The dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August of 1945 helped promote the idea that civilization as we know it could end by an apocalyptic disaster.
But why such a fascination with the destruction of society?Īccording to Wojcik, “The creation and proliferation of nuclear weapons, in particular, have fundamentally altered contemporary apocalyptic thought, fueling fears of global annihilation and evoking widespread fatalism about the future of humanity” (p. Over the past 60 years or so, interest in the end of the world has dramatically increased. In other words, a more contemporary use of the word apocalypse describes meaningless mass destruction. During the last half of the twentieth century, however, widespread beliefs about a meaningless apocalypse have emerged and now compete with traditional religious apocalyptic worldviews” ( End of the World as We Know It: Faith, Fatalism, and Apocalypse in America, p. Religious apocalypse or meaningless apocalypse?Īuthor Daniel Wojcik wrote, “Until recently, the end of the world has been interpreted as a meaningful, transformative, and supernatural event, involving the annihilation and renewal of the earth by deities or divine forces. While history shows that humanity in general has a penchant for bringing much suffering, the world is not destined to end this way. (See our related articles “ Post-Apocalyptic Fiction and Fact” and “ Zombie Movies: What Do They Get Right?”) Stories about the end of the world have fascinated people throughout human history, and today science fiction movie theatrics can create the vivid imagery of nuclear explosions and leveled cities, catastrophic loss of human life and zombies roaming the streets in the aftermath. When most people hear the word apocalypse, it engenders an immediate association with great devastation on the earth that leaves only a remnant of survivors to carry on the human race.
Novels and films with such doomsday scenarios abound. As they stumble through the smoke and rubble, they begin to gather in small groups, searching for meaning in their now-shattered world. The power grid is gone, and all appears dark.īut then, like Noah and his family stepping off the ark, a few survivors who took refuge in underground shelters slowly make their way to the surface to rebuild the earth. The popular narrative often shows a collapsed civilization. The planet has become a wasteland of crumbled buildings and motionless cars.
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