What do you think?
Rate this book
A Doomsday Reader: Prophets, Predictors, and Hucksters of Salvation
The approach of the year 2000 has made the study of apocalyptic movements trendy, but groups anticipating the end of the world will continue to predict Armageddon even after the calendar clicks to triple 0s.This book brings together pronouncements, edicts, and scriptures written by prominent apocalyptic movements from a wide range of traditions and ideologies to offer an exceptional look into their belief systems.
Focused on attaining paradise, millenarianism often anticipates great, cosmic change. While most think of religious belief as motivating such fervor, Daniels' comparative approach encompasses secular movements such as environmentalism and the Montana Freemen, and argues that such groups are often more political than religious in nature.
The book includes documents from groups such as the Branch Davidians, the Order of the Solar Temple, Heaven's Gate, and white supremacists. Each document is preceded by a substantive introduction placing the movement and its beliefs in context. This important overview of contemporary politics of the End will remain a valuable resource long after the year 2000 has come and gone.
Focused on attaining paradise, millenarianism often anticipates great, cosmic change. While most think of religious belief as motivating such fervor, Daniels' comparative approach encompasses secular movements such as environmentalism and the Montana Freemen, and argues that such groups are often more political than religious in nature.
The book includes documents from groups such as the Branch Davidians, the Order of the Solar Temple, Heaven's Gate, and white supremacists. Each document is preceded by a substantive introduction placing the movement and its beliefs in context. This important overview of contemporary politics of the End will remain a valuable resource long after the year 2000 has come and gone.
- GenresReligion
264 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1999
1 person is currently reading
21 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 1, 2012
Daniels’ book concerns itself with millennialism and groups that have followed that path. A millenarian is one “who anticipates and hopes to participate in a sudden and dramatic change in the world order, perhaps with the guidance of supernatural beings.” An example of millennialism with which many people are familiar is Jim Jones and the Jonestown mass-suicide.
Daniels’ book is divided into parts; he discusses millennialism in regards: to the various world religions; secular situations (Marxism, Nazism, & radical Environmentalism (Earth First!)); “Millennial Evil” (The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, The Turner Diaries (of the US white-supremacist and Oklahoma Bombing fame); and well-known contemporary movements (The Branch Davidians, The Order of the Solar Temple, Aum Shinri Kyo, the Montana Freemen, & Heaven’s Gate). With the exception of the first section on world religions, Daniels provides a summary of the movement and then a document issued by the movement itself that summarizes the movement’s goals or ideas.
The book was an interesting read but left the reader wanting more. The summaries are decent, and sometimes quite revealing, but nonetheless are too terse. The documents, edited so as to be able to fit in the volume, are equally too terse. This book shows how a decent hypertext would, for this particular project, be far more success than a printed work. (As the majority of Daniels citation are from websites, perhaps this may come in the future.)
Daniels’ book is divided into parts; he discusses millennialism in regards: to the various world religions; secular situations (Marxism, Nazism, & radical Environmentalism (Earth First!)); “Millennial Evil” (The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, The Turner Diaries (of the US white-supremacist and Oklahoma Bombing fame); and well-known contemporary movements (The Branch Davidians, The Order of the Solar Temple, Aum Shinri Kyo, the Montana Freemen, & Heaven’s Gate). With the exception of the first section on world religions, Daniels provides a summary of the movement and then a document issued by the movement itself that summarizes the movement’s goals or ideas.
The book was an interesting read but left the reader wanting more. The summaries are decent, and sometimes quite revealing, but nonetheless are too terse. The documents, edited so as to be able to fit in the volume, are equally too terse. This book shows how a decent hypertext would, for this particular project, be far more success than a printed work. (As the majority of Daniels citation are from websites, perhaps this may come in the future.)
February 17, 2016
A good book. Lives up to the title for the most part, by covering many contemporary cults that lived out their own doomsdays, discussing the beliefs and motifs involved in personal and cultural apocalypticism. What makes this book cool is each chapter gets its own primary-source material sample, from that particular group's literature or surrounding writings. It's a good way to touch base with what each group is about and this book is well put together. Not comprehensive by any means, but it has a good sampling and brings more than most other introductions of contemporary end-is-nigh-ers.
October 3, 2012
This is a fascinating book. I had no idea how bizarre some of these beliefs were. The magical thinking and complete disregard for critical thinking and logic are impressive, in a very disturbing way, as is the ability to recast all information such that it proves what you want it to.
July 9, 2010
A collection of primary source and interpretations of documents pertaining to doomsday/apocolyptic cults. I’m always down with apocalyptic stuff, so this was a very fun read for me.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews