The purpose of your research project and in what way will it contribute to the academic understanding of your subject matter.
The aim of the project is to consider the phenomenon of apocalyptic beliefs within contemporary metropolitan societies.
The term ‘apocalyptic beliefs’ will be defined in line with Norman Cohn's use of the term as a particular type of salvationism.1 This definition is in line with Nick Campion’s explanation of the word 'apocalypse'. Campion suggests “the Greek for revelation, is derived from the word apocalyptic, to describe the vision of the end of the world". Campion also states that eschatology is from the Greek word Eschaton, meaning the study of ends, but can mean belief in the end of the world. The word millenarian may be applied to all beliefs that the world is about to enter a major new phase.
Campion also suggests that the terms millenarian, eschatological and apocalyptic may also be used interchangeably. 2
The aim of the project is to examine, in particular, the beliefs of members of a Spiritualist Church Group in the Costa Blanca area of Spain, who will be asked to give their views on the doctrine of the 2012 Ascension.
According to the website to to2012.com some believe that the end of the world as we know it will occur on the 21st December 2012. This date coincides with the end of the Mayan Long count calendar and will supposedly mark a 'new beginning of joy and enlightenment for all of humanity. A new humanity 100 times more harmonious than we are currently. An instantaneous launch, if you will, to a higher vibratory state on 21st December 2012'. 3
Informants will be asked whether they profess belief in this doctrine and, if so, to what extent does this belief affect ...
... middle of paper ...
...ge Movement: the Extent and Nature of Contemporary Belief in Astrology', (PhD Thesis, University of the West of England, 2004) Part 1, Chapter 2, Millenarianism p 31
3 http://to2012.com/ (Accessed Mar 7, 2011)
4 Daniel Wojcik. Embracing Doomsday: Faith, Fatalism, and Apocalyptic Beliefs in the Nuclear Age, Western Folklore, (Western States Folklore Society 1996) Vol. 55, No. 4, Explorations in Folklore and Cultural Studies, pp. 297-330.
5 John W. Hoopes in "Mayanisim Comes Of (New) Age,” in Decoding the Counterculture Apocalypse 2012 ed. Joseph Gelfer (London: Equinox Publishing)
6 Alan Bryman. Quantity and Quality in Social Research. (London: Unwin Hyman. 1988) chp 6 p126
7 Bryman. Quantity and Quality (1988)
8 Judith Bell. Doing Your Research Project. (Buckingham, Philadelphia: Open University Press.1999) (3rd Edition) p135
9 Bell Research (1999)
Shortly following his encounter with Yahweh, Vorilhon changed his name to Raël, “The Messenger.” The Elohim told him that he is the 40th and final prophet. On August 6, 1945, America dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, representing the apocalypse. In this sense, ‘apocalypse’ refers to humanity’s revelation that, in the age of...
Kenneth Gentry begins with a quote, “The closer we get to the year 2000, the farther we get from the events of Revelation.” This sentence summarizes the Preterist view nicely. The Preterist places weight on the historical aspect of Revelation by relating it to its original author and audience. The author was mainly concerned with the seven churches of Asia Minor who were facing difficulties during that time. John’s target audience was neither churches nor the 21st century. As most evangelical scholars would affirm, Revelation contains prophecies which were fulfilled in John’s near future. Their manifestation might not have been as graphic or literal as one might imagine, because John uses “poetic hyperbole,” yet these events were actually fulfilled in history. He argues that the use of highly figurative speech and symbolism is “not a denial of historicity but a matter of literary genre.” These were events that were to take place soon because the time was near. Then Gentry uses study of Greek language to support this. He argues that lexicons and modern translators agree that these terms indicate temporal proximity indicating that they expected to see the events in their lifetime. As much as a word study can be helpful, it can also be limiting. One certainly cannot base interpretation of the whole book on a loosely used term. Similarly, while the Apostle Paul spoke to the Thessalonians with urgency in plain language, we know that the Second Advent is yet to happen.
...yptic, which comes from the Greek word apokalypsis which means "revelation". This is a form of religious storytelling, poetry, and preaching which uses a high level of mythological symbolism to describe not only a cosmic battle between the forces of Good and Evil, but also a schedule for the coming End of Time.
Collins, John J. "Apocalyptic Literature," Harper's biblical Dictionary, ed. Paul J. Achtmeier. San Francisco: Harper, 1985.
Post-Apocalyptic settings used in fictional works have become increasingly popular over the years. The entire bases around post-apocalyptic is how the world as we know it has great changes, therefore altering the lifestyle of all things living. Whether the reasoning be environmental or an epidemic, the already build society is abruptly changed forcing major alterations in how life continues. The ethical code of morals in which we live by is replaced by the instinct to survive when adapting to life in an altered world. Using examples from Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, George R. Stewarts Earth Abides, and AMC series The Walking Dead, will demonstrate the transitions made as survival takes precedent over moral practices and how rebuilding civilizations
Wigglesworth, Michael. The Day of Doom, or a Poetical Description of the Great and Last Judgment. Ed. Kenneth B. Murdock. New York: Russell & Russell, 1966.
The Earth should last for millions of years and gradually get colder until all life forms die, unless God steps in and brings the world, as the world knows it and passes out the last judgment. The population does not know when the Second Coming will transpire but they must be perpetually on the watch because it will come like a thief in the night.
Smart, Ninian. "Blackboard, Religion 100." 6 March 2014. Seven Dimensions of Religion. Electronic Document. 6 March 2014.
Apocalypses tend to influence us one way or another, as in the case of Cormac McCarthy, he was able to weave a tale of survival and heroism in times of catastrophe. He was able to spin a world where The Road leads to disasters or even utter destruction. His way of delivering the story may be limited to a ...
Before beginning this essay proper, it is important to first comprehend some of what is meant by the term eschatology, and how it is understood in the Book of Revelation. Eschatology broadly defined is that part of theology which deals with conceptions of the ‘end times’ and of the final things of the world and humanity. Within it sit many concepts, such as heaven and hell, divine judgment, the second coming, the defeat of evil and the new creation, among others things. As such, it encapsulates any discussion about the ‘end times’. This is certainly an apt title for much of the Book of Revelation then, with so much discussion of divine judgment on the first earth, the second coming of Christ and the coming of the New Creation. Within the pages of this text, however, a more complex eschatology is portrayed. While in the grander literary scheme of the text we see the ultimate destruction of death and hades and their throwing into the lake of fire...
Eastman, Roger. The Ways of Religion: An Introduction to the Major Traditions. Third Edition. Oxford University Press. N.Y. 1999
The Book of Revelation and the movie WALL-E serve as distinct forms of apocalyptic literature to expose the reality of the human condition beneath the surface. Even though there are blatant disconnects between the two, they both share common ground as criticisms of society and to warn humanity of its coming judgement. The Book of Revelation and WALL-E offer a frightening yet rectifiable future for humanity by remaining loyal to its “core values”.
Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic movies are a sub-genre of science fiction, horror fiction, or fantasy that focus on the end of the world, or the world just after "the end." But, where do the influences of these movies come from? Every good apocalyptic film that we know and love stems off of the fear and concerns that revolved around the time it was made. Steven Glawson provides a strong quote that parallels to my research in the article, “Post-Apocalyptic Cinema: What The Future Tells Us About Today” saying that, “[s]ince the 1950s, post- apocalyptic films can be seen as gateways into the crises of the decade they were
Literalist fundamentalists read Revelation’s multivalent visions as predictions of doom and threat, of punishment for the many and salvation for the elect few. Scholarly scientific readings seek to translate the book’s ambiguity into one-to-one meanings and to transpose its language of symbol and myth into description and facts. In Elisabeth Schûssler Fiorenza’s The Book of Revelation: Justice and Judgment, a third way of reading Revelation is depicted. The collection of essays in this book seeks to intervene in scholarly as well as popular discourses on the apocalypse from a liberationist feminist perspective.
Apocalyptic literature gives people some type of hope in a time of crises. A crises could be defined as a time when people think the world is ending, a war going on, maybe even a natural disaster like a flood that wipes out everything. The 17th century was a time where apocalyptic literature helped people feel more at ease when a crisis was occurring. Many people in that time period were on the line of poor and with no power, which made it even more important to have some type of hope.