Cult Rapture: Revelations of the Apocalyptic Mind

by Adam Parfrey, Joe Coleman (Contributor)

A sobering, occasionally amusing, and altogether compelling look at the impulses that have fueled the rising pitch of Armageddon, this startling book explores the arcane but significant phenomena of contemporary American cults--from survivalists and white supremacists to UFO cultists, satanists, and the most far-flung New Agers. 40 photos.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, History, Sociology, Conspiracy Theories

371 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 1995

About the author

Adam Parfrey was an American journalist, editor, and the publisher of Feral House books, whose work in all three capacities frequently centered on unusual, extreme, or "forbidden" areas of knowledge. A 2010 Seattle Weekly profile stated that "what Parfrey does is publish books that explore the marginal aspects of culture. And in many cases—at least back when his interests were almost exclusively transgressive—he sheds light on subjects that society prefers to leave unexplored, carving a niche catering to those of us with an unseemly obsession with life's darkest, most depraved sides."

Reviews

[Anita Dalton]

The Devil and Andrea Dworkin was one article I looked forward to reading as I knew it had been featured in the infamous “Rape” issue of ANSWER Me!. Though Parfrey apologizes in his intro for equating mainstream feminism with Dworkin’s extremist stances, and I appreciate it, the fact is that so many people, mostly men, who want to denigrate elements of feminism look to Dworkin as their go-to-girl, as if her polemics about men are in any way a good view of the female struggle for equitable and, in some cases, merciful treatment in the modern world. But the fact is that the older I get, the less of a shit I give about any philosophy because the binary nature of American politics has ensured any thought is an either/or proposition and that all conversation, especially online, becomes a nasty clusterfuck of shouting everyone down.

But this article, if you bear in mind that Parfrey has already copped to his “lazy, misogynist assumption” equating feminism to Dworkin, is pretty interesting. It’s hard to approach Dworkin with an open mind because her essential premise is so extreme only a handful of people can find much merit in her arguments. In my traditional manner, I have a lot of sympathy for the devil and I have a soft spot for Dworkin, even as her arguments repel me. I adore the scariness of her mind the way I adore Peter Sotos because mental extremity forces reaction. And make no mistake – Dworkin was scary. Anyone who looks at all acts of heterosexual sex as rape are frightening, because no one comes to a conclusion that upsetting unless some heavy shit has come down in his or her life. To see the very act that perpetuates the species as a violation, a sex crime, implies that the mind who thinks this way has suffered deeply.

[Monique]

A whole passel of crazy. Just how I like it! If you are into conspiracies and fringe thinking from the 1990's then this is a book you can't pass up.

[Cwn_annwn_13]

This is similar to (although not as good as) the Apocalypse Culture books where you have a collection of compiled articles on subjects or people that are from the fringes of mainstream belief.

Overall this was worth reading but one big annoyance is the condescending, smirking attitude Parfrey has towards some, if not most, of the people and subjects being discussed. This attitude seems to be a very common thing that west coast and Jewish types (Parfrey is both) have towards anybody that doesn't share their world view. Which is really funny because one of the essays in this, "How to Frame a Patriot", does a great job of pointing out how a writer can subtly twist words around in order to defame the person they are writing about. I don't want to seem like I'm being too hard on Parfrey though because I enjoy a lot of his work and think his Feral House is argueably the best publishing house going right now.

[Cynde Moya]

Fun read. I used to really go for this kind of stuff. Especially when it was published in zines.

[Leonard Pierce]

This is basically an anthology of Parfrey's features and interviews with various fringe figures and outsiders, and it varies highly in quality; the editorial pieces fall pretty flat, but the interviews are often quite compelling.

[Paul]

It's a funny world people,

[Christian.scott]

There was a time when I would troll Harvard Square for the most out-there non-fiction I could find, this was near the top.