Apocalyptic Trajectories: Millenarianism and Violence in the Contemporary World

This book aims to examine several religious groups holding millenarian or apocalyptic ideologies that have been involved in violent incidents over the last twenty-five years: Peoples Temple, The Branch Davidians, The Order of the Solar Temple, Heaven’s Gate, Aum Shinrikyo, and the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God. The work focuses particularly on their respective ‘apocalyptic trajectories’ - the key recurring issues and social processes that fostered the progressive acceptance of violence within each group’s ideology, and ultimately helped to precipitate the use of force against the group’s own members or against outsiders.