End of the world: fundamentalism, fanaticism and chaos

New Jerusalem, a Mexican village that believes the apocalypse is around the corner

"They are also prohibited from having sexual relations, as God intended it, which the reason for these type of relations in the first place are to have children, but if the world is going to end, why want kids?"

After living in peace for a long time, a few months ago things changed by burning of schools and outbreaks of violence between villagers and authorities, for which the state government and the federal government strengthened its presence in the area.

Following the arrest of the controller of the order in the community, its leaders sent an ultimatum to the government and dissidents, stating that "they will have to leave the community because if they don't, then we will take them out of town on our own, since neither the government nor the media are with us, nor we with them."

Given these cries of heretics against religious fanatics, good against evil and that of state authorities, the federal government is still silent.

The government has been very careful to not confront these people with security forces, but on October 18th arrested Cardenas Cruz, who is one of the most important figures of this religious organization, and who is believed to had the task of facing both dissidents and to carry out actions to suppress, punish or expel members who did not abide by the community rules.

Despite the importance of the media coverage of the events in recent months, it is clear that the New Jerusalem is not living through its best moments.

The number of people in the community has decreased year by year, going from more than 8,000 15 years ago to less than 4,000 today.

Aside from the expulsion of dissidents, the town's population is beginning to reach the elderly stage, whose young people are now going outside of the village to look for work , and discouraging couples to not have children has not helped out.

Perhaps the prophecies are not as misguided and the end of the New Jerusalem is coming, but not so much for the Apocalypse in which they very much believe in, but by natural causes that occur in any town in the world.

Eduardo.Flores@sandiegored.com

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