Is it true that the world will end on December 21st 2012?

[Ben]

The world will not end on December 21, 2012. What we are witnessing is a confluence of a number of different apocalyptic rumours. Each one (ranging from the misinterpretation of the Mesoamerican "Long Count" calendar to the Catholic "Three Days of Darkness" prophecy) can be quickly and easily debunked by a Google search and trip to Wikipedia.

Ancient Mayan culture made no apocalyptic prophecy. Archaeologists do not have a good enough understanding of ancient Mesoamerican cosmology to understand the cultural context (and therefore intent of production) of the Long Count calendar. The rumour that it describes an apocalypse is wholly a product of misinformed popular culture. New Age thinkers in the 1970s popularized this idea (along with the rumour of a "mass conscious shift"). Similarly, the "Planet X" rumour (along with the "Planetary Alignment" rumour) are of recent vintage and quite easily debunked.

As you correctly point out, there is no empirical, folkloric, or doctrinal religious evidence to support these rumours.