Christians aren't the only ones who believe that the end is coming soon. So are a number of "New Agers" who believe that the end of the Mayan calendar (December 21, 2012) marks the end of the world as we know it. Evidently, quite a few also believe that the little town of Bugarach, France (photo at right) is the only place that will survive the apocalypse. Bugarach has long been considered magical, primarily because of its "upside-down mountain" (Pic de Bugarach) where the top layers of rock are older than the lower ones. Myths abound about the mountain -- that it's is surrounded by a magnetic force, that it's the site of a concealed alien base, that it contains an underground access to another world, etc. French authorities are monitoring what is going on in Bugarach in order to prevent people from being scammed ("
French village seen at threat from Apocalypse sects").
Postscript: The "New Age" phenomenon is rather diffuse and a lot falls under its umbrella, but my impression is that "New Agers" tend to be well-educated and financially well-off (there are always exceptions, of course). Now, I don't know what percentage of New Agers believe that the world is coming to an end in 2012 simply because the Mayans didn't feel a need to extend their calendar farther than that, but you have to wonder how can well-educated people believe such things? Also, I suspect that some of those who believe in the 2012 date thought Harold Camping was nuts for thinking the world is going to end in October of this year. But, isn't that like the pot calling the kettle black?
Well educated people have believed in substitutionary atonement for centuries. Is this any more rational than Camping's notions about end times or believing in the truncated calendar of the Mayans?
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