedom of religion." The freedom they actually seek is to impose their vision of God and morality upon everyone else. No other view of divinity exists in their minds. All else is "Satanic" or "false doctrine," ignoring the fact that the majority of this world's citizens are not Christians and are sincerely leading spiritual lives.
The LDS Church and Jehovah's Witnesses are even denounced as nothing but "cults," because their "Christian" doctrine differs from the hard-core evangelicals.
I recently heard a radio evangelist declare that only born-again Christians will survive the tribulation that some Bible literalists have been expecting for the past 2,000 or so years. Isn't it time to stop living in the past, basing one's worldview on a heavily edited -- and highly questionable -- history of the Jewish people and the expurgated and misconstrued teachings of Jesus?
Much of the Bible has recently been called into question. Most recently, the "lost" Gospel of Judas challenges the long-accepted notion of his betrayal.
Modern preachers put their own spin on biblical passages, fashioning them to mean whatever they think it means.
When their attempts to create a Christian theocracy in the U.S. are thwarted by civil libertarians, the born-againers cry out about a "War on Christmas" or a "War on Easter." Many of them support the war in Iraq, however, and seem to view it in Apocalyptic terms.
War seems to be foremost in their thoughts, possibly because they see themselves at war with Satan. Violence, within the nation's mass media and to "enemies" abroad, is acceptable to these folks, but let one female breast see the light of day and the rigidly righteous unleash their sanctimonious wrath upon the media. Their obsession with "pornography" and a vague notion of "sin" ignores the real dangers in our society -- bigotry, violence and a growing police state.
There's often a sizeable gap between their preaching and their practice. That hypocrisy is part of the reason Americans are turning away from Christian churches and are finding spiritual comfort in other understandings of divinity.
The "evildoers" subtrefuge can be found throughout recorded history, as fanatics have attempted to create their visions of a perfect world by killing, imprisoning or subjegating anyone in the way. Demonization is often the first step.
The alleged "persecution" of various ethnic or religious groups has often been the pretext for wars or assaults on civil liberties.
For a view of this strategem, go to:
http://www.crossroad.to/Persecution/persecute.html
OR for a more-objective view, check:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/rt_overv.htm

For a history of religious intolerance, order a copy of this book.

For more insight into the current and previous Bush administrations, and on major financiers and industrialists during the past century, go to:
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/8425/BONES.HTM
http://www.freedomdomain.com/skullbones.html
For additional information on the Bush family, check out:
http://www.theramp.net/kohr4/geronimo_skull.html