Telegraph: Jesus will return by 2050, say 40% of Americans

[China]

Jesus will return by 2050, say 40pc of Americans (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7847625/Jesus-will-return-by-2050-say-40pc-of-Americans.html)

More than 40 per cent of Americans believe Jesus Christ will return to Earth by 2050, according to a poll.

Americans are largely optimistic about the future, according to the poll from the Pew Research Center For The People and The Press/Smithsonian Magazine.

By mid century, 71 per cent believe cancer will be cured, 66 per cent say artificial limbs will work better than real ones and 81 per cent believe computers will be able to converse like humans.

But Americans are also braced for a major energy crisis and a warming planet, according to the survey. More than half, or 58 per cent, fear another world war in the next 40 years and 53 per cent expect a terrorist attack against the United States using a nuclear weapon.

...


Here are some other findings of the poll:

• 71 per cent believe cancer will be cured by 2050.

• 81 per cent believe computers will be able to converse like humans.

• 68 per cent of those under 30 predict a world war by 2050.

• 53 per cent say ordinary people will travel in space

• Nearly three-quarters, or 74 per cent, of those polled believe it likely that "most of our energy will come from sources other than coal, oil, and gas".

• Yet 72 per cent believe the world is likely to experience a major worldwide energy crisis by 2050.

• 66 per cent say the Earth will definitely or probably get warmer but it breaks down strongly along political lines, with just 48 per cent of Republicans saying so and 83 per cent of Democrats.

• 42 per cent say it is likely that scientists will be able to tell what people are thinking by scanning their brains but 55 say this will definitely or probably not happen.

• 89 per cent believe a woman will be elected US president by 2050.

• 86 per cent say it is at least probable that most Americans will have to work into their 70s before retiring.

• 41 per cent say Jesus Christ will return within the next 40 years while 46 per cent say this will definitely or probably not happen.

• 63 per cent anticipate the demise of paper money

• 61 per cent say almost no one will send letters by 2050.

• 31 per cent expect the planet will be struck by an asteroid.

Click on the link for the full article

[Jumbo]

Too late.


http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s107/jumboskins/rapture-final.jpg




Most of the poll responses look pretty reasonable.

[SnyderShrugged]

No idea on the date, but that he will return, I have no doubt.

[Corcaigh]

He's moved on. He's really not into us any more.

[Hubbs]

http://www.myspaceantics.com/images/myspace-graphics/posters/jesus-is-coming-look-busy.jpg

[greenspandan]

you could take that survey at any point in human history and the results would be relatively stable. there's never been a single moment in human history when a significant proportion of us weren't naively convinced the end days are upon us. like most of christianity, the concept of the rapture is a reflection of something deep-seeded in our collective psyche (as opposed to something that is actually going to literally occur).

[mboyd784]

Get the manger ready!

[thebluefood]

I guess these people forgot the part of the Bible where it says not even the angels know when he'll return.

Fail.

[mjah]

He's still late for his highly anticipated 1666 return.

All subsequent returns have been delayed accordingly.

[China]

71 per cent believe cancer will be cured by 2050.

There's a lot of optimism there. I hate it though when people treat cancer as if it is a singular entity. There are numerous forms of cancer for which, in all likelihood, there will not be a single cure applicable for all forms. I imagine part of the problem was the phrasing of the poll question, which was probably "Do you think cancer will be cured by 2050?" Stupid pollsters. :doh:

[MurrayH81]

I really wish that all the religious fanatics and the even more annoying people who go door to door telling people they have to be saved or are a sinner, etc. would just get some Jim Jones "end times" beverages and go meet him now...

Seriously, I want him to show up, pull the curtains, so I can smirk at all those sanctominious "holier than thou" people when we all end up together in internal torment, because not many of us actually get it right IMO.

[Hubbs]

There's a lot of optimism there. I hate it though when people treat cancer as if it is a singular entity. There are numerous forms of cancer for which, in all likelihood, there will not be a single cure applicable for all forms. I imagine part of the problem was the phrasing of the poll question, which was probably "Do you think cancer will be cured by 2050?" Stupid pollsters. :doh:

I actually think there's a very good chance that we'll have a nanotechnology solution to virtually all forms of cancer by 2050.

[Chachie]

• 71 per cent believe cancer will be cured by 2050.




No way. Ever. Like Chris Rock said, there's no money in the cure.

[HOF44]

Whatever!!! He arrived on June 8, 2010! ;)

[mcsluggo]

what that poll really does is measure the "discount rate" of human beings.

FOr people, the internalization of the valuse of something projected deep into the future begins to asymptotically approach zero relatively quickly, and for most of the poll responders, deep in their subconcious 2050 is not really that different from 2500 or 10,000 or what ever... it just qualifies as "way the hell in the future", but with the added interesting spin of "way the hell in the future, BUT at a point in time they I may very well survive until...cool"

its not that different from choosing "1984" as a date in the "distant future" from the late 1940s when society would have collapsed into mindless state control, or choosing "2001" as a "near-distant future" in the 1960s when computers will have begun to take over everything.

nothing to see here, in my opinion.

[China]

I actually think there's a very good chance that we'll have a nanotechnology solution to virtually all forms of cancer by 2050.

What do you mean by "nanotechnology"? Microscopic robots? Cellular/gene treatments?

[thebluefood]

No way. Ever. Like Chris Rock said, there's no money in the cure.
That's exactly what I thought when I saw that bullet point.

"They ain't NEEEEEEEVER doin' that."

[greenspandan]

31 per cent expect the planet will be struck by an asteroid.

this is a good question to perfectly illustrate how dumb this kind of excercise is.

first of all, the question is too vague. what do you mean by asteroid? the earth is hit by 5 to 10 meter diameter meteorites roughly every day. the larger the size, the less frequently it occurs. it would be an astronomically astounding 40 years if we weren't struck by several thousand celestial objects in that timeframe.

but leaving that aside, meteors large enough to really cause a disaster seem to hit us around every 500,000 years or so. even if we assume that's what the question meant ... what in the world is the value of polling public opinion on the likelihood of such an event?? what is that supposed to prove?

[Hubbs]

What do you mean by "nanotechnology"? Microscopic robots? Cellular/gene treatments?

The robot thing.

[Rdskn4Lyf21]

With the technological advancements, I don't see why not.

He'll have to come back before we all kill ourselves.