Lord of the World

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Lord of the World
Author	Robert Hugh Benson
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Dystopian novel
Publisher	Dodd, Mead and Company
Publication date	1908
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	352 pp
ISBN	NA

Lord of the World is a 1908 apocalyptic novel by Robert Hugh Benson. It is sometimes deemed one of the first modern dystopias. However in purpose it is somewhat more similar to the recent Left Behind series, if radically different in theology. Michael D. O'Brien's Catholic apocalyptic series, Children of the Last Days follows a very similar theme as well.

1 Plot introduction
2 Details
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Plot introduction

Essentially the novel imagines a socialist and humanist world where religion has been either suppressed or ignored. People have no history or hope so they often turn to euthanasia, which is legal. Further there is a "one-world" government that uses Esperanto for its language and ultimately becomes a servant of the anti-Christ. In brief: The Catholic church has been suppressed by the rest of the world, which has turned to a form of "self religion". The Pope has made an agreement with the Italian government: the Catholic church can have all of Rome, while all other churches in Italy are surrendered to the government. Ireland still remains staunchly Catholic, with small enclaves all over the world. Westminster Cathedral is the only church in London that is still Catholic. The rest have become Freemasonic temples. The plot then follows the tale of a priest who becomes pope, and a man (who is identical in looks to the priest) who becomes "Lord of the World".

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[edit] Details

Where the novel is radically different from Evangelical Christian visions is that there is no Rapture and the only source of salvation is the Roman Catholic Church. Benson conceded other religions had parts of the truth, but he came to believe that only the Catholic Church had the full truth and the means of salvation. This coming to belief came from his conversion from Anglicanism to Catholicism.

His ideas give some sense of aspects of English Catholic thought during the pontificate of Pope Pius X, sharing similar views as Catholic authors, G. K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc.