Survivalism Survivalism is the belief, sometimes accompanied by preparation and survival skills, that one's own life is worth preserving at any cost during a catastrophe (including nuclear war, zombies, future disasters, etc.). This is often expressed as concern over government or corporate plans that may cause the end of the world. It is also possible to create and practice survivalism without any particular impending danger: becoming more self-sufficient and stockpiling emergency supplies can be motivated by a personal interest in survivalism and do not necessarily indicate that a person is concerned about pending disaster. The survivalist movement includes a range of sub-cultural groups and ideologies, that may or may not be mutually exclusive. Some of them were originally characterized by mistrust of governments and large institutions. They may or may not impose religious or cultural restrictions on their members. Some survivalists are interested in improving preparedness while others are interested in a retreat from society. The sub-cultures include: Hardcore preppers, prepare for the worst while hoping for the best. Konservative Konservativism focuses on sustainable living, environmentalism, and the survival of traditional culture, in addition to basic preparedness for the aftermath of the fall of society and civilization. Tea Party politics advocates returning to an imagined agrarian past, including renewed interest in gun rights, private land ownership and limited government, with a partial distrust of centralized government. Patriot Free Talk Radio (PFT) is based in the United States, Canada and some other countries. It promotes itself as the "world's largest independent and uncensored Patriot, Tea Party & related radio broadcasting company", and puts an emphasis on syndicated hosts. The National Rifle Association is a gun rights advocacy and lobbying organisation which believes that a free citizenry needs to be able to protect itself, either through its own arms, or through a gun owners' militia if necessary. This mindset has led to several prominent survivalists being members. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a major sponsor of preparedness advocacy, and a common theme in Mormon survivalist groups. Doomsday/survivalist groups Prepper groups are a general term for any group that practices or prepares for the deliberate preparation for an unspecified emergency, often an economic collapse. Most prepper groups are also part of the loosely organized survivalist movement, but the term has become associated with individuals or groups that prepare for much more than economic collapse. These groups are usually dedicated to the belief that civilizations have only a certain number of years left before disaster or destruction will come. The definition of such a group can range from an organized military training program run by a government, a militia, a religious cult, or a paramilitary-themed survivalist group. Most groups are not exclusively prepper, but have survivalist elements in common, and prepare for other causes. For example, while some survivalists prepare for economic collapse, others, such as many of the followers of James Wesley Rawles may be more focused on being able to ride out an impending ice age. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is also a major sponsor of preparedness advocacy, and a common theme in Mormon survivalist groups. In 2012 Canadian preppers began protesting the proposed Canadian gun registry. Media coverage In 2009, MSNBC aired a program titled Preppers: Feared by many, respected by many more which explored the culture of preppers in the United States and how a belief in an impending societal breakdown is influencing the United States and Canadian geopolitical landscape. In early 2013, American Preppers aired on Pivot TV. In 2012, "The Survivalist", a reality TV show filmed in South Africa, premiered on the National Geographic Channel. In 2013, the TV series Doomsday Preppers premiered on National Geographic Channel. In the UK, Channel 4 aired a series called The Family in 2011. See also Anarcho-capitalist literature Christian eschatology End times Evangelical Christian politics in the United States Exclusive Brethren FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency Food security Fortification movement The Free Congress Foundation Gun ownership Lutheran Theological Seminary Magazines: Bartender (magazine) New Pioneer (magazine) Old Bolshevik Rip Off Press The Spearhead Related pages Epicurus and the atomic bomb Epicureanism Gunsite Academy Rationality Survivalism Weird Scary by Tim Kreider Zombie survivalism Zionism and politics in the United States Nuclear power debate in the United States References Further reading External links The Survivalist: A Journal of Biblical and Theological Writings, an online academic journal of The Remnant Trust The Christian Patriot, A Collection of Articles by Christian Preppers. 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