Mary Adamski, a religion columnist for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, writes about some people being extremely wary about the date June 6, 2006, that will be apocalyptic somehow because the date is kinda sorta “666,” or the “mark of the Beast” from the Bible’s Book of Revelation.
Adamski writes:
We might think we’re in an enlightened age or are a sophisticated society, but there are inhabitants of the 21st century who are scared of 666. People have chosen not to move into a place with that address. People have asked for a different Social Security number.
Only a couple of years ago, politicians succeeded in getting the federal government to renumber a highway because it was considered such an inauspicious address. The old Route 666 was an offshoot from Route 66, leading from Gallup, N.M., through parts of Colorado and Utah. What was fondly known as “triple six” by irreverent, unbelieving cowboys is now dull old Route 491.
The change of Route 666 remains a rare sore spot with me and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. He caved in to a bunch of half-baked, superstitious fundamentalists who thought U.S. 666 glorified Satan or some other nonsense, and he changed it to the more sedate Route 491. It was called Route 666 because that was the logical number to be assigned in that region. Before the change, Route 666 was known for little more than having gorgeous scenery, having too many drunken-driving accidents (back when Gallup was more awash in booze) and an awful movie starring Lou Diamond Phillips.
My father-in-law, who’s well-read, thinks the Book of Revelation deals with the eventual fall of the Roman Empire and has little relevance in the modern-day. I’ve always found Revelation darned near unreadable, as it was packed with symbolism and code words to keep Roman captors at bay.
As for me, 6/6/06 will be a good day, because I’ll be downloading the Cars soundtrack, which will be released that day.