The Apocalyptic Imagination and Popular Culture
Popular culture is awash with images and narratives of the apocalypse in various forms. These range from war and acts of terrorism involving "Weapons of Mass Destruction," to religious, science-fiction, horror and fantasy representations of the "End Times," depicted in a wide ran...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
University of Saskatchewan
[2005]
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| In: |
Journal of religion and popular culture
Year: 2005, Volume: 11, Issue: 1 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Popular culture is awash with images and narratives of the apocalypse in various forms. These range from war and acts of terrorism involving "Weapons of Mass Destruction," to religious, science-fiction, horror and fantasy representations of the "End Times," depicted in a wide range of media including novels, comics, film, television and video games. They include also "biblically based" presentations, notably the Left Behind series of 12 best-selling novels based on a fundamentalist application of millennialist teachings to the contemporary world. This paper argues that this contemporary fascination is associated with a shift back towards traditional beliefs about the special role and destiny of the U.S. associated with the long-standing civil religion underpinning American civilization with its historical associations with millennialist ideas. It foreshadows further research on the extent to which these shifts are related to public attitudes and government policy on the War on Terror and other vital areas of national concern where religion and popular culture intersect. |
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| ISSN: | 1703-289X |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religion and popular culture
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3138/jrpc.11.1.001 |