Ben Carson discusses the end of days, says he's 'always shooting for peace'

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

published 13 October 2015

When asked if he thinks the end of the world is near, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said "you could guess that we are getting closer to that."

The retired neurosurgeon told reporter Sharyl Attkisson in an interview that aired Sunday that there are "people who have a belief system that sees this apocalyptic phenomena occurring and that they are a part of it, who would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons if they gained possession of them." However, even if the end was nigh, through Biblical prophesy or not, Carson said he would try to change the course of things. "I think we have a chance to certainly do everything we can to ameliorate the situation," he said. "I would always be shooting for peace. I wouldn't just take a fatalist view of things."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.