The Little Book of the End of the World Read Online Free PDF Page B

we discussed in the previous chapter are no longer practised as major religions: some elements have been adopted as part of New Age worship, with other aspects reduced to inspiration for various works of fiction. Nevertheless, these myths and stories have become so pervasive that words and phrases are used without reference to their origins.
    Many of the lessons at the heart of these beliefs can still be seen in modern religions: the most widely practised religions around Europe and the United States are the Abrahamic religions with their common origins, beliefs and literature. Although the similarities between these religions are often underplayed for political purposes, these shared origins to Judaism, Christianity and Islam are made even more obvious with reference to the origins of life and to the End of the World.
    Census figures from 2011 indicate that the Abrahamic religions are practised by approximately 65 per cent of the population of the United Kingdom, which is a significant decrease on the figure of 75 per cent in 2001. For both of these surveys, Christianity is the largest single religion recorded, accounting for 59 per cent in 2011 and 70 per cent in 2001.
    Befitting such widely practised religions, most of the language and imagery we use to discuss the End of the World in religious terms comes from the beliefs of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Fire, floods and natural disasters are a primal fear that we all share, regardless of beliefs or location, but these religions specifically tie these into a series of events that will relate to the End of Days.
    Although they are known under different names, the books of the Old Testament are common to all three religions and provide the foundations for the modern view of the End of the World. Much of this comes from the first five books of the Old Testament: these are known as the Torah in the Jewish faith and include the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Muslims also venerate these books as part of the divine revelation upon which their religion has been built, although less emphasis is placed on these than on the later parts of the Quran.
    The Torah outlines God’s creation of the world and its inhabitants, along with the early days of the Jewish peoples.
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    DIVINE JUDGEMENT
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    The God of the Old Testament is known for His divine judgements and vengeful ways, and the Abrahamic religions feature as many stories about this as Greek mythology. One of the best-known examples of biblical condemnation comes from the Book of Genesis and involves the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
    Sodom and Gomorrah were amongst five cities located on the plains beside the River Jordan, just north of the Dead Sea, the other cities were Admah, Zeboim and Bela. The Bible isn’t overly explicit about how these cities were corrupted, but Sodom lends its name to the act of sodomy and should give some indication of the stories associated with the area.
    After Abraham had visited the area – the same Abraham from whom the religions earn their name – God made clear His intention to destroy the cities. Abraham negotiated with God to save some of the area’s more virtuous inhabitants, and his nephew Lot endeavoured to find such people.
    Unable to find any virtue within Sodom and Gomorrah, the angels sent to destroy the cities told Lot to flee the area with his family, warning him not to look back at the cities’ destruction. As they rained down fire and brimstone, Lot’s wife turned back to look at their former home and was turned into a pillar of salt as punishment.
    Noah
    The concept of the Abrahamic God wiping out whole civilisations is not unique to Sodom and Gomorrah: the Book of Genesis also recounts the story of Noah and the Flood, a story that introduces water in world-ending style in the same way that Sodom and Gomorrah feature fire.
    The events of the Flood occur before Sodom and Gomorrah, at a time when God’s judgement was directed at the entirety