Looking to the Skies to Divine the Future

Next week’s solar eclipse has sparked speculation among some in the extremes of the evangelical community, suggesting it may herald the second coming of Christ. The eclipse, set for April 8, 2024, will be visible across much of North America.

Golden or Death Cross? 

One image driving these predictions shows southern Illinois as the point where the paths of the upcoming eclipse and the 2017 North American solar eclipse intersect. Theological prognosticators maintain that these eclipses, seven years apart – a number that symbolizes biblical completeness and perfection – and their intersecting paths form a cross; ergo, the second coming is nigh.  This notion sounds a bit like financial market technical analysis, doesn’t it?

The human quest to predict the future by observing the stars is an age-old practice. This includes stock market astrologers who use celestial patterns to forecast market trends.

Hail Caesar, Hale-Bop

In ancient Rome, for example, following Julius Caesar’s assassination in 44 B.C.E., a comet that appeared and remained visible even in daylight for about a week was considered a significant omen. Roman historians Pliny the Elder (also notable for lending his name to an esteemed beer, though some in the craft beer cult prefer Pliny the Younger) and Suetonius documented this event.

The Heaven’s Gate cult serves as a distressing example of how conflating religious beliefs with looking for signs in the heavens can lead to tragedy.  Followers were convinced that a spacecraft concealed in the comet Hale-Bopp, visible in 1997, would elevate them to an advanced state of consciousness. Driven by this belief, 39 followers of Heaven’s Gate ended their lives in a collective suicide.

Useful Delusions 

Humans struggle with the concept of uncertainty, often seeking solace in dogma and predictions by market gurus, religious figures, or those who assertively speak of the future. The reality, however, is that the future remains unknown, and we all harbor our own “useful delusions” to cope with the unpredictability of life and markets.

We based most of the above on this article.