We Have Met The Messiah And He Is Us
Many religious traditions espouse the notion of the Messiah, a person who will be sent to redeem the world from sin and suffering.
In Judaism, the Hebrew Bible doesn’t really mention the idea of a personal Messiah who will end evil and usher in an age of peace. But the idea became popular as a result of rabbinic teachings, after the Second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in the year 70 C.E. It is understandable that in the wake of the Temple’s destruction, and the scattering of the Jewish people, the notion of a personal savor was a source of solace for a battered and beleaguered people.
Christianity, more than any other religion, has celebrated the idea of a Messiah, and portrayed Jesus as sharing in God’s divinity. Jesus is revered as the bearer of God’s grace, as a sacrificial lamb whose death erased original sin and saved humanity, as a spiritual being who bridges the gap between God and humankind, and who tells humankind that it is loved and saved. Especially in the Book of Revelation, Christianity speaks of the End of Days, and the battle of Armageddon between good and evil, after which the world will experience a Second Coming of the Messiah, and a reign of peace for 1000 years.
In Islam, the Qur’an does not mention a Messiah, but he crept into Islamic tradition as al-Mahdi, the divinely guided one. He will bring peace and justice, restore the true religion, and usher in a golden age that will last seven to nine years before the end of the world. The Shi’ites in particular believe that the Twelfth Imam will be al-Mahdi, who will herald the coming of the golden age and the Last Day.
I, for one, without intending any disrespect, prefer to believe that there will be no Messiah coming; that we, in effect, are the Messiah who can usher in the golden age, if we only choose to make it so. I offer a simple common sense principle for your kind consideration: If you know something to be true, then believe in it. If you don’t know something to be true, then ask yourself, “Is this thing worth believing in?” If the answer is yes, believe in it. If the answer is no, then let it go.
For me, the idea of a Messiah coming here to make thing right doesn’t seem to coincide with current realities on the ground. And waiting for the Messiah to come, can make a dangerous world even more dangerous. It makes more sense, and is less risky, to assume that making things right is up to us. If we’ve messed things up, doesn’t it make more sense that it is up to us to undo what we’ve done, and to bring a semblance of order to this good earth?
Suppose I’m wrong. It could happen. Suppose the Messiah will eventually make his presence known. Well, if we assume that it is up to us to make things better, and if we do just that, then his coming will be like the icing on the cake. He will come only to find that we beat him to the punch by taking things into our own hands, and making things better. If, however, he never comes, then we would have still made the world better, relying on our own redemptive powers, instead of waiting for things to come.
You see, that’s how common sense works. It covers you coming and going. Any way you turn, it’s right there, ready to guide your way along the path of life, like a compass you carry with you, the universal moral compass of common sense.
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What if he already came, like a thief in the night?
Do you really think people aren’t doing things to make this world better because they are waiting for their Messiah to do it???
I think for real change we have to move radically away from this type of thinkinng, especailly in the realm of politics.
I appreciate you are saying this too, but we need to start taking responsability, not for God, but for ourselves.
true true.
I think that a lot of people around the world are motivated unduly by religious belief. People take their own lives and the lives of others because of their belief in paradise and martyrdom. There is a religious Jewish sect in Israel that doesn’t accept the existence of the state because the Messiah hasn’t come as yet. There are many Christians in the U.S. and elsewhere who await Armageddon as a precursor to the Second Coming of Jesus. Some of these believers wield tremendous political power.
So to answer your question, Tamara, yes, it is more than possible that a great many people on earth do hold themselves back from making substantive changes because of their religious belief, including their expectations for the Messiah, or their aspirations for the afterlife.
My effort here is to deconstruct some of these beliefs, or at least to bring them into question, because, as you say, it is time to act, and not to hold ourselves back because of belief. We live in the here and now, not in the world of things to come, things which may never come.
Nissim:
“Humans, without (an infallible) Savior within them, can not bring a full-scale justice to the world”
Nissim:
“Humans, without (an infallible) Savior within them, can not bring a full-scale justice to the world” … this is the underlying basis of a Savior-Oriented Ideology (similar to that of Shiite Muslims). in order to convince them (including me)that there is no need for a savior, you should provide enough evidences that a “world without savior” might one day become a utopia.
honestly, the idea of a savior is so delicious… more than the experience of US as a superpower.
Mohammad, the critical phrase you use is “within them.” That’s what I’m trying to say. The savior is within us…it is us. We need that inner belief in salvation, because it could prompt us to take decisive action to improve our lot. But salvation is within us, and is not dependent on an outside entity, like the Messiah, or the reward we await in heaven.
Heaven and Hell are with us right here and right now. We can make this world a heaven on earth, to be enjoyed by all of us, when we still have the chance. Or we can make our world a living hell; filled with death, destruction, and despair. The choice is ours, not the Messiah’s. And everything we know and love hangs in the balance.
As for the U.S. and its superpower status; yes , the U.S. is a superpower. But the question arises: To what end will America use her wealth, and to what purpose will she put her power. We need a superpower at this time, but only if the U.S. can find it within herself to begin Selling a Vision of Hope, at a time when Hope is in short supply. Only then will we be able to imagine the prospects for the utopia you speak of.
Nissim,
I whole heartedly appreciate your enthusiasm for change and your approach through common sense. However, I don’t think it is wise to refer to religious figures as simply metaphorical signs of inner abilities. This belief you may hold, is simply that. Your belief. We have numerous and differing beliefs in this forum and trying to convince people or debate about a issue that is purely theological in nature is a big waste of energy.
Whether orthodox Jew, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Baha’i or whatver…There are figures and personages that are part of that system of beliefs. In My experience when people start focusing on what they have in common the more effect and dramatic the change will be. Telling people about thier religious belief or messianic figure is not common sense. Common sense would be to ignore it, and focus on what you can do here and now. Otherwise people take issue with the foundation of what you are saying.
Omid,
That is exactly the point. I would also add that a great deal of the problems with the leaders of this world are that they are guided by such thoughts. George W. Bush believes, whole heartedly, that he is acting in God’s Will. And I find that to be one of the most disturbing and dangerous things that face this world. We can’t have people like this running our countries, we can’t leave our lives in their hands any longer. It is our duty, as ‘all God’s children’, to irradicate this type of thinking and behaviour that is so devastatingly tainting our religions.
Nissim:
Whatever order you propose for the world, as long as it needs a superpower to take care of, I cant feel secure. at any given time, when that superpower gets corrupt, all the achievements of humanity might be destroyed in a second or less.
Nissim,
I think it is quite clear what they are using their power and wealth for. The problem is not in the future, it is now.
Omid, I am not trying to disparage anyone’s religious beliefs. I respect religion and think of it as one of the pathways to God. Religion, in its truest form, can transform the mundane into the sublime. However, something is not working with respect to certain religious beliefs. And with our notions of “political correctness,” we shy away from confronting some of the issues, and as a result, we seem to be painting ourselves into an existential corner in which our very survival is quickly becoming an open question.
Therefore, I have to disagree with you when you suggest that common sense would have us ignore theolgical belief. We can’t ignore what is tearing us apart. I think it is time, before time runs out, to take stock of what we believe, and to evaluate our beliefs through the prism of common sense.
I am not telling people what to believe. Rather, and most respectfully, I am suggesting how to believe. If a belief makes sense to you, believe in it. If it doesn’t, you owe it to youself to question whether it is worth believing in. Each person will come to his or her own conclusion. But this type of analysis, which often eludes religious belief, should be undertaken. This is particularly true for belief which causes people to act in ways that are completely contrary to the ethical teachings of the religion at hand. Don’t kill means don’t kill, no matter what you believe.
As to the U.S., I think it is a great country, but is also far from perfect. What is good in the U.S. is that anyone here can try to sell an idea, and if it captures the public imagination, it can become policy. The will of the people is powerful here, and can be given expression in very tangible ways. That’s what I’m hoping for with Selling a Vision of Hope. I think if we can pull that off, then maybe your negative impressions would change. At least the U.S. has the wealth and the power to initiate such a change if it becomes inclined to do so. I’m getting a little closer, but it will require one hell of a sales job.
Omid:
Those who dont believe in any religion, People like Nissim who might believe in a religion without Savior, and those who think the last savior came and went (probably like you, as I know about Bahaism), they all have something in common and that is: people need to build the utopia themselves.
“Mohammad for President”
I agree. We have to do it ourselves, and we can’t depend on anyone else, and we can’t defer to the afterlife what cries out to be done today. The justice we seek in heaven is the justice that should be meted out here on earth.
I know it’s touchy to talk about religion, and especially to bring into question some deeply held beliefs. But to my mind, the first and most important step toward change is ideological. I certainly don’t have all the answers. But until we start thinking straight, we’re not going to find it within us to bring about the changes on the ground which are critical to our survival.
Indeed, I do not buy into the apocalyptic version of some peoples interpretation of their religious text. In the Baha’i Faith (not Bahaism), we do also believe that peace is something we must build and work towards. God is not going to simply hand it to us on a platter. The teachings that Baha’u'llah propounded are fundamental to this progress and even an atheist will tell you that.
Whether or not He fulfilled prophecies in one sense or another is a matter of interpretation and faith. However, common sense would dictate, so does the Bible, “judge them by their fruits”.
I agree, Omid. Judaism doesn’t really talk about belief that much. It is much more important how you behave. Give me a nonbeliever who does good deeds, over a believer who stabs you in the back every time you turn around.
You mention common sense. For me, common sense is the ultimate gift we were given to bring a semblance of order to this good earth. It is the way that God made things fair. He is basically saying to us, “Use your common sense and enjoy the bounty of life. Ignore you’re common sense, and it’s your baby.” And that’s how He kept us going for some 2 million years as a species. It may well be time, before time runs out, to go back to those time tested principles we lump together in the notion of Common Sense. If we do that, we’ll find out amazingly enough that we will find common ground, that our intentions will somehow converge, and that we will be prepared for the hard work that lies ahead to heal our world. May God give us the wisdom to find our path.
I would rather say: May we find the wisdom, through determination and intricate thought, to understand and follow the right path, that will enable us to achieve all that we should, as human beings.
Reading this I immediately had to think of the song »Sorrow« by Bad Religion. There is a line that goes like this:
»Or when the only true messiah rescues us from ourselves…
Its easy to imagine there will be
[...]
Sorrow, no more.«
(full text can be found at http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/bad+religion/sorrow_20012040.html)
I guess, considering their thoroughly atheist bent, this can only be understood in the spirit of Nissim’s article.