Expectations of a violent end to the world and of a golden age in the evolution of a religion

What is it about?

This book chapter carries out a comparative analysis of major themes in millennialist and apocalyptic prophecies in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhist. There are two contrasting aspects to these prophecies: the apocalyptic nightmare of chaos and destruction and the millennialist dream of a golden age for humanity. The major themes in these prophecies appear to revolve around parent-child relationships, the social order, ethics, health, sexual morality and the position of women, probity of religious institutions and leaders, the fertility of the earth and the stability of the natural world. In summary, these prophecies relate to everything that human beings consider most important in their lives. They foresee both the best and the worst of what could happen in these areas of human life. However, these prophecies are postponed indefinitely and, for many believers in these religions, they do not play a major role in their lives. It is only in small marginalised groups that these prophecies are of central concern. Such groups often evolve into part of the spectrum that we call new religious movements. However, if we examine the characteristic features of new religious movements, we find that several of the major religions of the world also showed these features in their early stages. We may conclude that some new religious movements grow to become major religions. In the course of this growth they evolve from an expectation of an immediate dramatic Divine intervention in the world causing both apocalyptic nightmare and millennialist dream to the vision of the betterment of the world through human effort in a gradual process.

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