Cataclysm

The cataclysm is the Greek expression for the Deluge, from the Greek kataklysmos, to 'wash down' (kluzein "wash" + kata "down"). Erudite Bible studies drew it into the English language in 1633. This, of course, brings up the issue of the Biblical Flood. Many people believe the account in Genesis literally. There is a marked correspondence in many cultures in stories about a catastrophic flood from China to Australia to India and the Islands of the Pacific.

In our modern enlightened society we seem to thrive on disaster movies and TV series on how the world as we know it is going to end. The idea of a universal flood is rather tame compared to such blockbusters as The Day After Tomorrow. There seem to be a proliferation of cataclysmic events that could destroy the world from meteors (Deep Impact) to the whole Planet of the Apes series. Maybe enlightenment has shown us that the Bible is right after all.