Why do people love contemplating the end of the world?

Question

It's unbelievable how many people have prophesised the end of the world, and how many idiots have believed them, given away all their possessions only to find it didn't happen.

And people still get fooled. It is amazing that people are so gullible.

It is not surprising that young guys can strap bombs to themselves and kill and maim innocent people in the belief that they will be assured a place in heaven with 70 virgins on offer.

It is not surprising that a whole swags of people could be fooled into thinking it OK to send millions of innocent men, women and children into gas chambers (recalling that this was a high civilisation country, just in case you think it only Arab muslims that can be brainwashed in this way).

And still it goes on

Yes, some day something will come along that will wipe us out. But nobody knows when, even though the world is full of idiots who believe otherwise because a bigger idiot told them so.

It's staggering.

Answer 1

People are fascinated with the unknown. The end of the world is unknown. God, Death, Afterlife, Alien life are all unknowns and people are abundantly curious of them. I dunno.

Answer 2

Why do we try to predict when it will end? Billions of years from now is such a long time away, we may be creating our own planets by then or doing things to stop it from ending if life still exists on the planet. It seems like such a waste of time but, it may drive some people, in a morbid way, to discover things. There are many different ways to end life while the planet continues to exist. Life may have been destroyed and recreated many times. What we think we know now may not be true. How long did they think the world was flat or the sun rotated around it?

Picturing the end of the universe or world is almost as magnificent an image as its creation. Imagine the fireworks or a cold dark mysterious ex-planet floating aimlessly in space with all of the remains and constructions of its inhabitants. maybe add a few spirits or ghosts or angels and you've got a pretty good movie.

Imagine beig God and watching it all unfold and then all end. What fun.

As far as the Jewish holocaust, it doesn't even come close to equaling the the number of people destroyed by genocide. The British, alone murdered more people in more countries than Hitler ever dreamed of. Most people try to avoid confrontation. So when they take some one else, they're just glad it wasn't them. Most Germans did not think it was OK and they didn't know, lived in denial, or were afraid to speak out. On the other hand, the British bragged about "managing" populations in their colonies openly in Parlament and the press. And the citizens did nothing, because it wasn't them.

Muslims don't rise up against radical Muslims because all Muslims are told to destroy the infidel and to rise against the radicals who are actualy doing it would be to rise against their religion.

Answer 3

Note: The people strapping bombs to themselves are religious fanatics and should not be grouped with normal people who practice the religion.
There are always fanatics in all religions.

However, it seems to me that your question isn't about why people love contemplating the end of the world but why people can be so gullible. Generally, people want to know things they can not explain or do not know. If they cannot find the answer, they may rely on the belief of a higher being or other people.

To answer your question: it is simply because it is unknown when Armageddon will occur or how it will occur (and also it gives you social power in a way) We always want a reason for everything.

Answer 4

People are just obsessed with their own mortality. And since it's a subject with no real answers, people just fill in the blanks with whatever they like...

Answer 5

Anyone who subscribes to any religion that has the end of the world as their ultimate goal, is a donkey's butt.