This is the presentation given by Sr. Rose at St. Monica's Parish, May 20, 2012 on "Apocalyptic Themes in Movies". The presentation explores the way films deal with the end times from various perspectives, why people watch, and authentic Catholic Christian teaching about the end of the world. The movie clips are not included but the list of films referred to in the live presentation are listed on the final slide. (Thanks to Mary Sperry!)

1. Apocalyptic Themes in Cinema
Sr Rose Pacatte
Pauline Center for Media Studies
Sisterrose.wordpress.com

2. The concept of apocalypse is dramatic
eschatology for a clash of the physical mind
process (time) versus metaphysical realm
(eternity). Naturally we are all intrigued and
utterly fascinated with such a mind blowing
topic
– Angelene S., undergrad student in Religious Studies (UC Davis Class of 2015)

3.  The Catholic Church does believe in the end of the world
and the Second Coming
 But …. the Bible does not predict the end of the world or
name the Antichrist
 Clues in the Bible are subjective to the person claiming to
understand them
 Jesus said that not even he knows the day or hour of the
end of the world
 Only the Father knows
 If the Father didn’t tell the Son why would he tell anyone
else (especially an American or a Brit or US ally?)

4. The human soul is immortal
At the end of the world body & soul
will be reunited to live forever

5.  Unveiling or revelation of Jesus as the Messiah
 Disclosure of something hidden from the majority of
mankind in an era of confusion, chaos, falsehood
 “The Apocalypse of St. John” is the last book of the New
Testament
 By extension has come to mean any end time scenario

6.  in Hebrew
 Archeological dig
 A fort on a hill to guard the highway
 Book of Revelation mentions Armageddon Rev. 16:12-16
 Site of ancient battles
 Literal or symbolic?

7. Authentic Catholic Christian teaching:
 Parousia – the Second Coming of Christ (but can also mean the
visit of a Christian worker); personal presence (Mt 24:27)
 Eschatology – study of the Last Things (judgment, heaven, hell,
purgatory, the Second Coming)
Inauthentic, erroneous teaching:
 Dispensationalism – when God relates to people in different
ways that the Biblical covenants: dispensations
 Tribulation – during the “end times” before the “rapture”
 Rapture – left behind
 Millenarianism – literal belief in a future millennium following
the Second Coming (application of 1000 year cycles to God’s
plan)

9.  Science fiction
 Horror
 Military
 Animation
 Comedy
Religion:
 Comets
 Nature
The Bible
 Plagues
 Post Apocalyptic
 Zombie

11.  Founded by Nelson Darby 1831, Plymouth, UK (Dublin 1827)
 Tired of dissent, dissatisfied with Church of England
 PB = First historical reference to pre-tribulation, end time -
rapture doctrine; parousia = dispensations (from Biblical
covenants)
 “Caught up in the air” (private revelation Margaret
Macdonald to Darby)
 In cinema: Oscar and Lucinda & Son of Rambow but much
more in the culture and politics

12.  Special effects
 Fascinated by choices characters make
 Way to reflect on one’s mortality
 If these people could survive … so can I
 Schaudenfreude
 Makes the unknown visible
 Way to assuage fear through control:
 beginning, middle, end
 = control = crisis of faith due to lack of religious knowledge?

13.  Fear – confront fear as in horror film
 Choices – consequences
 Hope – if these people can survive, so can I
 Humanity – the best humanity can be shows at the worst possible time
 Death + mortality
 Humility - Pride
 Faith - secularism
 The end of the world is only about American males and
 American ideology and fundamentalist Protestant and/or pagan pre-Christian sensibilities
 One world or America

14. Zombie apocalypse: hostile to human life, assault on
civilization

15.  Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass
through a final trial that will shake the faith of many
believers. The persecution that accompanies her
pilgrimage on earth will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in
the form of a religious deception offering men an
apparent solution to their problems at the price of
apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception
is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which
man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah
come in the flesh. (Catechism of the Catholic Church 675;
Rev. 19: 1-9)

16.  The Antichrist's deception already begins to take shape in
the world every time the claim is made to realize within
history that messianic hope which can only be realized
beyond history through the eschatological judgment. The
Church has rejected even modified forms of this
falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of
millenarianism, especially the "intrinsically perverse"
political form of a secular messianism. (CCC 676; Rev. 13,
20, 21)

17.  The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only
through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord
in his death and Resurrection. The kingdom will be
fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church
through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God's
victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause
his Bride to come down from heaven. God's triumph over
the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgment
after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world. (CCC
677; Rev. 20, 2 Peter 3)

19.  The concept of apocalypse is dramatic
eschatology for a clash of the physical mind
process (time) versus metaphysical realm
(eternity). Naturally we are all intrigued and
utterly fascinated with such a mind blowing
topic – Angelene S., undergrad student in Religious Studies (Class of 2015)

20.  Catechism of the Catholic Church
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM
 www.ApocalypicMovies.com
 Wikipedia
 Basic Catechism, Hill & Wallace, 1999, Boston
 Films
 2012, Deep Impact, Armageddon, Shaun of the Dead, Left
Behind, The Book of Eli, On the Beach, Dr. Strangelove, The
Day After Tomorrow