Reflecting the Mind of the Vatican since 1850
What Becomes of Religion in a Post-Apocalyptic World?
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In recent decades, there has been a literary genre that has developed exponentially: the post-apocalyptic genre. These are works of a cultural nature, particularly films and novels, that describe the human condition following a major catastrophe, which, regardless of the reasons that caused it (wars, deadly viruses, climate change, extraterrestrial invasion and so on), has destroyed civilization as we know it and has left a small group of survivors who are in search of a way to salvation.

Although there were some works of this type prior to 1945, it is a widespread opinion that the accumulation of atomic bombs by the superpowers following Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the underlying cause of this new genre. With the ecological and climate crisis becoming increasingly recognized, works in this vast genre have gradually developed in a parallel manner. Some of these have even become iconic works, winning literary awards and leaving a mark on popular culture. One only needs to think of the Mad Max series in the movies, or the influence of the novel by Cormac McCarthy, The Road, which was published in 2006, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2007 and was brought to the big screen in 2009.

In addition, there are several authors known in other literary genres who have also experimented in this direction and have had great success. This is the case for one of the greatest thriller authors in the world, Stephen King, with The Stand (1978), and for the unmistakably British author of detective stories, P.D. James, with the extraordinary The Children of Men (1992), filmed by Alfonso Cuaron in 2006. These works clearly express something about our contemporary culture and its fears. However, how is religion perceived? And faith? Is there a place for Christ in “the world which will come after,” and what will become of religion?
© Union of Catholic Asian News 2022
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