The End of the World As We Know It: Faith, Fatalism, and Apocalypse in America

Daniel N. Wojcik

Published by New York University Press 1999

The End of the World As We Know It

Faith, Fatalism, and Apocalypse in America

Daniel N. Wojcik

https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814795002.001.0001

Overview
Contents

About this book

Examines contemporary apocalyptic beliefs and their origins

From religious tomes to current folk prophesies, recorded history reveals a plethora of narratives predicting or showcasing the end of the world. The incident at Waco, the subway bombing by the Japanese cult Aum Supreme Truth, and the tragedy at Jonestown are just a few examples of such apocalyptic scenarios. And these are not isolated incidents; millions of Americans today believe the end of the world is inevitable, either by a divinely ordained plan, nuclear catastrophe, extraterrestrial invasion, or gradual environmental decay.

Examining the doomsday scenarios and apocalyptic predictions of visionaries, televangelists, survivalists, and various other endtimes enthusiasts, as well as popular culture, film, music, fashion, and humor, Daniel Wojcik sheds new light on America's fascination with worldly destruction and transformation. He explores the origins of contemporary apocalyptic beliefs and compares religious and secular apocalyptic speculation, showing us the routes our belief systems have traveled over the centuries to arrive at the dawn of a new millennium. Included in his sweeping examination are premillennial prophecy traditions, prophecies associated with visions of the Virgin Mary, secular ideas about nuclear apocalypse, the transformation of apocalyptic prophecy in the post-Cold War era, and emerging apocalyptic ideas associated with UFOs and extraterrestrials.

Timely, yet of lasting importance, The End of the World as We Know It is a comprehensive cultural and historical portrait of an age-old phenomenon and a fascinating guide to contemporary apocalyptic fever.

Author / Editor information

Wojcik Daniel N. :

Daniel Wojcik is Associate Professor of English and Folklore at the University of Oregon and author of Punk and Neo-Tribal Body Art. He received his Ph.D. in Folklore and Mythology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Reviews

Will stand for some time as the best survey and analysis of the meaning and place of apocalypticism and millennialism in American culture.

Fascinating [and] intelligent . . . should be required reading.

Michael Owen Jones,University of California, Los Angeles:
A marvelous book, at once comprehensive and highly readable, a fascinating analysis of doomsday cults and apocalyptic anxiety.

Robert S. Ellwood,University of Southern California:
The End of the World As We Know It makes accessible to both scholars and general readers the amazing panorama of millenarian scenarios abounding in America at the end of the millennium.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
1. Approaching Doomsday The Contours of American Apocalyptic Belief Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. The American Apocalyptic Legacy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	21
3. Signs of the Endtimes Hal Lindsey and Dispensationalist Prophecy Beliefs Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	37
4. Apocalyptic Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in New York City Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	60
5. Secular Apocalyptic Themes in the Nuclear Era Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	97
6. Fatalism and Apocalyptic Beliefs Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	133
7. The Transformation of Apocalyptic Traditions in the Post-Cold War Era Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	148
8. Emergent Apocalyptic Beliefs about UFOs and Extraterrestrial Beings Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	175
Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	209
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	217
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	233
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	257

Language: English
Publisher: New York University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Keywords: doomsday scenarios; predictions of future; apocalypse; endtimes; survivalists; prophecies of doomsday; religious fanatics; Waco; Jonestown; extraterrestials; divine plan; books on apocalypse

eBook

Published: May 1, 1999
ISBN: 9780814795002