by Rod Amis
THE MESSIAH - Rod Amis's fourth post begins with his on-going argument with MiniMe and proceeds to eschatology in Judaism and then goes afield.
8 August 2006 I was hoping it wouldn't start this way but it had to:
MiniMe: So, Dude, I see you've gotten over it and decided to come back.
Me: I told you it wasn't over until I could write the word "Amen" at the end of the title. Why are you breaking my balls?
MiniMe: Maybe because you need it?
Me: Don't make me hurt you...
MiniMe: I liked it much better when you did evil and snarky definitions. Don't you think all this talk about religion and the end of the world is kindah creepy? It sure creeps me out.
They're having tornadoes over in Europe right now. That never happens! Don't' you think that's a sign of the End Times.
Me: Can you say "Global Warming," MiniMe? That's what I think. I'm so glad Al Gore got cheated out of the Presidency. That's what I think.
MiniMe: That's better! Snarky. Sarcastic. Those I like! You're being all serious on our asses is kindah a downer, you know, Dude? Too many words.
Me: Like in "Amadeus" when the Emperor said Mozart used "too many notes"?
MiniMe: There you go again with them intellectual references. Will you ever learn?
8 August 2006: The first two e-mails I read this morning were from friends in Europe and Africa, respectively. The first talked of until-now unheard of tornadoes in Switzerland and horrible weather-related devastation in Romania. The second e-mail was about catastrophic storms on the eastern cape of South Africa and people going without electricity for days on end,
I could only wag my head. Even as I write here at the Huffington Post Contagious Festival about the Eschaton that the religious believe their gods will bring about, I am witnessing not Deus ex Machina but an Act of Humanity.
Every morning I look out my window at people driving along singly in their automobiles during their morning commute to their jobs and I can't but think You - YOU are killing us. And, yes, I despair. As I have written at my own Web site, watching your thousands of cars, with one - only one - person in them, I know you are killing us and there is NOTHING I can do to stop you.
Would I love the price of petrol in the United States to be $10/gallon and commensurately higher elsewhere? You'd better believe it! Would I like you and your vehicles and your factories to stop poisoning the very air, warming the Gulf Stream, and wiping out hundreds of species before you manage to kill even us? Most definitely!
But I cannot stop you. (I know you take comfort in that fact.)
Your wish for Death is so compulsive and compelling that the wish for Life of people like Your Interlocutor stands scant chance against it. You mean to use the Earth's resources and its life-giving facets up, whether the rest of us want you or not. Because you can...
Yes, you have guessed right: this post is my Jeremiad in the series.
The astute reader will note that, while focusing on the Abrahamic religions thus far, I have not had much to say about the Jewish vision of the Eschaton. There are reasons for this.
The first reason is that it was part of my major concentration of study when writing my own thesis about the influences abounding in first century (A.D.) Palestine. The second is, in the view of This Interlocutor, the practitioners of Judaism are - in the main - not as concerned with the Eschaton as the other Abrahamic religions. (More to say about this as we proceed.)
What I learned that was, the Hassidim (here I refer to Hassidim pre-first century, who preceded the Essenes), who believe in mysticism to begin with, were part of what led to this idea of Eschaton in Judaism. That this mystical strain, supporting a less formalized view of Judaism was re-visited in the sixteenth century on speaks to its strength among those who were not ready to adopt rabbinism.
Frankly, in modern Judaism, it is not that popular and idea. Most of the rabbinic tradition downplays it. Yeah, the idea of the Messiah is still there, but he is not the biggest rock star in this religion, if you, Gentle Reader, will excuse my colloquialism. Messiah, Schmessiah. Nobody is waiting for his appearance. (Well, maybe a few of the ultra Orthodox.)
Thus, ironically, of all the Abrahamic religions, it is the Jews who neither pine for the return of Jesus of Nazareth (obvious reason there) nor are in any hurry for the "End of Time."
I am frankly amazed. Why would - according to the literal interpretation of the Bible (or Torah)- would the Jews not want all of us to suffer and die in everlasting torment?
Can you say "rationality?"
As MiniMe might say, neither the Mahdi nor the Anti-Christ (who most sane people expect is George W. Bush) is "All That."
Our Jewish friends have, therefore, one advantage: they are not expecting some ephemeral "Paradise" or "Heaven," in the main.
Neither are the rest of us. Get over it.
This is what we got.
Signs and Wonders
Anyone who has ever read the print on Web versions of the Fortean Times is highly aware that any day of the week for the last two hundred years it has been purportedly raining frogs from the sky somewhere or a man or woman has sprouted wings. IF you are looking for "signs and wonders" the Fortean Times or Belgrade's Third Eye are your meat and bread. [Disclaimer: My dear friend, Dragan Vicanovic is Editor of Third Eye, so I couldn't resist providing him this plug. - RA]
Any day of the week, as with the tornadoes in Switzerland, I can find you something re-e-eally strange going on here on planet Earth. If I could get you to give me a nickel for every strange incident I could find, I could retire to that cliffside home in Rio de Janeiro I've been dreaming about all my life tomorrow.
This profusion of alleged signs and wonders is one of the reasons I don't expect to see Quetzalcoatl flying over my block this week or in 2012, let alone having the experience of the sky cracking open like tin foil.
Rather, I think it's more likely that some complete moron will decide its time to use a nuclear weapon, or a few, for some perceived injury that offends his/her honor.
A bang springing from a whimper is more likely, because of your death wish.
Or maybe we'll just be literally driven to perdition from the toxic fumes of your vehicles. Either way, it seems more likely to me that the end of time for humanity will be at our own hands.
Good night and good luck.
Introduction to World Without End
World Without End Two: Other Necros
World Without End Three: The Mahdi
World Without End Five: End of Days
World Without End Six: Dance of Death
World Without End Seven: Faith & Reason
G21: The World's Magazine
Rod's First Project at the Huffington Post
Rod's Second Project at the Huffington Post
Rod's Third Project at the Huffington Post
© 2006, Rod Amis.
E-mail your comments to rod@g21.net.
