The End of the World According To Science And Religion
From ancient scriptures to modern science fiction, we’ve always been captivated by one terrifying question: how will the world end? And, whether it’s scary religious visions, the glamorous spectacles of Hollywood, or the stark warnings of scientists… it’s something of a running theme throughout modern human history.
This is Unveiled, and today we’re taking a closer look at the end of the world, according to science and religion.
In truth, science does have a pretty clear roadmap for the far future of our planet, if all other doomsday scenarios are avoided. Geologically speaking, most of our knowledge comes from our study of other stars (and star systems) in the universe. The general life cycle of a star is well understood… and therefore so is the future of our sun. Currently, the Sun is happily burning through its main phase, a stable period that lasts for billions of years. But it will eventually run out of fuel. When that happens it’ll dramatically change, and begin to die. Its surface temperature will decrease and it will appear more red, transforming into what’s known as a red giant star.
During this cosmic transition, the sun will expand out and out… comfortably devouring Mercury and Venus as it does so. Again, its surface temperature will have decreased, but it will remain a burning and deadly prospect, far hotter than any other solar system body. Most estimates are that it will also envelop and destroy Earth. Or, if the expanding sun doesn’t quite make it so far as the 93 million miles that currently exist between us and it, then it will certainly scorch our planet into a lifeless crisp. Most estimates are that the sun will go red giant in about 5 billion years. So, if we’re casting that far into the future, then that’s what science knows about the end of the world.
But the next and infinitely more urgent question is; will we make it that far? The Earth today is around 4.5 billion years old, so it’s got more than that again until the average estimate for red giant takes hold. That’s… a lot of time. Especially considering that we, the modern human, are only around 300,000 years old as a species… and that our modern, post-agricultural revolution civilization is only about 13,000 years old, as well. We only have around 5,000 years of recorded human history to look back on. Statistically, then, it’s unlikely that we’ll be around to see the end of the world. But, that said, there are many ‘world-ending’ apocalyptic scenarios, specifically relating to the end of humankind... and many of which are swirling with conspiracy.
With certain religions, the end times are an ever-present theme. Christianity is the widest-spread religion in the world, and the apocalyptic events that it foresees are culturally ingrained. The Book of Revelation details the Rapture. It isn’t the end of the world itself, but it is what will apparently unfold just before the end of the world. It’s said that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - War, Famine, Plague, and Death - will be released upon us. The Angels of Heaven will then sound seven trumpets, each heralding a specific and catastrophic event. The final straw and the main event is the emergence of Satan into our midst, most likely in the form of a dragon. There swiftly follows an epic, celestial battle, known as Armageddon.
For millions, it isn’t just a story, it’s a prophetic warning of what’s to come. Evangelical pastors preach about the coming of the devil, interpreting current events as surefire signs of nearing doom. Wars, natural disasters, and political upheavals are cited by them as evidence of the apocalypse looming on the horizon. Such warnings are not new, however, and have been preached about for nearly 2,000 years. Early Christians, including Paul the Apostle, thought Jesus Christ would return within their lifetimes, probably during the Rapture. Suffice to say, He didn’t return, and the world is still waiting for this particular apocalypse to happen.
For every religious interpretation, though, there’s also a big budget blockbuster movie. Hollywood has long capitalized on its audience’s fear of the end of the world, if only to sell tickets and popcorn. “The Day After Tomorrow” depicts a climate change disaster; in the “Mad Max” franchise, the action plays out across a nuclear wasteland. The key difference, though, is that climate change and nuclear war are verifiable threats. And, in the tinseltown version of events, there is apparently a chance that you (if you’re the main character) could well survive even the worst that might happen. Outwitting the arrival of a mythical, superbeast Satan during the Rapture… is difficult to envisage. Sidestepping nuclear war and/or runaway global warming is, according to the movies, a little more palletable. And yet, in real life, that’s very likely not the case.
It’s widely believed that it was an asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, but it’s not as though that one rock instantly annihilated all of them in one hit. Rather, the asteroid strike so destabilized the global climate, that the largest, non-avian creatures were incapable of adapting to survive their new conditions. And, over the next few thousand years or so, they died out. The frightening thing is that today’s climate scientists believe that something similar could be happening right now. The Holocene extinction is currently ongoing, and is dubbed by some as the sixth major extinction event in Earth’s history. It’s said to be the result of climate change, which itself is said to have been accelerated by human activity. Obviously, there has been no instantaneous nor explosive asteroid strike for us to contend with in the last couple hundred years. But, since the Industrial Revolution, in particular, climate experts say that we’ve endured just as dramatic and turbulent a period of climatological adjustment. And, for some, it really could be the end of the world, or at least of our kind.
Nevertheless, climate change is still something that a) we’re struggling to combat as a society and b) in many cases, we’re lacking the urgency to stop. Because there are no instantaneous effects, it may never grab attention nor focus minds in quite the same way as, say, an asteroid strike would. In a bizarre blurring of the boundaries between science and religion, it might even be argued that climate change deniers simply don’t have enough faith in the scientists that are discovering and distributing the evidence.
Irrespective of what you believe, however, there are examples all over the world of governments, groups and individuals who really are preparing for the worst. The US Government has specific plans in place in the event of a catastrophic event, broadly referred to as the Continuity of Operations Plan, or COOP. These protocols were largely devised in relation to the Cold War era threat of a nuclear attack, but they still exist today for any (and all) possibilities. In general, they include clear directions as to where the highest ranking politicians should flee to, as well as detailed lines of succession. In the UK, there are the infamous Letters of Last Resort, which are handwritten by the serving Prime Minister and stored on all nuclear submarines, to be opened in the event that the government is destroyed. Israel reportedly has a crisis hub built into the Judaean Mountains close to Jerusalem; in Norway, there’s a purpose built bunker ready for the country’s royal family; in Russia, there’s a long history of alleged secret command centers, although very little has ever been made public.
The existence of plans and places such as these might imply that officials all over the planet are preparing for something far greater than anything they’d like to reveal. Which, unsurprisingly, has long fuelled conspiracy theories as to whether we might always be in imminent danger of the end of the world. The unfortunate truth is that, with regards to nuclear war, this isn’t really hyperbole. Despite modern attempts to deescalate conflict, there are still more than enough active nuclear warheads to spark global ruin within moments. With regards to the End Times as per religion, perhaps even the best prepared nations will ultimately get caught out. But, still, climate change remains the one lingering threat that arguably no prior planning can properly escape.
In almost all cases, and no matter how Hollywood can make it seem, surviving the end of the world will be no mean feat.
