No nostradamus!

Surely this should be enough to scotch the rumours that 'the end of the world is nigh'.  Mayan, er, prophecies have no more validity than those of good ol' Nostradamus.  Yet people are so gullible and astrology still so popular.  So too the multitudes flocking to Lourdes and any of the hundreds of 'Vatican approved Catholic place of worship' to be found on the Internet at www.sacred-destinations.com.    In our post-Enlightenment world this is always a matter of concern for me, even though I understand the consolation religious faith does bring.