Dec. 21, 2012, has finally arrived and the world is still here. The sun is expected to set tonight and rise tomorrow without much incident, dismissing the apocalyptic theories some had long associated with this date, based on the end of the Maya Long Count calendar.

But will this spell the end of people's interest in the Maya?

"Many people from around the world have traveled to Belize to mark the end of the Mayan calendar and see the magnificent sites and cities they constructed during their reign in the region. They have also come to witness the next phase, the new beginning the ancient Mayans believed in," Katie Valk, founder and director of Belize Trips, explained in an email to The Christian Post. more >>

The Mayan apocalypse is a week away and amid worries by some that the world may really come to an end on Dec. 21, NASA has released a video confidently debunking the myth.

"If you're watching this video, it means one thing: the world didn't end yesterday," the video says.

The video was meant to be released the day after the Mayan doomsday passed but NASA released it Tuesday to tell the public that they'll still be here next weekend. It also has an entire webpage answering common questions about the Mayan prophecy. more >>

A recent survey found that while the majority of Americans believe the weather has become more extreme in the past few years, their viewpoints differ regarding what is causing this climate change.

A December survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute found that the majority of Americans (63 percent) believe the severe weather is due to global climate change, while 36 percent (4 in 10) believe it is evidence of the "end times", as taught in the Bible's book of Revelation.

More specifically, the majority of white mainline Protestants (65 percent) and Catholics (60 percent) believe the recent natural disasters are due to climate change, while the majority of white evangelical Protestants (65 percent) believe the weather is a foreshadowing of end times, according to the institute's recent press release. more >>

The Vatican has come forward to reassure the public that, despite claims of the world ending on Dec. 21, 2012, the Mayan calendar cited in much of the speculation does not portend Earth's doom. The U.S. government also issued a statement seeking to assure Americans that "scary rumors about the world ending in 2012 are just rumors."

The Rev. Jose Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory and the Roman Catholic organization's leading astronomer, came out this week to insist that the world will not end four days before Christmas and that the issue should not even be discussed.

The Associated Press reported that Fuentes wrote, addressing one of the theories surrounding the calendar, that indeed the universe is expanding and "if some models are correct, will at one point 'break away' – but not for billions of years." The AP added that the reverend and top Vatican astronomer reminded readers that, despite the unfounded claims of a Dec. 21 doomsday, Christians believe that "death can never have the last word." more >>

A recent assessment performed by an online travel search website has found an increase in interest for destinations thought to be safe from the Mayan apocalypse, or the Dec. 21, 2012, predicted day of doom said to be based on the Mayan calendar.

Travel search website Skyscanner has reported a 41 percent increase in recent searches for one-way tickets to the remote farming town of Bugarach, located in Southern France, as well as a 30 percent increase in searches for a one-way ticket to the Turkish town of Şirince, located in the Izmir Province.

Both Bugarach and Şirince hold significance to those hoping to find shelter and safety from the predicted Mayan apocalypse. more >>

A man in China has cashed out his life savings to build an ark in preparation for the so-called Mayan apocalypse while a French official is blocking access to local mountain believed by some to provide an escape from the Dec. 21, 2012, predicted day of doom.

Lu Zhenghai, who lives in northwest China, has reportedly spent $160,000 in an effort to build an ark-like vessel to protect him from the destruction he believes might occur by Dec. 21.

"I'm afraid that when the end of the world comes in 2012, flood waters will destroy my house, so I took my life savings and invested in the construction of this boat. When the time comes everyone can take refuge in it," he reportedly told the Chinese News Service, according to Russia Today. more >>