OK, who saw it?

Compass: Apocalypse Now

I personally loved it. They tackled not only the usual problems with reading Revelation “literalistically” (I’m still looking for the right word), but also some of the anxiety issues and apocalyptic thinking that can infiltrate consciously and unconsciously through today’s media about global warming (and of course my other favourite TEOTWAWKI scenarios).

I also have to confess from personal experience that the shrink they interviewed about the psychological aspects of apocalyptic thinking was spot on. Prolonged anxiety can lead to depression, depression can lead to catastrophic and apocalyptic thinking, and then when one is accidentally exposed to the “wrong information” BANG there is absolute certainty where there should be none. (So, contrary to the impression I’ve given in all my ranting over environmental threads, I do not claim to “know” the future and am trying to embrace the uncertainty of the future. I would qualify by saying I think we have enough information to take certain actions today, and ask certain questions of our governments… but other than that, I embrace the uncertainty!)

However, what did others make of “Apocalypse now”.

< aside > PS: One of the reasons I called my blog “Eclipse Now” was a word play on it sounding a little like “Apocalypse Now”, but there’s a double word play on the word eclipse. It can mean to “be eclipsed” or cast into shadow, or to “eclipse others, or outshine and outperform”. So while there’s both a warning and threat in the name, it can also represent hope and success. It’s one of those rare names that means both itself and its opposite, and basically stands for change. And as we start to run out of oil and the climate starts to shift, some change is guaranteed hey? < / aside >

Hey - don’t ruin the ending for those of us who haven’t been able to see it yet due to the time difference across this wide brown land!

Missed it, unfortunately. Is Compass replayed on ABC2?
For a while I attended an apocalyptic focussed church. Gave one a sense of security to believe the human race was just 6000 years old, with an end just around the corner and, of course, Christ at the centre. To have an open ended time line and to recognise the existence of many cultural histories involved taking a very deep breath - it meant, in some sense, to dislocate oneself and to lose one’s uniqueness. Much later, I realised that things don’t exist in time; things are time.

It will be repeated Friday 6pm ABC2.

The interesting comment from the shrink was that “certainty” is more appealing than uncertainty, and when one is pushed too hard by too many stressors, and comes to believe catastrophic thinking, there can even be a sense of relief because at least the “uncertainty” is gone. I think the way she put it indicated that “uncertainty” seems to be one of the worst outcomes when people are depressed… and the way they were talking, our media culture is becoming “depressed” focusing on certain themes. So the sense of “certainty” during tough times is what may be attracting so many people to “last days” theology, as well as catastrophists and cult like figures around global warming and peak oil, AND I also think attracts denial of these subjects as well. (Denial can give some certainty that these problems will just “go away”. Uncertainty is the least palatable psychological outcome.)

I thought Greg Clarke and John Dickson did a great job! (And Greg got to do that special effect they so often do when introducing a specialist — the “lone figure standing focussed in the flow of life” effect, as traffic and pedestrians whiz by all around them. Cool, I’ve always wanted to do that! ;-)

The only thing I missed was Greg or John stating that they did accept that the Lord would return one day, and that could be in 5 seconds or 5000 years — we just don’t know.

PS: And it’s worth recording, just to get the footage of John Dickson in his 80’s rock group and sporting a dashing mullet I must say! ;-)

Yes, I enjoyed remembering the 80s seeing In the Silence once again…

I thought the program itself was a little bit confused. Too many loose threads. It needed to be tighter

It sharpened up a little at the end with john and greg’s final comments plus the ‘scientist’ who ended the show.

That said it was good seeing Compass tackling the subject. I’d prefer to see them doing more of this sort of thing… issues that actually interest both believers and unbelievers.

Speaking of the ‘80’s and tangentially jumping-off this Thread’s title, does anyone recall the show Acropolis Now?

Kathryn Roach - 23 November 2008 11:47 PM

Hey - don’t ruin the ending for those of us who haven’t been able to see it yet due to the time difference across this wide brown land!

Kathryn I hate to spoil it for you but I can’t resist.

Jesus comes back!

:-)

D’oh!!

Speaking of television of religious significance, I’ve just noticed that Father Ted is back on ABC2 at 8 pm tonight. (Now, RIW will know where I get my Catholic theology from.)
Cheers,
Eric.

Dave Lankshear - 23 November 2008 11:04 PM

I also have to confess from personal experience that the shrink they interviewed about the psychological aspects of apocalyptic thinking was spot on. Prolonged anxiety can lead to depression, depression can lead to catastrophic and apocalyptic thinking, and then when one is accidentally exposed to the “wrong information” BANG there is absolute certainty where there should be none.

This is a big issue, isn’t it? The certainty we have should be located in the right place, which is the final day of judgement by the Lord Jesus.

Any shift away from this is existentially disastrous, as your own experience has shown.

In my late teens and early 20s I was into that apocalyptic stuff. I was afraid of life - it seemed too complex and I doubted my ability to cope. This gave me an escape route and a transcendental purpose. What a way to waste my youth!

This is a big issue, isn’t it? The certainty we have should be located in the right place, which is the final day of judgement by the Lord Jesus.

Any shift away from this is existentially disastrous, as your own experience has shown.

I was just being honest about what was an important psychological observation from the show. The data is still a concern, and we should be preparing for global warming and peak oil, just as we prepare for bushfires with firebreaks and flooding with levies.

As for my own “erratic” behaviour of that period — I was quite unwell at the time. What’s your excuse?

Dave Lankshear - 12 January 2009 08:01 AM

As for my own “erratic” behaviour of that period — I was quite unwell at the time. What’s your excuse?

Just when we thought he’ld melted along because of global warming, suddenly Dave re-surfaces. To quote someone else :

“He’s baaaack” and “Be afraid… be verrry afraid ! ”

Hope you had a nice holiday break Dave ;)

Naaah, no rest for the wicked.

Man I’m going to miss this forum. Being able to post a thread on a bible verse, or just after the JW’s come around, and then getting all your great feedback has been a real treat… almost like having an on-tap bible study group hovering in the next room. Crisis? Run into the bible study room and yell “The JW’s were just here! Man I feel blargh!” And then this great discussion ensues. I’m really going to miss that.

However, my business with Gordon goes waaaaaay back and he just replied here after dropping a “tish-boom” in Dead Horses. (Gordon’s now doing the evasive “but I’m not a sceptic” routine. Yet again. Tim Blair thanks Gordo for bloating his column stats by the way.  ;-)

Well Gordon, I’ll see your “tish-boom” and raise it to Defcon 4. ;-)

Gordon’s now doing the evasive “but I’m not a sceptic” routine.

And I too remain sceptical about his non-scepticism.

Well, if we are not supposed to worry about “wars in foreign lands “and “supposed to have “joy in all it’s fullness” in this life, why can’t we get into the apocalypse a bit? We all know that the victory already won so why bother caring if people are blown up etc. Let’s just have a laugh at other peoples misfortunes and say “what’s up?! We’re alright Jack. Haven’t you read The Divine Comedy...all three volumes.”.

Wait a sec, I rebuke myself on that one....the begining of Psalm 2. I mean, YWHW might just take issue with his people laughing along with what we might interpret through our cultural perspectives of what curtails as a just punishment.

BIG WAVE and 26/12 etc

I Know many many many people would want to quote 1cor 13:11 to justify this type of response but we all know that St Paul got a pain in his side supposedly for getting a touch arrogent.

“You must have faith like a little child” to Paraphrase our Lord. That makes me think of De Bono’s “Children solves problems”. Well, doesn’t the X-gen have a lot of issues on their plate which demands some sort of thinking outside the box? Maybe Gen Y can do ther part and help gen X rather than the other way around, asking Gen X to use some of their precious time to help them.

“My Precious” Gollum.

If the claim is true, like many preach, that “you can have a personal relationship with Jesus, the Son of the one God”, what marvelous re-valuations might occur in our religion.

Sorry not re-valuations but revelation, something that our religion claim without reducing the actions we take thru what we percieve as actioning our faith as in the dictionary definiton of the word: The speech act of making something evident.

ACTS 1:7

1:28 pm now

George Cappy

Man, here we go again. I wanted my username to be george cappy and my real name NFP. And here there it is my name.Ssome would say it’s just a n accidental mistake. Now I’ll just have to write to the mod to get it changed as promised.

It’s like the difference between the red cross and the the red cresent to me...with everyone saying whick red blood bank do you mean?

Most people would assume Username means the name you want to be known as in these parts… Thankyou for making my first experience posting here so unsatisfactory.

Now I suppose I have to put up with it ‘cause when you try and update your profile “you can’t change that part”. That reminds me of a song by My chemical romance.

We’ll some say that St John was just off his head on something.