Predicting the Future: Resetting Apocalypse 2012 to 2050
Monday, July 12, 2010 at 12:00AM 
Forget about all those videos and books predicting the Apocalypse in 2012! New research on American attitudes reveals that most of us are focused a long way past that auspicious year. (If you’re not sure why there’s a stir about the “2012 phenomenon,” Wikipedia has more background.)
In April, the Pew Research Center and Smithsonian Magazine asked Americans about life in 2050. One of the prominent predictions is religious: Jesus Christ will return. Forty-one percent of Americans said they believe that, by 2050, Jesus will return or, in other words, the Christian Apocalypse will unfold.
What do you think?
If you don’t think Christ will return by 2050, then you’re not alone either. About 46% say that Christ’s return won’t happen. And, the remainder of respondents? Thirteen percent said they didn’t know or refused to answer.
White evangelical Protestants are more likely than anyone else to believe the Second Coming will occur by 2050. Almost 60% believe it will happen by then, compared to less than a third of mainline Protestants and a third of Catholics. Not surprisingly, the religiously unaffiliated overwhelmingly believe the Second Coming will not occur.
Education also plays a role. Only 19% of Americans with a college education say the Second Coming will happen by 2050, compared with 59% of Americans with a high school education or less.
There’s a maxim in sociology: “Thing’s are different in the South.” And that’s true here, too. A majority of Southerners predict Christ’s return by 2050. Those who believe likewise are in the numerical minority in the Midwest, East, and West.
Are you surprised by these findings?
What do you say that chances are that Jesus Christ will return to earth in the next 40 years?
Please, click on “Post a Comment” and add your thoughts.
Reader Comments (9)
Ask all politicians this question so we don't accidentally vote for a crazy person.
We know Christ can come again and visit our planet again in a physical form. The beauty of a "second coming" is that it can also take place within each individual as a "spiritual second coming" at a special moment in their lifetime. God said the Kingdom of God is within you. God tells us to do the will of God and we will enter the Kingdom Of God which is within us. When we make the dicision to do the will of God from the bottom of our heart, our daily sacrifice is taken away, the abomination that causes desolation is set up, and we receive the "spiritual second coming" of our Savior, Lord, Master, Friend, and King! Our new journey of transformation has begun. Later we will be tested for 1290 days. Later we will persevere for 1335 days. Later we WILL RECEIVE A SPECIAL BLESSING. This could be the "second physical coming." I am guessing for 2025. There are reasons for my educated guess. We need volunteers to help us celebrate our 5th National Forgiveness Day on Oct. 30 as God's people prepare to publish and distribute copies of the Power Of Love Joy Of Forgiveness Wellness Works plan to 5 million people. Interested? Center Of Unconditional Love
I suspect we will be no more accurate at predicting the second coming as they were 2,000 years ago predicting the first. I have been reminded this summer that we are often more wrong than right. I am currently in the Highlands of Scotland where every 20 miles there is another castle in ruins and every village cross-roads has a war memorial to the dozens of young men who gave their lives in "The Great War." These are reminders of how confidently wrong we can be about the future. They are painful reminders about the sacrifices made by so many who came before us. Will Jesus Christ appear again in my lifetime? It is not for me to know ... but it is for me to live a life that reflects his values as best I can in the time I have.
The eminent return of Christ has been a popular fantasy of the religious right in this country forever. It hasn't happened before. It will not happen now, nor will it ever happen in the future. As you correctly point out it is the South that skews this survey. The people in the South are willfully ignorant and proud of it, as is demonstrated by the latest text book fiasco in Texas.
Whenever I try to look ahead to 2050, the image I come up with is the TV series from 1987/88, Max Headroom. It envisions the culmination of capitalism, in that one company owns everything and supplies everything. The general population has nothing to do but hang out on the streets, often huddled around fires in 55 gallon drums, while a very small elite has everything they could want, except of course a pleasant world in which to live.
Really, I think we will get to that point sooner than 40 years from now.
I predict that by 2050 we will be using much more alternative energy and have a handle on worldwide population growth. I think spirituality will be just as important as it is today. I see a number of faiths being practised as they are today. I see people coming together in groups to cooperate, but like-minded groups.
I hope that we will not be so quick to start wars. I think people will not agree on political ideology or religion, but life may require more cooperation within the many diverse groups and hopefully not too much hostility between groups who do not agree. I feel that people will not have the resources to squander, but rather than fight over resources, share and support neighbors and friends as well as family.
Fantasy or not, the New Testament clearly says Christ will return---with a new name. Baha'is believe He has returned in the person of Baha'u'llah.,.,.founder of the Baha'i Faith. Furthermore, all of God's Messengers share a single spiritual Reality, though their physical persons differ with respect to time and place. This Unity of God's Messengers is so that we realize the Oneness of God and the Oneness of Humanity. We are destined to be united to One God, though each of us come to Him through different Messengers and Chosen Ones of God.
Unfortunately "True Believers" are unswayed by any rational arguments and revert to "faith" as the answer to any fallacy in their belief systems. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, people who heard voices or hallucinated were considered divinely inspired and several Religions are based upon their ranting. John of Patmos who is credited with the Revelation describing the Apocalypse was clearly delusional and hyper anxious being hunted by the Romans (who are the devils of his visions). He was probably paranoid Schizophrenic or his delusions may have been chemically induced such as argot poisoning although some Psychiatrists refuse to believe he could have been so "organized" as to write the Revelations. I have met Schizophrenics as delusional who do write amazingly well. You can met some of these folks wandering your streets as homeless mental ill today in any city. Most folks avoid them out of fear. The Bible is a series of verbal stories told for centuries and finally put in the current form by cobbling together what they had in 1611. People want to believe in God to rescue them from their own behavior and mistakes. To comfort themselves about fear of what happens after we die. Take responsibility for what WE do and stop looking for a magic savior to rescue us from our own garbage. You can have your religious fantasies all you want, just don't try and impose them upon ME!
While I feel we are a lot closer to Christ coming back, and all .......... I hasten to put a date on it - although we are closer to His return than we were, even 50 yrs ago.
Lots of prophecy has occured since 1948 - and most people are either blind, or just plain ignorant to the truth. The things spoke of in Daniel and Isaiah are pretty-well fulfilled; we can go here and there with ease, our knowledge is the greatest it has ever been in human history, etc. Even the - "faithful", are getting to be fewer and fewer as the years go by. Yes - lots of people still go to Church, but that doesn't mean they are being faithful to God - I mean, even Satan can go to Church!
So, whether Christ returns in 2050, or 3050; the main thing is to be prepared for His eminent return!
Are you ready?
-charles
Forgot to add; Am I surprised by these findings?
Nope - not in the least! ;)
-charles