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Apocalypse now?

As members of the UA community anticipate the year 2000, religious leaders, scholars and students agree - no one knows what will happen.

Representatives from a variety of cultural backgrounds have expressed different anticipation for the change in millennia.

UA students and faculty have shared a broad range of expectations, including religious revelations, the world's end, cult activity, computer breakdown and medical outbreaks. To some, it's simply another day.

As the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31, members of some religions fear the worst.

"The fear lies within some interpretation in the book of Revelations," said father Dominic DeLay at the Catholic Newman Center.

Others hold a different opinion, fearing nothing based on the ancient scripture.

"The scripture can lead some to believe the world will end at the second- thousandth year after the birth of Jesus Christ, known as the millennium," said Bob Krepps, director of Campus Crusade for Christ. "Personally, God is in control; I fear nothing with the millennium."

"All this preparation for the expecting of disaster is just hype," he said.

While many consider this year as the mark of the new millennium, the art of dating and the creation of calendars must be associated with the birth of the upcoming century, classics professor Frank Romer said.

Romer stresses the misconception that this millennium is truly not exactly the 2,000th year after Christ's birth.

"In the 18th century, enlightenment philosophers projected the millennium at the 2,000th mark, which started this millennium fever," he said. "The calendar system is highly difficult to understand."

Romer said the modern-day Western calendar - created by Julius Caesar - has actually misplaced the birth of Jesus.

"He was really born between 9 and 6 B.C.," he said. "In that case, the millennium passed between five and six years ago."

Since Jews and Tibetan Buddhists rely on a different calendar system, this millennium has no relevance.

"I am pretty ambivalent since there is no change in our calendar system," said Greg Bender, a member of the UA Buddhist fellowship.

"It's not that big of a deal for Jews," rabbi Jonathan Freirich, assistant director of Hillel, said of the millennium.

Fellow rabbi Tom Lockheim of the Tucson's OrChadash Temple agreed.

"The millennium has no meaning for Jews," he said.

Since many numbers in the Hebrew calendar correspond, often times years can make out words. For example, 1994 spelled out Joy in the Hebrew calendar, which holds more precedence than actual number order.

"The Jews suffered prior to the millennium of last century," Lockheim said. "There was a fear of the second coming and a mass conversion to Christianity."

He stresses people's fascination with zeros at the end of any year.

"It always excites people," he said.

Lockheim is planning a brief prayer vigil on Dec. 31 to pause and reflect on the moving toward the next century.

Poets throughout time like John Milton and William Butler Yeats wrote poetry inspired by the idea of the end of the world. UA English professor Jon Ulreich teaches courses concerning these poets as well as the Bible.

"The author (of the book of Revelations) worded it very powerfully and suggestively," he said. "The imagery could be described as radical and was used to transform people psychologically towards God."

Ulreich is concerned about certain cults in Israel who are anticipating the end of the world at the 2000-year mark.

"They eagerly anticipate the ultimate battle between good and evil, and I hope they don't get out of control," he said.

On Jan. 2 of last year, the eight members of a Denver-based cult group known as the Concerned Christians were arrested. They were residing in Jerusalem and planning a mass suicide and other violent actions because of their belief in the second coming of Jesus.

"These are militant Christians and extreme Orthodox Jews who are self-enclosed and will only hurt themselves," Ulreich said.

Anthropology professor Alice Schlegel said it is just an American cultural fear.

"No other culture has a millennium fear... for Islamics, Hindus and Buddhists, it's just another day," she said.

Mark Nichter, cultural anthropology professor, said the crisis of the millennium cannot be found in technology or religious scriptures but in the field of medicine.

Throughout this century, scientists have fought battles against viruses and developing vaccinations.

"We (Americans) see really scary movies with viruses running rampant in other countries like Africa," he said. "But what we don't realize is we Americans screwed up and have developed an environment that is ideal for the re-emergence of tuberculosis."

Nichter foresees an outbreak of the disease that was thought to be eliminated by vaccinations.

"The reason lies within the social conditions of this country and the overcrowding of prisons and homeless shelters."

Whereas the AIDS virus is contracted through bodily fluids, tuberculosis is an airborne virus.

"The millennium bug is really the drug resistance in vaccinations," Nichter said.

While cultural expectations of the four-digit roll-over range from disease to the second coming, the threat of a computer freeze-up is apparent as well.

However, many have faith in the computer industry's attempt to eliminate the Y2K bug.

"There is nothing to worry about," said UA junior Jared Phipps. "As a computer science major, I see what attempts have been made to fight Y2K."

Ulreich agrees.

"I don't think the world is going to technologically fall apart," he said.

Communication senior Theresa Cole said she is concerned about other countries' safeguards against the Y2K bug.

"I had an international relations class which the professor told us there are several missiles pointed at the United States. If something goes wrong with their computers... I will be worried," Cole said.

For humanities freshman Melissa Andrews, a practicing pagan, the millennium is just another passing day.

"Pagans celebrate the cycles of the year, it's an earth-centered spirituality," she said.

Others have also taken the millennium as a natural phenomenon.

"It's just another passing around the sun," said linguistics graduate student Kira Maurow. "I have faith in human logic, and a desire for order."

Some students have expressed concerns about human reaction than computer failure.

"I'm planning on going to Las Vegas to do something I won't forget," said marketing junior Kelly Young. "But I am afraid people might get out of control, and there will be problems like riots."