Apocalypticism

Overview

Apocalypticism is the belief that it is desirable, usually for religious reasons, to bring about an apocalypse, i.e. a conflict leading to the end of human civilization as we know it (often termed "the end of the world" or "armageddon"), causing a major shift in history (typically accompanied by large numbers of fatalities) and possibly the end of the human species.

Wikipedia describes this worldview as being aimed towards a "major confrontation of earth-shaking magnitude that will change the course of history", thus causing significant information previously hidden to become revealed; often the "revelations" only occur in some form of afterlife, freeing apocalypticists from the necessity of remaining alive themselves in order to achieve their goal.

Religious Viewpoints

Jehovah's Witnesses

According to a flyer distributed in 2006 by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (the mouthpiece of the Jehovah's Witnesses), "false religion" will end with a scene in which an extremely wealthy harlot, representing "influence over the kings of the earth" as well as "a worldwide religious entity ... not any one religion, but all religions that produce rotten fruit", wearing purple clothing and incense, is riding on the back of a fearsome beast with seven heads and ten horns (Revelations 17:1-4) representing "the world's political powers" (Revelations 17:10-13). "False religion" is straddling the back of the political "beast", attempting to influence its decisions and control its direction. However, God, apparently acting through multiple individuals in an unspecified manner, causes the political beast to turn on the wealthy-ruler-harlot and destroy her completely. The only way to escape the harlot's fate, apparently, is to become part of "true religion" (atheism apparently offers a similarly "bleak" future, according to 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9). The pamphlet concludes that the end of false religion is near, citing Zephaniah 2:2-3.

Links

Reference

• Wikipedia:
  • Apocalypticism
  • Last Judgment (Christianity)

Articles

• THE LOW POST: The End of the World: "August 22nd was supposed to be the big day -- Just ask Karl Rove!"
• 2006-10-13 Christians and Zionists: apocalypse row in Jerusalem
• 2003-05-29 Stabbing would-be hijacker subdued: according to one source, the hijacker in question referred to "God's will or Armageddon" during his interrogation.