Nuclear Fear in Religious America: Theological Responses to the Atom Bomb, 1945-1954

Abstract

After the detonation of the atom bomb by the United States on Japanese territories American society was quick to respond to and incorporate this new weapon into their culture. This thesis explores how American mainstream theological publications such as The Christian Century responded to the unveiling of atomic weaponry and its subsequent proliferation. Its development is divided into two phases: the first phase, 1945-1949, shows a general discussion regarding the ethics of atomic weaponry and its consequences on both a national and international level. The second phase, starting in 1949, shows that atomic discussion and general ideas regarding the Cold War and America's possible antagonists became more entangled into one singular narrative. The aim of this thesis is to identify when and why this change in narrative occurred, and how it further developed.