Mormons Assured Eclipse Is Not End Times

The Mormon Church issued a statement this week cautioning members that this weekend’s rare lunar eclipse and supermoon double-occurrence does not mean the apocalypse is nigh. The Associated Press reports that Sunday night’s “blood moon,” along with recent natural disasters and political unrest “have led to a rise in sales at emergency-preparedness retailers.” Combined with a prominent Mormon author’s apocalyptic statements, a small number of Mormons have begun fearing the end times. In its statement, the Mormon Church urged followers to “avoid being caught up in extreme efforts to anticipate catastrophic events.”