Welcome to Doomsday (New York Review Collections) [Paperback]

Bill Moyers (Author), Bill McKibben (Preface)

Book Description

Series: New York Review Collections | Publication Date: October 3, 2006

The influence of the evangelical Christian right on the Bush administration has had a mostly unnoticed impact on America's environmental policy. While some take God’s granting of dominion over the earth to man as a call to good stewardship of our planet, many evangelicals distrust science and disdain environmental protections. They live in anticipation of one event: the Rapture, when Christ will return to cleanse the earth while the true believers are transported to heaven. For those who believe that the Rapture and the destruction of the world are imminent, there is no need to be concerned about saving the planet from environmental catastrophe.

Welcome to Doomsday is an investigation into the coupling of ideology and theology, in particular the intrusion of religion into political life, in America today. Global climate change is a rapid, possibly irreversible occurrence, yet the stance taken by the White House in both international and domestic arenas is one of both ignorance and disbelief. Appeasing the influential agendas of corporations, as well as the uncompromising dominant beliefs of evangelical groups, the Bush administration has firmly established a disastrous record of ignoring the urgency of potentially devastating changing climate.

Welcome to Doomsday is a passionate call to save the planet from the forces not only of greed and exploitation but from those who associate its destruction with a spiritual apocalypse. Written by the compelling and articulate Bill Moyers, this is essential reading for anyone interested in the current dismal state of environmental policy as well as in the growing power of the evangelical movement in the United States.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Doomsday refers to "a time of catastrophic destruction and death," and clearly, ours qualifies. War rages, terrorists kill, natural disasters escalate, and people suffer on all fronts. Overarching these horrors are the dire threats of global warming, a slow-motion catastrophe our leaders refuse to acknowledge or attempt to combat. This brings us to the second definition of doomsday, as a day of final reckoning, for Christians the End Times leading up to the Second Coming. This is where journalist Moyers enters the picture. Himself a graduate of a Texas Baptist seminary, Moyers succinctly and decisively links the Bush administration's obdurate disregard for science and environmental realities to the corrosive influence of the Christian Right. Since Christian Fundamentalists see the Iraq War and attacks on Israel as necessary precursors to the Rapture, why should true believers worry about the biosphere? God will take care of his own until Christ returns and the saved are lifted up from this polluted, extinction-plagued, and warming world. Moyers' concise yet meticulous critique of this dangerous viewpoint is clear and necessary. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Doomsday refers to "a time of catastrophic destruction and death," and clearly, ours qualifies. War rages, terrorists kill, natural disasters escalate, and people suffer on all fronts. Overarching these horrors are the dire threats of global warming, a slow-motion catastrophe our leaders refuse to acknowledge or attempt to combat. This brings us to the second definition of doomsday, as a day of final reckoning, for Christians the End Times leading up to the Second Coming. This is where journalist Moyers enters the picture. Himself a graduate of a Texas Baptist seminary, Moyers succinctly and decisively links the Bush administration's obdurate disregard for science and environmental realities to the corrosive influence of the Christian Right. Since Christian Fundamentalists see the Iraq War and attacks on Israel as necessary precursors to the Rapture, why should true believers worry about the biosphere? God will take care of his own until Christ returns and the saved are lifted up from this polluted, extinction-plagued, and warming world. Moyers' concise yet meticulous critique of this dangerous viewpoint is clear and necessary. -Donna Seaman
YA: Moyers notes that religious materials given to teens tend to dismiss biological realities; this provides invaluable checks and balances. DS." –Booklist


“The truth is, the [Alaska National Wildlife Refuge] vote is merely a small part of a larger…neoconservative attitude that has a…fundamentalist belief in the End Times, in the Apocalypse. Don't believe it? Have yourself a nice read of famed journalist Bill Moyer's delicate, excellent essay "Welcome to Doomsday" via the New York Review of Books, which brings in all the numbers and data into a beautifully articulate essay on the state of the American religious landscape..–The San Francisco Chronicle


Praise for Moyers:

“Bill Moyers speaks for, and to, the conscience of our nation.”—Walter Cronkite

“Bill Moyers believes with his very heart-bone in the interchange of ideas, in individuals speaking out. . . . And he is, in a very real sense, a man of faith: of faith in America.”—James Dickey, The New York Times

"Not only a good reporter... a first-rate storyteller."–The Boston Globe

"Bill Moyers is doing what Madison and Jefferson desperately hoped the press would do –provide information ... so that the people would be informed enough to enable constitutional democracy to survive."–Nat Hentoff

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 56 pages
• Publisher: New York Review Books (October 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590172094
• ISBN-13: 978-1590172094
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.2 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #593,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian Living > Stewardship
  • #23 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Outdoors & Nature > Environment > Conservation
  • #23 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Church & State

More About the Author

Bill Moyers was a founding organizer of the Peace Corps, a senior White House assistant(and press secretary) to President Lyndon Johnson from 1963 until 1967, the publisher of Newsday, a senior news analyst for CBS News, and the producer of groundbreaking series for public television. He is the winner of more than thirty Emmy awards and nine Peabody awards. Among his bestselling books are Listening to America; A World of Ideas; The Power of Myth (with Joseph Campbell); and Moyers on America. His latest book is Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues. He lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond the Rapture Credo, December 13, 2008

By 

Robert N. Sanders (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Welcome to Doomsday (New York Review Collections) (Paperback)

Although I am a retired American Baptist pastor, I preach, now and then, at local Unitarian Universalist churches. I had been invited to preach in the Oaklandon Unitarian Universalist church of Indianapolis on September 28, 2008. As I thought about an opportunity which is demanding, I came across this book by Bill Moyers. Immediately I knew that the "text" for my sermon would be taken from this "holy book" or "Welcome to Doomsday." In addition, this "word" was stimulated by this one who is a member of my trinity. The two others are Martin E. Marty and James A. Autry (whose book "Looking Around for God" is one I have reviewed). It will be up to you to determine if what I write and Moyers' book affirms is an inerrant and infallible word of God or just a frightening word from a Baptist preacher and a Baptist journalist! Like Bush's word when he stood on the ruins of the World Trade Center -- a lot of words, talk, talk, talk, none infallible.

From my perspective the reason this book is so relevant is because of some major events in history. The events are associated with July 4, 1776, and December 7, 1941 and September 11, 2001. The first two are about freedom and making the world safe for democracy. The third or September 11, 2001, makes clear that the events surrounding 9/11 (exercerbated by an oil hungry administration) struck us so powerfully that we long for a future that is secure and safe. This longing has opened the door for the "doomsday" mentality socially, politically and religiously. The present is frightening. Who knows when another event like 9/11 will take place. So cast your lot on some age beyond. Indeed, there are those who want to precipitate the end times so that they will be caught up out of this awful history and "be raptured." This is the kind of "stuff" Moyers takes on in this little book.

September 11, 2001, convinced us that we could defend freedom by imprisoning and murdering the Iraqi while ignoring Osama ben Laden and by turning ethics into personal virtue because of the inherent danger in calling for help from the UN for international concern. September 11, 2001, has us transforming politics from a system protecting the freedoms secured by 1776 and insured by 1941 into those guaranteeing profit from oil by pre-emptive strikes on the competition and, potentially, Iran. But the most alarming result of 2001 is the growth, development and enrichment of the "doomsday" perspective.

St. Augustine wrote, "Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage: anger at the way things are and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are." Bill Moyers' book is angry, courageous and hopeful. Augustine also heard a voice, when he was struggling with his life and had a vision of the 'good book,' saying "Take up and read." I suggest you do the same.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This should be required reading!, June 14, 2007

By 

Moriah J. Jones "dem girl" (Cumberland, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Welcome to Doomsday (New York Review Collections) (Paperback)

Because Bush & Co have, without a doubt, diabolically turned our country upside-down, Bill Moyers book, "Welcome To Doomsday" should be required reading! Mr. Moyers, truly a national treasure, is also most certainly one of our most prolific 'thinkers' and writers. This book spares the reader empty rhetoric and redundancy but nevertheless is powerfully profound and informational -- please treat yourself, you won't regret it!

5 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A little skimpy for a "book", January 13, 2008

By 

P. R. Linehan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Welcome to Doomsday (New York Review Collections) (Paperback)

I ordered this "book" for my stepfather for Christmas as I know he is a Bill Moyers fan. When it arrived in a shipment with other items, I thought it was some sort of free booklet in the bottom of the box. I contemplated returning it as I didn't know if it was even worth giving as a gift. In the end, I kept it and my stepfather ended up liking it. Next time I order a book, I suppose I'll pay more attention to the page no. & size specifications.