Spectres and shadows : Aum Shinrikyo and the road to Megiddo.

Reader, Ian J. (2002) Spectres and shadows : Aum Shinrikyo and the road to Megiddo. Terrorism and Political Violence, 14 (1). pp. 145-186. ISSN 0954-6553

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Abstract

This article examines intelligence agency reports, such as the FBI's Project Megiddo, that focus on millennial religious movements and the year 2000. It does so in the context of the Japanese millennial religion Aum Shinriky, whose use of chemical weapons was cited in the reports as a significant watershed in the history of terrorism. Showing why the reports used Aum in this way as a 'textbook case' of millennial violence, it analyses the Aum affair in comparative millennial contexts and shows how and why its violence occurred. In so doing it shows how Project Megiddo and other reports err in many of their claims, such as the possible parallels between Aum and Christian Identity movements, the notion that Aum was trying to precipitate a final war, and the assumption that specific dates such as 2000 serve as triggers for millennial violence.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Terrorism and Political Violence
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3320
Subjects:
?? millennialismreligious terrorismcharismaparanoiatriggering the millenniumpolitical science and international relationssafety researchsociology and political sciencesafety, risk, reliability and qualitybl religion ??
ID Code:
13696
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
30 Sep 2008 14:04
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
15 Jul 2024 09:30