Members of the Lamplighter religious group believed that the world was going to end in the year 2000. But before the world ended, their meeting house in this tiny village would turn into a real rocket ship and members of their group “Spaceship 2000” would fly to safety on some other planet. At least that’s the story I was told in the Philippines.
Needless to say the world didn’t end, and the people abandoned their religious facilities feeling a little foolish. Eleuterio Tropa founded the sect at Long Beach California in 1948, preaching humanitarian peace missions, healing by nature and environmentalism, and acceptance of all people. He attracted members with a radio/TV show.
Another special facility from the Spaceship 2000 group lives on today, however: the Zoo Paradise of the World in Zamboanguita. It has many different species of birds, crocodiles, snakes, monkeys, and a tiger. They feed live animals to the crocodiles.
