Doomsday Begins Next Thursday, June 12

Dig out your bomb shelters, nuclear war is going to start next Thursday and the only way to be saved is by having the last name Hawkins. As last that is what a prophet in Texas is saying.

Of course this guy predicted the same thing for September 12, 2006 and I don't recall it happening then either. But, he will sell you all they supplies you need!

Why do we have people like this around? More importantly why do people follow them? I often wonder about religious leaders, both main stream and ones generally considered to be nuts; do they really believe what they are doing or is it just a big scam for them? Reading the article about Yisrayl "Buffalo Bill" Hawkins I feel that he is trying to scam people. The whole tie in to selling products just says scam to me and makes me think his motivation is taking people and their money. Religion is a tool for him.

What about the other sects found in Texas and other areas? Does Warren Jeffs really think he is doing god's work isolating his followers and marrying off multiple little girls to old guys? Obviously his followers believe of they would not put up with it, but how about the leaders? Do they really believe of have they just found a way to live, exploiting others, that is really good for them?

Those were a couple of more extreme examples I realize, but lets go closer to home. How about your local pastor, priest, rabbi, sheikh, or whomever leads a church you may attend. Do they believe everything that their 'church' professes? Do you? If not everyone within individual religions believe the same thing how can they all claim to be the correct one? It is easy to say "oh that religion is so wrong, how can they believe some guy found gold tablets with additional commandments on them", but how more outlandish is that than saying Moses climbed a mountain, talked to god, and came back with stone tablets? In both cases there is no physical evidence.

Someone I know likes to think about what an alien race would think if we tried to explain christianity to them.

"Well, you see aliens, there is god, and jesus and the holy spirit. Jesus is the son of god but they are really the same person. But we can't ever see or hear them, they communicate and live in us through the holy spirit, which is also god and jesus, the three in one."

How ludicrous does that sound if you have not grown up with it (and even if you have)? Probably about the same as other religions sounds to a christian.

I don't mean to offend anyone with the statements I've made here. I'm not trying to say that christianty or any other religion is wrong. I'm simply asking people to step back and really examine things you believe in. Don't believe something just because someone told it to you or you read it in a book (or blog). And don't feel that just because someone else believes something different than you that they are wrong. As a society we need to get beyond our differences and embrace our diversity.

What a boring place this world would be if we were all the same....