he Making of the Millennium tells the story of one of the most powerful myths that has ever motivated the Western world: the ancient myth in the Bible that describes a horrific end of the world, with only a hand full of survivors able to enjoy the new golden age known as the Millennium. However, myths that remain static, as most ancient myths have, are in danger of becoming stale and of being forgotten. But the Bible's myth has managed to keep its luster for over two thousand years. The frequency of its new interpretations has kept it alive and active in people's imaginations.

The Bible contains several versions of the deity's comments on the world's end. The end-time myths actually came from ancient Persia where fast paced myth making created several exciting renditions before they found their way into the Scriptures. Since then, creative new readings of the Bible's end-time myth have all too frequently burst forth from church, mosque and synagogue.

For instance, the Puritan belief that England would be the target of the apocalypse drove them to these shores, a place they believed to be a last refuge provided by God. This notion helped inspire the American Revolution and helped open up the American West. The idea of an end-time refuge has not been forgotten and is currently fueling the citizen militias in the US who believe that the UN is violating their sacred land. A situation that their stockpiled weaponry is intended to fix.

Despite the entrenched power of the Biblical myth, new myths are emerging from the mists of New Age hot tubs about the planet's demise . There won't be any. The new mythology is anti end-of-the-world. Some New Age myths are based on the idea that each of us contains a god within that we need to contact and that each of us can be reincarnated to an improved spiritual state. Others believe in the earth goddess who will keep the planet ever renewed. Other New Agers are convinced that friendly aliens from other galaxies are watching over us. The numbers of New Agers may be out pacing the numbers of Christians in the US, and the New Age myths may be the wave of the future. The clash of myths in the modern US will play itself out in the near future, in the new Millennium.

Religion or Myth?

All ethnic groups without exception have possessed a mythology. and a religion In broad terms, the ever changing myths trace the pattern of the social development of the world's people. But the main questions that myths seek to answer are religious and have remained constant through the ages: How was the world created? If and how will it end? And how to identify and name the forces, known as gods, that man has to overcome or accommodate himself with heaven?

In ancient times, many more myths than today were believed with the force of religion, while others merely illuminated the human-like natures of the believers' gods. For the ancient Hebrews, many of their myths had sufficient spiritual force to be recorded in the Bible and are believed as history. The parting of the Red Sea and the tale of Jonah and the whale are two examples that few scholars from major seminaries would argue were actual events. For Bible scholars, the end of the world images contained in the Books of Daniel and Revelation fall into the mythic category.

Another Look at Mythology

Scholarly thinking about mythology has undergone a metamorphosis since the beginning of this century. At that time scholars thought that all peoples, while in the "primitive" stages of their development as a society, went through a period of pre-logical mythical thinking. These primitive mental processes, so the theory went, eventually evolved into the "logical" forms of thought of modern Westernized peoples. Actually, "logic" as used in the Western world has nothing to do with myths. Myths have their own system of organizing information, usually only understandable to the people who first formed the myth's initial audiences. Additionally, modern myths share power with the more analytical forms of contemporary thought.

Today, however, it is apparent that myth making continues daily with modern people, happily coexisting with the scientific logic that Western peoples pride themselves on. Examples of modern myths include the near-deification of such notable public figures as John F. Kennedy at one end of the spectrum and Elvis Presley at the other.

In Latin America, the myth of Che Guevara as a jungle fighting savior was so powerful that he is now the patron saint of Cuba, according to Castro and Che's venerators. Che's venerators, of course, occupy nearly the whole Island of Cuba and most of Latin America. In the ancient world Jesus and such towering figures of Saint Paul have received mythical embellishments in the bible. But besides deifying heroes in the ancient and today's world, myths during any era must evolve in order to make sense out of a chaotic world and fill in the gaps between "facts."

Why Modern Myths?

Mythic thinking allows us to make sense out of the chaos of our lives, whether two thousand years ago or today. For a modern example, imagine sitting in a dark movie theater. Disjointed images of speeding cars flash before us. Split second shots of horrified passengers and distressed onlookers assault us on the screen. Drivers frantically slamming on their brakes race before our eyes. Screams and crashing metal emanate from the sound track. All is chaos, yet we have no trouble identifying this disjointed series of frames as a car crash.

Our myth-making mind simply puts it all together. Movie directors depend on us to fill in the gaps and splice the pieces to create their finished scene. But we do far more than simply connect the parts. Mythic thinking also invests the car crash with all the drama and emotion that we purchase such high priced tickets to enjoy. Here is how it works.

We have just pieced together the car crash sequence for the director. Let's say one of the victims was a groom speeding on the way to his wedding. We are overcome with sympathy. We also envision the bride at the altar waiting nervously for her future husband, and we feel her anxiety. We expect that she will display overwhelming shock and sorrow at the news. We know that instead of a happy honeymoon with the groom, she will be attending his funeral Our minds eagerly anticipate the unfolding tragedy.

Then again, let's say that one of the victims was a notorious gangster. Then we feel satisfaction at what we see as a well deserved death. But, despite our own lack of sympathy, we expect sadness on the part of the man's young children and innocent wife. Punishments for remaining villains, rewards for heroes, and consolation for victims are all anticipated. In short, the movie and TV industry would be nothing without our capacity for real-time myth making.

Mythic thinking two thousand years ago allowed the fact of Jesus death on the cross to be interpreted in many different ways. Some believed that he was God's human sacrifice who suffered to atone for our sins. Others believed that Jesus was not really flesh and did not feel the pain of the cross. So man interpretations of Jesus death occurred that within 50 years after his death no less than 200 differing Christian sects emerged.

The Power of Myth in Life

In the ancient world as today, myths also have the power to induce people to take action, for good or evil. For instance, they may inspire people to pray to some supernatural spirit for the betterment of mankind, or they may motivate the murdering of those who are thought to be evil—the people who choose not to worship the supernatural spirit. Sometimes myths encourage people to waste time and energy. Good examples of this type of waste are the dedicated research efforts into such myths as the so called "Bermuda Triangle", the lost continent of Atlantis and the precise location of the Garden of Eden. Like science, where a false start will waste much time and which as been used freely for good or bad ends, myth is a force with similar potential.

Like scientific hypotheses, myths are also kept up to date with changes, or new ones can be created to cope with peoples' anxieties about social or scientific updates. Women's liberation and the capability to clone human beings are examples of social and scientific modifications that are producing new myths in the modern world. The rapid rise of the Roman Empire and the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius created myths in the ancient world. A step on the way to creating a new myth is the creation of what scholars call urban legends. An urban legend is an easily believed story that moves swiftly through society and convinces most hearers of its truth.

The Attraction of Urban Legends

One of the most popular urban legends in the United States is about a beautiful chorus girl who lived in Las Vegas, who kept a pet Doberman in her apartment. One day she came home from dance practice at a large Las Vegas club and found her Doberman lying on the floor choking. She quickly gathered up the large animal, placed him in her car, and took him to a veterinarian. The doctor examined the dog immediately. After probing his mouth, the vet could just make out something barely visible in the back of the animal's throat. Since the vet knew that he would have to use instruments to remove the obstruction, he advised the chorus girl to go home and he would call her when the dog was ready to be picked up.

The chorus girl left, but when she returned to her apartment her phone was loudly ringing. On the other end of the line was the veterinarian. He warned her that she was in danger and to get out of her apartment immediately. He would meet her outside in a few minutes. Meanwhile, he advised her to go to a neighbor's phone and call the police. The police found a dangerous burglar in a back closet with two missing fingers from one hand.

The Believability of Urban Legends

The pretty chorus girl is such a good story that several of my friends have heard various versions of it. But I'm sorry to have to tell you that it just didn't happen. It swept through the United States about twenty years ago, and it is still making the rounds today.

Many an exiting dinner party conversation was fueled by it, and much of the American population seems to have a cousin or sister-in-law who played the heroine. Folklorists call this type of convincing, but untrue story, an urban legend. These tales are readily believed because they provide a sympathetic airing for our fears; one of this age's chief anxiety is urban crime. However, the story of the pretty chorus girl and her brave pet is more than just idle entertainment; it story inspires us to take heart in this dangerous world. After all, if the pretty chorus girl and her courageous dog can thwart a hardened criminal, so can we.

In the Ancient world many of the parables attributed to Jesus along with most of his miracles would be attributed to urban legend making, with a heavy dose of the various theologies of the emerging Christian sects, each putting a slightly different spin on the tale in the four gospels.

The Myths of Tomorrow

Eventually, urban legends either die out or congeal into permanent folklore. If the legend has a genuinely popular credibility, and is genuinely believed much as religions are, then it has entered the world of myth. The myths of the next generation that are based on today's urban legends may star ourselves (and our pets) courageously fighting off droves of criminals to save our happy homes. The telling of the choking Doberman legend and its ready acceptance is one dimension of mythic thinking. This form of thought occupies a surprisingly large part of our time; we busily add new myths to our repertoire and update old ones. Man's capacity for myth is indispensable for every day life. Unfortunately, one of the myths that is frequently updated to keep pace with modern world is, of course, the end of the world or the terminal myth.

Some myths, such as the choking Doberman story, serve to bolster our ability to cope in a dangerous world. Others, such as a the movie gangster punished by a timely car crash, provide moral signposts on the crooked road of life. Still others provide timely warnings to keep people alert.

From the ancient world, Mark 13 in the New Testament provided a timely warning of the end of the world if Rome didn't stop its sinning.

The Mickey Mouse Acid Scare

Although badly distorted in its retelling, one of the most widespread urban legends ever created was based on a fragment of reality. This tale started as a mistake in the interpretation of an entirely genuine 1980 memorandum issued by the Narcotics Department of the New Jersey State Police. This memo, which dealt with drug pushers, described how LSD was added to blotting paper bought by people looking for a high. All they had to do to enter never-never land was chew the paper.

The memo, written in the best law enforcement jargon, described how such adulterated sheets carried tiny figures of Mickey Mouse at the spot where the dose of LSD was placed. This made it easy for users to find the right part to chew. The police memo warned parents that it might be possible for their youngsters to mistake these images for a type of popular children's temporary tattoos, thus putting the children in danger of absorbing LSD through their skin. This was a good common-sense warning, or so the police thought. They were amazed at what happened next.

The resulting legend simply stated that children's cartoon transfers were infected with LSD. Parental pandemonium broke out. This tale traveled from the US to Canada, France, and eventually to all of Europe, creating an immense scare. Leaflets proclaiming the dangers of the tattoo were distributed in schools, businesses, letter boxes, and even on the windshields of cars. Then the newspapers picked it up. Numerous press stories solemnly warned parents of the risk to their children.

Facts Don't Matter

This urban legend is nearly 20 years old and still going strong. The fact that there has never been a single case of a child affected by an LSD-laced tattoo has neither slowed the legend's spread nor diminished the fears of people who hear it. This is another story the gives voice to the common fears of our era: child molesters and drug addiction. Like the popular "razor blades in the trick-or-treats" story, parents are conditioned by the awful reality of molesters and drug abuse to believe that a multitude of unnamed villains will harm their children. These legends play a protective role by keeping parents on the alert.

So far, the legends have been fairly benign. But when they start naming specific culprits, their purpose changes from one of warning to one of hate. All of a sudden, they create danger. For instance, if the Mickey Mouse legend had named Jews or blacks as the villains lacing children's tattoos with LSD, reprisals could have resulted. Legends that name evildoers serve the dark purpose of inciting revenge, and fueling the myth of the world's end.

In the ancient world, even before Christ was born a religious group known as the Zealots were going about the Judean countryside spreading the rumor that if the Jews paid taxes to the Romans they would be enslaved. The fact that the entire rest of the Roman Empire, like the Greeks, Egyptians, and Syrians had paid taxes and not been enslaved enmasse , did not slow down the power of this legend. It actually resulted in the Jews taking up arms against Rome, with the predictable outcome.

The Baby Body Parts Problem

High infant mortality among the poor is a serious problem in Latin America. The reasons for this are the unavailability of medical care in rural areas and lack of nourishment for pregnant women and babies. The non-stop baby making in Catholic Latin America also plays a role. The myth makers at work below the border, however, have come up with a far more dramatic reason for the sad statistics. Latin American infants, they believe, are taken from their mothers in maternity wards, are killed, and their body parts are sold to rich Americans. The wealthy capitalists use them as transplants to save the lives of their own children. This legend was eventually traced to a single, erroneous, Honduran newspaper report, which was picked up by other Latin newspapers at wildfire speed.

The story soon acquired the luster of luster of holy scripture. Nearly everyone was convinced that the high infant mortality rate was really caused by the rich capitalists to the North, rather than the conditions of their own society. In less than a year, the story was so firmly believed that it led to the near-fatal beating of an American woman who was waiting at a bus stop in Guatemala. Totally unaware of the dangerous myth which surrounded her, she made the mistake of saying a friendly hello to a nearby little girl. She was badly injured from a beating by an angry crowd who thought she was trying to kidnap the child. The story of killing children for their body parts had been lifted through repetition to the unassailable height of a conspiracy theory—another type of potent myth.

But one of the most potent myths for producing both good and evil human actions, one that has affected Jews and Christians for thousands of years, is the Bible's creation story.

Adam and Eve and Armageddon

Ironically, one of the problems of the Hebrew (Western) creation myth is the very heart of Judaism, monotheism. The Hebrew myth has a single God create the world, and "it was good." But how good was it? A look at human behavior reveals that evil exists in humankind. Not only that, evil exists in nature. Terrible natural catastrophes kill thousands of innocent people every year—in the ancient world as well as the modern.

The question arises: Where did evil come from if God didn't create it? In the Bible's creation story, Eve was tempted with evil by one of the creatures created by God, the serpent. If the serpent were evil, presumably the Hebrew God had created him so and was ultimately responsible. But the text of Adam and Eve's story completely absolves God, and causes the evil be shared by the creatures he created.

Those world religions that are not limited to one god have an easy solution to the problem of the existence of evil. For example, the ancient Persian faith, Zoroastrianism, neatly solved the problem: Evil existed because of an evil god. Unfortunately, this was the one solution that monotheistic religions can't use. With an only god, evil must be a human institution, or sometimes a fallen angel takes the wrap. But again, the god who created humanity and allowed a fallen angel to live is always absolved of all guilt for evil.

Managing Evil

In the Persian myth, the good god, Ahura Mazda, created people, but the evil god, Angra Mainyu, immediately began to subvert them. The existence of evil was explained by an evil deity, and the followers of Zoroastrianism were spared the idea that humans were intrinsically bad. Not so in the Hebrew myth. Here, eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden was an evil act freely chosen by Adam and Eve, and mankind was punished immediately. Not only was the first couple thrown out of the garden, but their departure was enforced by a sword-wielding angel. And God's punishment didn't end here. Eve and all womankind were cursed to bring forth children in pain, and Adam and all men were cursed to a life of hard labor. Thus, the very conditions of human life were punishment for Adam and Eve's sin.

From the Hebrew creation myth, we learn that evil was simply a choice exercised by humans. For Christian theologians, this became the notion of original sin, an inherited trait that condemns everyone to a sinful state unless redeemed by God. For the casual reader of the Bible, one untroubled by the arcane technicalities beloved in seminaries, Adam and Eve's story is one of choice—pure and simple. Evil was deliberately chosen by mankind. Not only that, but these actions were a punishable offense while the evildoers were still on earth. This is graphically demonstrated when God came down hard on the offenders immediately. The lesson was reinforced when the very next sinner was Adam and Eve's own son Cain, who killed his brother. In each case, punishment was delivered while the perpetrators were still on earth, not in an afterlife.

This creation myth is paired in the Judeo-Christian tradition with a corresponding end-time scenario. God saves the unfinished business of mankind's evil state described in the creation story until the final punishment, the battle of Armageddon. This is a unique conflict where people fight as God's warriors on earth. Punishment is provided to sinners while in this world by other humans. Herein lies the mythic imperative to start a battle: God seemingly wants humans to punish other humans here on earth. To resist is to incur sin.

Daniel Takes Up the Battle

The myth of an horrific battle at the end of the world, named Armageddon in Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, began to take modern shape in the Old Testament book of Daniel. Ironically, this book has some of the favorite stories of Sunday school children within its exciting pages, but the Sunday school Daniel seemed to lead a double life, and now his book is the very inspiration of most end time enthusiasts. He became the poster prophet of doomsdayers.

Actually, the war Daniel described was purported to have occurred around 500 BC when the book of Daniel describes the Jews' captivity in Babylonia. However, Biblical scholars have determined that the war portion of Daniel was actually written around 165 BC to inspire the fighters trying to rid the Holy Land of the occupying Seleucid Greeks at that time. This was a thoroughly routine insurrection, just one of many in the history of the ancient Near East. With a little luck, the Jewish rebels, known as the Maccabees, actually managed to rid Palestine of the occupying Greek forces. But because the book attributed to Daniel was purported to have been written three centuries earlier, the inspirational piece was viewed as prophecy come true. This made the Jewish book even more significant. It became a major step toward an end-of-the-world mythology. However, further victories for doomsday advocates have been few and far between.

According to the Bible's tale, the war as envisioned by Daniel heralded the very end of the world. God's extreme reaction in bringing the world to a halt because of a local revolt was an astounding idea, especially since wars were even more common in the ancient Near East than they are today. Fascination with this end-time battle continues, even with the passing of well over 2000 years. The myth of Daniel's predicted war quickened the pace toward full-blown doomsday cults, whose victories are as illusive as the attempts are frequent.

God's Battle

Daniel's war was located in a tiny corner of the globe, and was fought by an obscure people, who had an obscure religion. By the Daniel's reckoning, the world had reached such a degenerate state that this small altercation aided by God became the last battle on earth, the final punishment of sinners. The mythical planet-stopping intervention by the God of the Jews far exceeded the hostility of other ancient deities. Most gods were believed to enthusiastically participate in the wars of their worshipers, but the world was always left intact—if a little bruised. Understandably, people were spellbound by the notion in the book of Daniel of an ultimate battle heralding the end of time.

The appeal of the Old Testament struggle that held the fate of the world in its outcome increased with the ages. With the writing of the New Testament, the ultimate war was given a name (Armageddon) and a date (now). Its fascination increases with the rise of each new group of last battle enthusiasts. Armageddon's appeal arises from the myth that people are fighting God's war, and naturally, from the idea that God will help these worthy combatants. The only problem is how to get God's attention.

Getting God To Help

More than a couple of hundred years after the Maccabee's victory, another group of Jewish rebels, known as Zealots, were trying to rid Palestine of Roman occupying forces. It was 68 AD, when the poorly armed insurgents attacked the overwhelming military power of the Roman legions. The only way they could win this rebellion would be with divine aid, and lots of it.

The Zealots seemed to ignore the overwhelming odds in favor of the Romans, and the Romans sacked Jerusalem and leveled the Jewish temple. To moderns, it appears that the Zealots simply miscalculated their chances.

A new generation of Jewish rebels tried to throw out the Romans again in 135 AD. Again, they sustained horrendous losses before they too surrendered. And then a strange thing happened. In contrast to the fighters' fate, the end-time myth motivating them not only persisted, it mysteriously gained momentum.

The Fourth Philosophy

Why do doomsday armies always face off against a far stronger enemy? The first century historian, Josephus, had the answer. It was the Zealot mind set, which he called the Fourth Philosophy. The Zealots believed that the only way they could get God to help them was by starting the offensive before any heavenly aid appeared. When God observed their unbridled faith, He would surely jump right into the battle. The greater the odds in favor of the enemy, the more abundant the faith, and the more momentum for the myth.

The real problem became how to explain the inevitable defeats. The explanations of the defeats were better devised than the battles. God's help never came because the faithful had not been faithful enough. As a result, each failure inspired the next group to try harder. Succeeding bands of rebels always possessed superior faith; all they had to do was to prove it. This was and is perfectly logical to those in the mythical doomsday frame of mind.

© Patricia Eddy