APOCALYPTIC HYSTERIA AND THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH
Keywords:
apocalypticism, freedom of speech, nearness, Parousia, eschatologyAbstract
Freedom of speech is a core value of democracy. This has to be regulated and protected by law. When the discourse falls within the limits accepted by the law and is still of a doubtful value, the only solution is education. The focus of the paper is such a discourse, which regards the exaggerations regarding the end of the world. As old as the first Christian generation, the feeling of urgency and soonness has been nurtured and promoted. At times, this expectation has been exaggerated to the point where there is almost no benefit, either at a personal level or in the community or the society at large. Apocalypticism and eschatological exaggeration is amply testified in history, therefore the paper touches upon the Olivet Discourse in the hope to clarify and argue that there is no way to anticipate the approach of the end of the world or the return of Jesus based on the so-called signs of the end.
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