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Asked friendly proselytizing orthodox Jew about their famous Mitzvah Tank, which I saw recently. He assures me that Moshiach (the Messiah) will be here very soon. Hands me a copy of their 7 universal laws.
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One of the Lubavitch ultra-orthodox sect's Mitzvah tanks, with depiction of Rebbe Schneerson on side and rear
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I was moved by his sincerity — the desire to see the world transformed by a powerful, authoritative, benevolent figure who works to bring about the will of the divine. He smiled when referring to Moshiach, and his imminent return.
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Of course, the Messiah archetype is common, manifesting in Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, etc. Secular messiahs have likewise arisen in the political/economic sphere, e.g., Marx, Lenin, Atatürk, JBP, and Generalissimo Elon Musk.
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Well, Ataturk didn't do the worst job of it, given what he had to work with at the time. The ratio of Immediate Bad, No Greater Good to Immediate Bad, Greater Good messiahs is always worrying, though.
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I salute Atatürk. The cult around him is creepy, but his reforms were in the main quite helpful. Unfortunately, the current lunatic in charge has reversed many of those reforms.
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