# Why do many people seem to think that the world will end on May 21, 2011? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 24, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621 "2010-05-24T21:44:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![jasourdough](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@jasourdough](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasourdough)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/81 "2010-05-26T00:21:54Z")
> [@SGT42](#): > > Can you please say where in the Bible is said that the serpent and Satan are the same being? What was it, a talking snake? ---
**Author:** ![jasourdough](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@jasourdough](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasourdough)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/82 "2010-05-26T00:44:13Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > I noticed you conveniently ignore the objections you didn’t have a potted answer for. > > If the flood happened, where’s the layer pf silt? > If the flood happened, how did both the freshwater and the saltwater fish survive? > If the flood happened, how did kangaroos get to Australia? > > What are you talking about? There aren’t any “deep space water clouds”. You’re just making up stuff at random. II haven’t ignored anything. As one individual attacked from all sides, It’s difficult to respond to everything. Deep space water clouds: What do comets primarily consist of. If you don’t know google it. Ice is water in a solid state. Silt: Yes. Where is all the silt from erosion over millions of years on the ocean floor? saltwater fish: I’m not a biologist, but I do know bull sharks have traveled thousands of miles up the Amazon river and have thrived. Maybe you can ask Mr. researcher. kangaroos: Continental drift. There is evidence of asteroids hitting the earth. Throw 2 rocks in a still pond about 10 feet apart. Observe the wave interaction. This is an example of P-type wave propagation only(shear waves cannot propogate through liquids). Now imagine a sphere, which is not solid with a crust. Waves propogating from the site of impact traveling around and through the earth, will split land masses and throw up mountains in a very short period of time. This occurred around 3100 BC. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/83 "2010-05-26T01:00:32Z")
> [@jasourdough](#): > > Deep space water clouds: What do comets primarily consist of. If you don’t know google it. Ice is water in a solid state. A big hunk of ice isn’t really a “cloud” is it? So God caused the flood by dropping comets on Earth? That doesn’t make any sense. Even a single comet-sized object entering the Earth’s atmosphere would cause massive impact damage. Where are all the craters from this rain of comets? > [@](#): > > Silt: Yes. Where is all the silt from erosion over millions of years on the ocean floor? Yeah. It compacts into sedimentary rock. But you’re not answering my question. If there really was a massive worldwide flood a few thousand years ago, geological strata all over the world should contain a similar layer of silt at a similar depth. They don’t. Why is that? > [@](#): > > saltwater fish:I’m not a biologist, but I do know bull sharks have traveled thousands of miles up the Amazon river and have thrived. Maybe you can ask Mr. researcher. No, I’m asking YOU. You’re the one who’s claiming that the entire world was flooded. Bull sharks notwithstanding, most freshwater fish die in saltwater. Most saltwater fish die in freshwater. Yet today we have both freshwater and saltwater fish. How did both groups survive the flood? > [@](#): > > kangaroos: > Continental drift. There is evidence of asteroids hitting the earth. Throw 2 rocks in a still pond about 10 feet apart. Observe the wave interaction. This is an example of P-type wave propagation only(shear waves cannot propogate through liquids). Now imagine a sphere, which is not solid with a crust. Waves propogating from the site of impact traveling around and through the earth, will split land masses and throw up mountains in a very short period of time. This occurred around 3100 BC. An asteroid impact massive enough to shift the location of Australia thousands of miles would have killed the kangaroos (and most other life on Earth) and left behind a tremendous crater. No evidence of any such impact exists. Your hypothesis makes no sense. Now how did the kangaroos get to Australia? ---
**Author:** ![jasourdough](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@jasourdough](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasourdough)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/84 "2010-05-26T01:02:43Z")
Originally Posted by SGT42 Can you please say where in the Bible is said that the serpent and Satan are the same being? > [@jasourdough](#): > > What was it, a talking snake? That was rude of me. “And the great dragon was cast out,\*\* that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan\*\*, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Rev 12:9 ---
**Author:** ![jasourdough](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@jasourdough](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasourdough)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/85 "2010-05-26T01:18:33Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > A big hunk of ice isn’t really a “cloud” is it? > > So God caused the flood by dropping comets on Earth? That doesn’t make any sense. Even a single comet-sized object entering the Earth’s atmosphere would cause massive impact damage. Where are all the craters from this rain of comets? > > Yeah. It compacts into sedimentary rock. > > But you’re not answering my question. If there really was a massive worldwide flood a few thousand years ago, geological strata all over the world should contain a similar layer of silt at a similar depth. They don’t. Why is that? > > No, I’m asking YOU. You’re the one who’s claiming that the entire world was flooded. Bull sharks notwithstanding, most freshwater fish die in saltwater. Most saltwater fish die in freshwater. Yet today we have both freshwater and saltwater fish. How did both groups survive the flood? > > An asteroid impact massive enough to shift the location of Australia thousands of miles would have killed the kangaroos (and most other life on Earth) and left behind a tremendous crater. No evidence of any such impact exists. Your hypothesis makes no sense. > > Now how did the kangaroos get to Australia? Freshwater fish: I am not a biologist, therefore I will cannot intelligently answer your question(which doesn’t matter to most on this forum). Crater: Since ~ 70% of the earth is covered with water…well, use your imagination. Unlike many scientists, I certainly am not claiming this is exactly the way it happened. It is simply plausible. However, the biblical evidence is clear. The earth was divided in 3100 BC. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/86 "2010-05-26T01:29:07Z")
> [@jasourdough](#): > > What was it, a talking snake? Now you’re just being silly! ---
**Author:** ![jasourdough](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@jasourdough](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasourdough)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/87 "2010-05-26T01:32:35Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > Now you’re just being silly! Yes. This was very rude of me. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/88 "2010-05-26T01:34:01Z")
> [@jasourdough](#): > > Yes. This was very rude of me. Whooooooosh! ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/89 "2010-05-26T01:37:35Z")
> [@jasourdough](#): > > Freshwater fish: > I am not a biologist, therefore I will cannot intelligently answer your question(which doesn’t matter to most on this forum). Back to the OP: First, I’m curious about what, if any financial consequences result from the May 21st 2011 date. Is there any point to sending money to Family Radio if the world is about to end? Should folks bother paying debts since resolution of disputes would take about a year? Second, if May 21 turns out to be wrong, will Mr Camping reconsider his confidence in the Word of God? I was really a little surprised at how minimally his confidence was shaken after the 1994 fiasco… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/90 "2010-05-26T04:00:46Z")
> [@jasourdough](#): > > Freshwater fish: > I am not a biologist, therefore I will cannot intelligently answer your question. Wow, what convenient way to discount evidence that contradicts your position! You don’t have to be a biologist. Just go to any pet store and ask them if you can keep saltwater fish in a freshwater tank. It’s basic, common knowledge. And it directly contradicts the account of the flood presented in the Bible. ---
**Author:** ![jasourdough](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@jasourdough](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasourdough)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/91 "2010-05-26T04:16:03Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > Wow, what convenient way to discount evidence that contradicts your position! > > You don’t have to be a biologist. Just go to any pet store and ask them if you can keep saltwater fish in a freshwater tank. It’s basic, common knowledge. And it directly contradicts the account of the flood presented in the Bible. Here’s what came up on a search engine. It at least sounds credible to me??? > **[How did fish survive the Flood? - ChristianAnswers.Net](https://christiananswers.net/q-aig/aig-c037.html)** > > How did saltwater fish survive in dilution of the seawater with freshwater, or how did freshwater types survive in saltwater? As I said earlier, unlike many people on this forum, I’m not willing to debate something I know virtually nothing about. If you feel this one point is a gotcha, that is your freedom. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/92 "2010-05-26T04:32:00Z")
> [@jasourdough](#): > > Enlighten me Mr. researcher. Just exactly what occurred during the first 1 x 10-43 seconds of the formation of the universe? We don’t know. We don’t know if it’s knowable, in fact. There, that was easy. Notice that I answered the question without resorting to numerology or ancient myths. It’s true that having an explanation (‘God did it!’) is more satisfying than saying we don’t know what happened and we may never know. But that doesn’t mean the explanation is true or fits the facts. Like I said upthread, the idea of a very recent global flood violates our basic knowledge of archaeology (there are no independent records, and your date isn’t even in the Bible), geology (the fossil record and silt issue mentioned earlier), and physics (where did all that water come from and where did it go?). Those are serious problems and “the Bible says it happened” doesn’t even come close to overriding those objections. Your attempt to bring in asteroid impacts creates more problems than it solves. Plate tectonic movements are not caused by asteroids, and an asteroid collision like that would have probably killed off humanity, like **The Hamster King** said. I don’t think you understand the force that would be involved. The continents are drifting slowly. I think the rate is a few inches a year. So they have not moved very much in the last 5,000 years. If an asteroid impact led to Australia breaking off from Antarctica, Australia would still be moving away from Antarctica very fast - it hasn’t had much time to slow down. Think about how much force you’d need to slow the movement of a continent. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/93 "2010-05-26T04:54:46Z")
That’s the date when China will leverage their right to collect all payments due in full against the US! Besides, the Mayans cannot have all the fun! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/94 "2010-05-26T05:06:35Z")
> [@jasourdough](#): > > As I said earlier, unlike many people on this forum, I’m not willing to debate something I know virtually nothing about. And yet you eagerly waded into the fray, dismissing mountains of evidence that the Biblical story is false with an arrogant wave of your hand. What about the matter of the silt? Why can’t we find a uniform worldwide strata of mud? How did kangaroos get to Australia from the Middle East? How did animals that live in cold climates like penguins manage to survive immediately after leaving the Ark after it made landfall? How did the different human races develop so quickly after the ark landed, and why did racial differentiation then abruptly stop? Why does arctic ice core data show no evidence of a global flood in the hundreds of thousands of layers it contains? If the rate of radioactive decay was different in the past, why don’t we notice it speeding up or slowing down now? The questions go on and on. In fact, the Biblical account of the flood is riddled with factual holes from start to finish. And the fact the someone has gone to a great deal of trouble to convince you that a load of utter rubbish is the gospel truth should give you pause. Why are your teachers telling you such transparent falsehoods? ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/95 "2010-05-26T05:18:34Z")
> [@jasourdough](#): > > > [@Marley23](#): > > > > Now that I think about it, jasourdough, does it matter that you were drastically wrong about the timing of the proposed population bottlenecks? If you’re going to accuse people of having “blind faith” in science you should probably take care not to get both science and the Bible wrong at the same time. Those mistakes show you believe in your story even though the facts don’t support it, which could be described as… well, you know. But the fact is that these bottlenecks are theorized and not proven, so they don’t provide much support for your view. And if they do, you got all the details wrong: the bottlenecks happened too early and were not narrow enough. > > Note that this is around 65,000 years too early for your theory, and that if the population never got lower than about 15,000, Noah is gonna need a bigger boat. > > What is the method of dating Mr. researcher? The method of dating changes in mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA is by calculating the rate at which mutations accumulate in that DNA, and then counting backwards. Evidence from both mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA shows evidence of a population bottleneck, much further back in time than your “Noachian flood”. But then, I suppose you’ll just say “I am not a [del]biologist[/del]geneticist, therefore I will cannot intelligently answer your question(which doesn’t matter to most on this forum).” ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/96 "2010-05-26T05:49:42Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > OK, I’m curious. What’s this about the relationship between potassium and argon gas? Hawaii and Alaska are the only places that would recognize their marriage, though some states offer a watered-down “partnership” in its place. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/97 "2010-05-26T06:19:52Z")
> [@jasourdough](#): > > As I said earlier, unlike many people on this forum, I’m not willing to debate something I know virtually nothing about. Are you kidding me? > [@jasourdough](#): > > Freshwater fish: > I am not a biologist, therefore I will cannot intelligently answer your question(which doesn’t matter to most on this forum). ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! Dude, you rudely excoriated another poster because his evidence didn’t confirm to your biblical definition, then you turn around and claim, in true “ah-shucks-guys-don’t-get-too-angry” fashion, that you might not be right after all? Shut up, please. Oh, and BTW, stop using my Tanakh to turn people away from the word of G-d, will you? ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/98 "2010-05-26T06:44:15Z")
> [@jasourdough](#): > > II haven’t ignored anything. As one individual attacked from all sides, It’s difficult to respond to everything. > > Deep space water clouds: > What do comets primarily consist of. If you don’t know google it. Ice is water in a solid state. > > Silt: > Yes. Where is all the silt from erosion over millions of years on the ocean floor? > saltwater fish: > I’m not a biologist, but I do know bull sharks have traveled thousands of miles up the Amazon river and have thrived. Maybe you can ask Mr. researcher. > > kangaroos: > Continental drift. There is evidence of asteroids hitting the earth. Throw 2 rocks in a still pond about 10 feet apart. Observe the wave interaction. This is an example of P-type wave propagation only(shear waves cannot propogate through liquids). Now imagine a sphere, which is not solid with a crust. Waves propogating from the site of impact traveling around and through the earth, will split land masses and throw up mountains in a very short period of time. This occurred around 3100 BC. Don’t you realize what you’re doing? Let’s go through your list. Comets are made of ice water. How do you know this? Have you ever touched a comet? In fact, how do you even know comets exist? You know that comets exist and that they’re made of ice because of _science_. Sharks. How do you know anything about the behavior of bull sharks? The Bible doesn’t mention the migratory patterns of bull sharks, does it? How do you know bull sharks even exist? Hey, it’s _science_ again. Continental drift. I don’t remember that being in the Bible. In fact, it was considered a rather ridiculous idea up until about 50 years ago when the evidence came in to support it. And all this stuff about P-type wave propagation through different layers of the Earth…I’m pretty sure the Bible didn’t mention any of that. Are you telling me that you only know about this because of…_science_?! And just look at that contraption you’re using you post that message. How does a computer work? I don’t think the Bible had any silicon chip schematics in it, though I could be wrong. Perhaps it was…_science_ again? You know, you actually seem to be quite a fan of science! It’s pretty amazing all the things science can tell us, isn’t it? This science thing, it’s like some kind of miracle! No, actually, it’s rather mundane. All it is is common sense. Observation. Experiment. It’s all done the same way. People make a guess, they test it, and see what happens. Anyone can do it. It’s so simple, and yet it gives us so much. All those things you don’t like about science…they were discovered in the exact same way as the things you do like. You have to take the good with the bad. That’s how it works. If you don’t like it, then maybe science isn’t for you. There’s probably still some open woods somewhere in the northwest you can go live in. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/99 "2010-05-26T06:54:15Z")
Uh huh. 1. How do you know the world won’t end then? 2. Since the deluge took 40 days, many fish would have had time to adjust to the changing salinity. Also, does it say God made no new species after the flood? 3. How many people actually believe this? How many of them don’t belief in even more baseless ideas? 4. Someone already pointed out that God could change his mind. Is this pre-determined, or like the time Dad told me he would take me to the police station if I didn’t keep my room clean? 5. During the first 1 x 10-43 seconds after the Big Bang, I sent a PO to Dell for a new laptop. Still waiting. 6. Are you guys talking about the same serpent? Doesn’t seem clear from the text. 7. You can’t trust ‘cal’ in Unix for the year 3084, because Unix comes to an end in 2036. Wait, if the world ends in 2011, then John Titor was lying! 8. Superman could beat the Hulk in a fight. 9. I forget, is it feed a fever, or starve a fever? 10. How do they keep the water in water towers from freezing? Wait, I already know that one. 11. Why are insects crawling all over me? When did I get a Peacock? Where’s my gun? (good thing there’s an edit button, I almost asked a dumb question). ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621/100 "2010-05-26T09:44:55Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > if the population never got lower than about 15,000, Noah is gonna need a bigger boat. Hmmm. Does the Bible say anything about giant sharks? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-seem-to-think-that-the-world-will-end-on-may-21-2011/540621.md?page=6)