Endnotes to Dances with Devils {Original Publication Dates Appear
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Endnotes to Dances With Devils {Original publication dates appear within brackets like these} Eric Ward, ed., Conspiracies: Real Griev- 1 ances, Paranoia, and Mass Movements, This article is adapted from working papers and the draft (Seattle, Northwest Coalition Against Mali- manuscript for Too Close for Comfort, by Chip Berlet & Matthew N. Lyons, forthcoming, Guilford Press. cious Harassment [Peanut Butter Publish- Many of the themes and ideas expressed in this paper ing], 1996). are the result of our joint work. Seminars hosted by 2 The analysis of apocalyptic demonization and millenni- historian Richard Landes, director of the Center for alism in this paper is drawn primarily from the fol- Millennial Studies (CMS), at Boston University, lowing sources: helped me frame this discussion, as did discussions For apocalypticism: Paul Boyer, When Time Shall with Sara Diamond, Fred Clarkson, Philip Lamy, Be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern Aaron Katz, and Erin Miller. A number of people, American Culture, (Cambridge, MA: too numerous to list here, graciously made useful Belknap/Harvard University Press, 1992); comments based on earlier drafts and conference pa- Charles B. Strozier, Apocalypse: On the pers, and I thank them for their assistance. Psychology of Fundamentalism in America, Portions of this article first appeared in: (Boston: Beacon Press, 1994); Stephen O'Leary, Arguing the Apocalypse: A Theory Chip Berlet, "Apocalypse Soon: Are You Tar- of Millennial Rhetoric, (New York: Oxford geted as an Agent of the Antichrist? As the University Press, 1994); Robert Fuller, Year 2000 Approaches, the List Grows..." Naming the Antichrist: The History of an The Boston Globe, 7/19/98, Focus Section, American Obsession, (New York: Oxford p. 1. University Press, 1995); Philip Lamy, Mil- , "Mad as Hell: Right—wing Populism, lennium Rage: Survivalists, White Suprema- Fascism, and Apocalyptic Millennialism," cists, and the Doomsday Prophecy, (New paper presented at the 14th World Congress York: Plenum, 1996); Damian Thompson, of Sociology (XlVe Congres Mondial de The End of Time: Faith and Fear in the Sociologie), International Sociological As- Shadow of the Millennium. (Great Britain: sociation, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Sinclair-Stevenson, 1996); Richard K. Fenn, 1998. The End of Time: Religion, Ritual, and the Forging of the Soul, (Cleveland: Pilgrim , "The Ideological Weaponry of the Press, 1997). American Right: Dangerous Classes and Welfare Queens," (L'arsenal ideologique de For Christian critiques of conspiracist apoca- la droite am6ricaine: «classes dangereuses» lyptics: Gregory S. Camp, Selling Fear: et «welfare queens»), paper presented at the Conspiracy Theories and End—Times Para- international symposium, The American noia, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, Model: an Hegemonic Perspective for the 1997); Richard Abanes, End-Time Visions: End of the Millennium?, (Le «modele ame- The Road to Armageddon?, (New York: ricain»: une perspective hegemonique pour Four Walls Eight Windows, 1998); and Tom la fin du millenaire?) sponsored by Group Sine, Cease Fire: Searching for Sanity in Regards Critiques, University of Lausanne, America's Culture Wars, (Grand Rapids, Switzerland, May 12, 1998. MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1995). , "Three Models for Analyzing Con- For a progressive challenge to apocalyptic think- spiracist Mass Movements of the Right," in ing: Lee Quinby, Anti—Apocalypse: Exercise in Geneological Criticism, (Minneapolis: Mintz, The Liberty Lobby and the American Right: Univ. of MN Press, 1994). Race, Conspiracy, and Culture (Westport, CT: For apocalyptic demonization: Elaine Pagels, The Greenwood, 1985); David H. Bennett, The Party of Origin of Satan, (New York: Vintage, Fear: The American Far Right from Nativism to the 1996); and Norman Cohn, Cosmos, Chaos Militia Movement, (New York: Vintage Books, re- and the World to Come: The Ancient Roots vised 1995, {1988}); Joel Kovel, Red Hunting in the of Apocalyptic Faith, (New Haven: Yale Promised Land: Anticommunism and the Making of University Press, 1993); James A. Aho, This America, (New York, Basic Books, 1994). Thing of Darkness: A Sociology of the En- 8 Interview with Holly Sklar, 1998; Holly Sklar, Chaos or emy, (Seattle: Univ. of Washington Press, Community: Seeking Solutions, Not Scapegoats for 1994). Bad Economics, (Boston: South End Press, 1995); A 3 Pagels, The Origin of Satan, p. 182. similar point is made in Mary E. Kelsey and Mary 4 Thierry Texeira, "Scapegoating at the End of the This can be found in a wide range of sources; see: Gerry Millennium: Symbolic Legislation and the Crisis of O'Sullivan, "The Satanism Scare," Postmodern Cul- Capitalism," paper, American Sociological Associa- ture v.l n.2 (January, 1991); Jeffrey Victor, "The tion, (ASA), San Francisco, 1998. Search for Scapegoat Deviants," The Humanist, Sep. 9 /Oct. 1992, pp. 10-13; Leonard Zeskind, "Some For ongoing detailed coverage of these diverse forms see Ideas on Conspiracy Theories for a New Historical the quarterly Millennial Prophecy Report, Millen- Period," in Ward, ed., Conspiracies; Kathleen M. nium Watch Institute, POB 34021, Philadelphia, PA Blee, "Engendering Conspiracy: Women in Rightist 19101-4021. Theories and Movements," in Ward, Conspiracies; There are also eclectic apocalyptic sects. Such Evan Harrington, "Conspiracy Theories and Para- groups can turn inward such as the Heaven's noia: Notes from a Mind-Control Conference," Gate group suicides which flowed from a Skeptical Inquirer, Sept., Oct. 1996, pp. 35^42; Ken- mixture of Biblical prophesy, the ancient neth S. Stern, "Militias and the Religious Right," predictions of Nostradamus, and science Freedom Writer, IFAS, October 1996; Robert M. fiction. The Order of the Solar Temple im- Price, "Antichrist Superstar and the Paperback ploded with group suicides in Canada, Apocalypse: Rapturous Fiction and Fictitious Rap- France and Switzerland. Sometimes groups ture," and Nicholas Stix "'Apocalypse, Shmapoca- turn outward, such as the Aum Shinrikyo lypse: You Say You Want a Revolution," in "On the sect which exploded with a gas attack on the Millennium," Deolog, Feb. 1997, online, Tokyo subway; see: Thompson, The End Of <http://www.stealth.net/~deolog/297.html>. Time; Jeffrey Kaplan, Radical Religion in America: Millenarian Movements from the 5 Lamy, Millennium Rage, pp. 86-88. Far Right to the Children of Noah, (Syra- 6 Chip Berlet, "Three Models for Analyzing Conspiracist cuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1997). Mass Movements of the Right," in Ward, ed., Con- spiracies. Useful introductory anthologies are: Thomas 7 Robbins and Susan J. Palmer, eds., Millen- Richard Hofstadter, "The Paranoid Style in American nium, Messiahs, and Mayhem: Contempo- Politics," in The Paranoid Style in American Politics rary Apocalyptic Movements, (New York: and Other Essays (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Routledge, 1997); and, Charles B. Strozier 1965); David Brion Davis, ed., The Fear of Conspir- and Michael Flynn, The Year 2000: Esssays acy: Images of Un-American Subversion from the on the End, (New York: NYU Press, 1997). Revolution to the Present, (Ithaca, NY: Cornell Uni- versity Press, 1971); Richard O. Curry and Thomas For handy guides, see Robert G. Clouse, Robert M. Brown, eds., "Introduction," Conspiracy: The N. Hosack, and Richard V. Pierard, The New Fear of Subversion in American History, (New York: Millennium Manual: A Once and Future Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1972); George Johnson, Guide, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, Architects of Fear: Conspiracy Theories and Para- forthcoming, 1999); and Stephen Jay Gould, noia in American Politics (Los Angeles: Questioning the Millennium: A Rationalist's Tarcher/Houghton Mifflin, 1983); and Frank P. Guide to a Precisely Arbitrary Countdown, (New York: Harmony Books, 1997). See 15 David G. Bromley, "Constructing Apocalypticism," pp. also "On the Millennium," a collection of 31-45; and, Catherine Wessinger, "Millennialism articles in Deolog, Feb. 1997, online, With and Without the Mayhem," pp. 47-59; both in <http://www.stealth.net/~deolog/297.html>. Robbins & Palmer, eds., Millennium, Messiahs, and Discussions at the Center for Millennial Studies Mayhem. in 1998 have focused on the following top- 16 See generally, Cohn, Cosmos, Chaos and the World to ics: Authorities in Israel are making plans Come. for dealing with devout Christians expected 17 to flock to Jerusalem and other sites to await John M. Bozeman, "Technological Millenarianism in the (or perhaps encourage) the second coming United States," in Robbins & Palmer, eds., Millen- of Christ. Apocalyptic Christians, Muslims, nium, Messiahs, and Mayhem; See also, Millennial and Jews covet the Temple Mount. Messi- Prophecy Report, April 1996, pp. 4-20. anic Jews are looking for the flawless "red 18 In Protestantism the text has been called the book of heifer" of ancient prophecy. "Revelation," New International Version of the Holy Bible [Protestant "NIV" version] (Grand Rapids, MI: l0See: Mike A. Males The Scapegoat Generation: Amer- Zondervan Bible Publishers, 1984 [1973]); and "The ica 's War on Adolescents; (Monroe, ME, Common Revelation of St. John the Divine," The Holy Bible: Courage Press, 1996 To Reclaim a Legacy of Diver- King James Version (Iowa Falls, Iowa: World Bible sity: Analyzing the ^Political Correctness' Debates in Publishers, 1986). In Catholicism, it has been called Higher Education, (Washington, DC: National "The Apocalypse of St. John the Apostle," New Council for Research on Women, 1993); and Ellen Catholic Edition of