The one irrefutable fact about everyone who's ever predicted the end of the world, or the apocalypse, or the return of a Messiah is that they've been wrong every single time.

No reason to think these latest lamentations will come to pass or be any more accurate than their predecessors.

A case in point. Whether or not Moses or Abraham existed is irrelevant for many, many Jews. Again, Judaism is more abstract than Christianity/Catholicism, which does not mean, Rabbi, NB, that Christians/Catholics cannot understand. They can and do when things are clearly explained. Moreover, they do not have to be watered down, and Christians/Catholics treated like morons.

Again, there was a piece here at OnFaith by a Jewish scholar, a sophisticated piece, which received considerable appreciation from Christians/Catholics.

I have to tell you that although unobservant, myself, I have at the request of the Catholic Studies program where I teach given talks to Catholic audiences. Their interest has always been strong and their questions substantive. These, of course, were people of good will, and you cannot expect that that will universally be the case. Tikkun olam, rabbi. Deal with people respectfully, and many will rise to the occasion. Not all, but many.

Simplifying the saving of 1.5 billion lost Muslim souls:
There never was and never will be any angels i.e. no Gabriel, no Islam

Simplifying the saving of 2 billion lost Christian souls:
The was and never will be any bodily resurrections i.e. No Easter, no Christianity

Simplifying the saving of 15.5 million Orthodox followers of Judaism:
Abraham and Moses never existed.

Added details upon request.

WTF is the "rapture"?

There is no point in having a rabbi who says nothing of Judaism blogging here. The notions of Messiah are many in Judaism. It is not Christianity and there is no reason for it to be watered down and distorted so that the "ignorant" Christians/Catholics will understand.

It is, in fact, the case that all branches of JUdaism tend to be far more abstract than Christianity/Catholicism. It does not follow from that, however, that Christians/Catholics cannot understand.

They can, Rabbi, and there is no reason that you should not tell them.

I keep wondering when WaPo will feature a Jew who will blog on Judaism proper. In the three years I've been blogging here, I've seen only one such piece. The piece was excellent. The author was a scholar not a rabbi, which was fine, and Christians/Catholics expressed appreciation.

NB, Elizabeth Tenety.

The Messiah legends are just another part of the Great Angelic/Satanic Con Game:

Joe Smith had his Moroni.

Jehovah Witnesses have their Jesus /Michael the archangel, the first angelic being created by God;

Mohammed had his Gabriel (this "tin-kerbell" got around) and his jinn.

Jesus and his family had Michael, Gabriel, and Satan, the latter being a modern day demon of the demented.

The Abraham-Moses myths had their Angel of Death and other "no-namers" to do their dirty work or other assorted duties.
Contemporary biblical and religious scholars have relegated these "pretty/ugly wingie thingies" to the myth pile. We should do the same to include deleting all references to them in our religious operating manuals. Doing this will eliminate the prophet/profit/prophecy status of these founders and put them where they belong as simple humans just like the rest of us.

Dear Dr. of G-D(s); aka "LICENSED GOD(s) PLAYERS" (of JEALOUSY):

Mr. Brad Hirshfield, Mr. Aharon, Mr. Leib Steinman & CO.,

SHAAME on YE & YO's for [Knowingly] as the the Wise Men or ELDERS {CHUCHUUM} Of The "JEWISH" State of Israel, instead of the [Secular] STATE OF ISRAEL, for

Promoting that god (if any) Forsaken Religion/Movement "K-A-B-A-L-A"! IT's Tantamount to SCIENTOLOGY!

Yet Ye & Yo's Both Promote it or cunningly Push it with Fancy Words or Explanations of the MYSTERIOUS when Ye yo selves in fact know that esoteric stuff ain't So!

Note: A while Back There was/is a Blogger who Showed US here, Via authentic I.R.S. Tax Returns filings that You made $400,000 Dollars Last Year [Similar].!?? So,

How much did the Kabalist Promise to Pay YO all (i.e., agreed to cut ye & yo's a Percent of, say Singers/Actors or sukkers MADONNA's Money et al) fo this INFO-MERCIAL?? HOLLYWOOD IS BEING INVADED by the KABAL//CABBAL folk. Do They [Kabalist] Get angry When other [Real] Hollywood'rs make fun at the "JEWISH"s?

PS: KABALism should Be Outlawed or at least Lose their 501 U.S. TAX FREE ride [Privileges] Here! Let them Go to IRAN and push their Esoterica/oISM there! After all, their SUPERSTUPIDSTITIOUS "HERDI", ultra Orthodox's (Who Don't Recognize the THIRD TEMPLE; today JEWISH-STATE?) & Family's can Unite There. And Stay There.

REVEALation [Nay REVELation]; That DAy; When gods players like YOSIF AVIDIA [KING OF THE JEWS OF ISRAEL] said that their HASHEM (Your Same G-D, if any) hath PUNISHED & CURSED the Secular Israeli's for Avoiding Torah and for Partying on SHABIZ/SABBATH/SATURDAYS lalala and That ERETZ/ISRAEL/Y'ISRAEL deserves To BURN, baby Burn..." [Similar implied] Aye?

POINT: After This day; The real-DOWN-FALL (nay Adam or via EVE) will be on ALL//EVERY//ANY 'JEWISH" in ISRAEL and or on Space-Ship Earth!

POINT #2: Todays RELIGIOUS JEWISH's & soso RELIGIOUS are in fact [NO LONGER, NO MORE] the DUMBEST PEOPLE ON EARTH", and Crying "LET MY PEOPLE GO" is fallen on Deaf Ears! THIS IS PROPHECY; and Not Even GOD (if any) Will Reverse The CURSE!!!!!

Suggestion: IF if ISRAEL wants to be around for the next 5 Years+; Then, TODAY, Kick Out ALL THE HEREDI/TEDI Orthodoxy Out Of What is the Land Of the HAGGANA Mrtyrs {pbu Them] , Land of the URGUUN {pbu Them}. Land Of The PALMACH {pbu Them}. AND

When a PUTZZZ or SHMOOKKKK like 'Bibi' or PM Netenyahu DESECRATES His DEAD (Martyred) BROTHER in Vain (Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu, {pbuh}) and Desecrates Davvid BEN GURION {pbuh}, ARIEL SHARONs {pbuh; Note i Had a Dream where He Talked to i) , GOLDA MEIRs {pbuh} and the other's Wishes; THEN

the Wrath of G-D (if Any) is going To Forever DESTROY Israel as HE/She is known Today!

Ye Yo never Learned the 1st-Fist Temple, Then during the 2nd-Second Temple and now during these times (3rd-Third Temple) Note:

STRIKE THREE Your OUT"!

G-D, if any; Obeys the Rules of BASE-BALL, more than the Base-Ball Players & or Fans themselves! FASHTASHE?

.

>Those who blog here are not Jews. Like, what the hell is the "rapture"?

It's something along the lines of the Second Coming (of Jesus). I don't know (or care) about the exact technical distinction among End Times, Armageddon, Second Coming and Rapture.

The importance of Hirschfield's column is the events in the middle east are triggering idiotic sects of the Judeo-Christian traditions to implement their expectation of prophesy fulfillment.

The number of Americans who actually use their prophesical expectations to form their political opinions is something that worries me a great deal; and that I'm surprised Jacoby has never (as far as I know) written about.

What a bunch of rubbish.

If you are going to write of Messiah, then, would it be too much to ask that you explain what you're talking about?

Those who blog here are not Jews. Like, what the hell is the "rapture"?

I would imagine there is some reason for this column, but under the circumstances, isn't Lybia's exiled Jews not to mention Egypt's rather more to the point?

They total more than three hundred thousand.

We do exist, Rabbi, we ME and North African exiles. Know any Egyptian Jews?

Think about it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Messiah_claimants

Boy, the world does play whack a mole with the Messiahs, doesn't it? And Messiah meant a vastly different thing to the people who wrote the Bible (namely an anointed king) than what we expect now. Any 'Messiah' is likely to be no different than any of the others in that list, namely a confused, self important person who thinks that their good luck comes from God, until it runs out and they meet a terrible end for all people they step on with their hubris.

>>You guys are confusing the Jewish belief the Messiah hasn't arrived yet with the Christian "Rapture"

Umm... OK.

If someone told me I was confusing Wicca, Witchcraft, Shamanism and Magick, I wouldn't be at all surprized.

As per the topic: Agitating the world of the Orthodox Jews as per their sister and brother Conservative Jews:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20E1EFE35540C7A8CDDAA0894DA404482

"New Torah For Modern Minds

Abraham, the Jewish patriarch, probably never existed. Nor did Moses. The entire Exodus story as recounted in the Bible probably never occurred. The same is true of the tumbling of the walls of Jericho.

And David, far from being the fearless king who built Jerusalem into a mighty capital, was more likely a provincial leader whose reputation was later magnified to provide a rallying point for a fledgling nation.

Such startling propositions -- the product of findings by archaeologists digging in Israel and its environs over the last 25 years -- have gained wide acceptance among non-Orthodox rabbis. But there has been no attempt to disseminate these ideas or to discuss them with the laity -- until now.

The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, which represents the 1.5 million Conservative Jews in the United States, has just issued a new Torah and commentary, the first for Conservatives in more than 60 years. Called ''Etz Hayim'' (''Tree of Life'' in Hebrew), it offers an interpretation that incorporates the latest findings from archaeology, philology, anthropology and the study of ancient cultures. To the editors who worked on the book, it represents one of the boldest efforts ever to introduce into the religious mainstream a view of the Bible as a human rather than divine document."

One wonders how Jehovah will "agitate" these 1.5 million Conservative Jews and their rabbis?

You guys are confusing the Jewish belief the Messiah hasn't arrived yet with the Christian "Rapture"

They both have the Arahamic common denominator of hoping death, violence and World War III will fulfill their ancient superstitions.

Good. Once all the religiosos are gone (rapture, mass suicide, whatever mode they beleive in) the rest of us can get down to work and actually make the planet a decent place to live

I read these religious columns amusement, and to see what superstitious nonsense these hucksters are up to now for their braindead true-believer fans. But really it's very scary. To believe this Rapture claptrap just might help to bring it on. I don't mean the actual rapture, but all the panic that goes with it, and the killing and the suicides and the bombings.

It's all fantasy with these religionists. And the smart ones get rich peddling it to the gullible sheep.

Yep, it's time for the next round of "How the Bible prophesyzed the current situation in the Middle East, and nuclear war and Armeggedon (and the Rapture if you're a Christian) is just around the corner."

Anyone know how you get Obama=666?