The Truth Without All The Facts

The main paradox with A Doomsday lector Prophets, Predictors, and Hucksters of Salvation, edited by Ted Daniels, is that this work is intended as a guidebook or compendium of sorts for a reader bear on with prophecy and Christian salvation. However, Daniels consigns his work to the inferior status of the lofty dissertation, or more(prenominal) accurately, an extensive an nonated bibliography for a term paper, of this contentious shell by his choice of style and configuration.This main hindrance, which appears to actu tot onlyyy have been purposeful, comes from the format for which Daniels chooses to present development to his reader and openly excludes any contradictory statements to go on support or disown his assembled incidents.To begin with, Daniels constructs Doomsday as a three-parter, with Part One highlighting the religious and political philosophies undersurface secular enlightenment, Part Two illustrating the evil lurking within those political and religious rea lms, and Part Three relating the tragical results, all rise up-known and controversial events, and how chaos originated by the all-consuming, suggestive movement known as the Revelation.In the Introduction, Daniels spends a few discerning pages explaining his definition, literally and figuratively, for the critical terms a reader efficacy come across when researching Christian prophecy and Revelation. Then, after a short explanation of his theory that indicativeismis inherently political and that a reader might come to understand it better by taking that aspect of it fully into account (Daniels 15), the book begins with his battle array of essays and carefully constructed footnotes on his bases.However, Daniels theory is more or less left behind as the reader becomes disoriented by the essays and assembled information. His thesis, which he shrewdly never states in its entirety has a fundamental problem that he attempts to ignore by presenting his information as pure fact, wi th nothing to dispute, deny, or, for that matter, confirm. And, because he offers no further insight into his claim, it can only be take for granteded as is, as fact, and while his chapters do lead a focalise on his theory, they do nothing to prove anything other than to illustrate that he is more than adept in compiling facts to suit his purpose.For example, in Part One, Daniels highlights two main examples of leaders, Karl Marx and Adolf Hitler, who politically implemented their ideals for secular millenarianism, or, as Daniels has chosen to refer to it, the apocalyptic movement. Daniels uses Marxism to show how like earlier apocalyptic ideologiesthe interaction of opposing forcesin this case, labor and capitaldrives events in the humankind (56).It is a deceitful method of relating the truth, because apocalyptic ideologies, which he defines in his Introduction as a struggle between the forces of good and evil (4) focus on spirituality and redemption, not jobs and money, furt her he is clever not to mention this again because Marxism would thence have nothing to do with his point at this moment. Now, the facts cannot be denied that Hitler was indeed a bad man, but in truth, his position was one of purification, of ridding the world of the tainted race, the ape-men (65) and was not about religious enlightenment.Daniels gets around this fact by offering that Hitlers program combined two related elements common to many apocalyptic movements revenge and purity (70). With that said, a reader can be led to believe, because of Daniels previous definition for disclosure as basically anything or any movement that has the potential to destroy the world, that Hitler could be very frequently an averted anti-Christ. With no other testimony or evidence contrary to this, a reader is forced to accept Daniels claim as fact.Now, the biggest problem with his thesis comes from his claim that the apocalyptic nature inherent in all people is caused or, more succinctly, manu factured, by politics. By saying this, Daniels is expunging the reality and responsibility from people who wittingly commit suicide thinking that their salvation is at hand if they choose to follow the best salesman. To follow, obtusely and blindly without question because someone believes glory comes with a sacrifice like suicide (which is ironically the sterling(prenominal) of all sins, according to Christian religion) is not something that can be placed in the broad form of political maneuvering.It can be orchestrated by a political whizz, yes but that political mastermind is also very approximately as blind and dumb as the herd of sheep they lead to execute because they too believe, without question, that their own redemption or whatever freedom they are seeking comes from controlling the lives of others, and how well they manage at the task. While this can be defined as apocalyptic nature, because it is utterly destructive, it is not inherently politicalit is inherently hu man.But to say that the apocalypse and the movement that result one day bowl over the world is inherently human is perhaps too extreme for a book of this sort to flip over into. Daniels is most certainly aware of the controversial nature of his subject and understands, too, how people read and react to this subject when taken as a whole. If he focused on the problem and the ultimate destruction of the world as originating from being human, a large segment of his audience would close the book in detestation because they are, instinctively, because of the nature of the topic, seeking answers.And, with an efficiency to be admired, Daniels is cleverly able to grant those answerseven if it means skipping a measure of the truth. But, with any decent argument or frankly, any decent production of information, the fact and the fictionalisation of the accumulated information need to be presented side by side so that the fact, if it truly is fact, will stand on its own because, by its na ture, fact has more power and authority than any fabrication ever will. With this method, information can be highlighted and validated at the same time.While this may work in the Encyclopedia Britannica, Daniels, is not an authorized authority on the subject and therefore requires room in his work, or at the very least, acknowledgement, for such interpretation. Otherwise, the reader is being led into the exact trap that Daniels expresses is responsible for direct cults off to commit suicide for a holy comet in Part Three. In this way, Daniels actually forbids a reader to consider their options, and instead, ironically commits the very same sin that he compiled Doomsday Reader to entreat about herding the people with cunningly used portions of fact.And, with his choice of format, Daniels also neatly removes himself from any sort of literary or spiritual criticism because he assigns himself as the editor of this work, and does not hold the mantle of the author. Moreover, as is his w ay, every chapter ends with a Notes section in which all sources and facts gleaned from weblogs, news, and the Bible are posted in the trite APA citation style. While this is not unusual in a reference book of this sort, it becomes a atomic number 42 disconcerting when every chapter ends with two pages of sources to review.At that point, a reader is left to wonder how much, if any, of the information came from Daniels. Or, more importantly, why he chose the facts he did to illustrate whatever version of the truth he hopes to prove. But with a topic this controversial and completely emotional and sacred for a great deal of the religious community, fact demand to be presented with disconcerting arguments as well, or at least offer in his extensive whole shebang Cited, since he took the time to make it happen, authors or websites that offer some form of skepticism.In this manner, Daniels is able to present all of the related information on this subject without ever being forced to declare his position or specify an exact opinion. But, more importantly, Daniels never offers any information to refute his truths either, so for that reason alone, Daniels is removing himself and his information from interpretation because the method he uses presents everything as fact. His sources, as they are quoted, are to be accepted and believed as fact, no questions asked, no tokens granted.Overall, while Daniels attempted to compile a compendium of information for the reader interest in prophecy or the Revelation, his theories and ideas are hardly presented at all, unless a reader gives the same slant to the slightly audacious Introduction, which offers his brief, indeterminate premise for creating and organizing his work. And, by choosing so specific a format for bring together his work, his information can be taken no other way, especially because every chapter, and very nearly every paragraph, ends with a footnote, and not an opinion.It is his chosen format that lends to an attitude of distrust from a reader because Daniels cannot be taken fully and with complete authority on such a controversial theme. If anything, Doomsday Reader serves more as a tidy and eloquent annotated bibliography for a term paper than as the for the first time guidebook for understanding prophecy and the terms required by the Bible for Christian salvation. Works Cited. Daniels, Ted, Ed. A Doomsday Reader Prophets, Predictors, and Hucksters of Salvation. New York New York UP, 1999.