Racing Toward Armageddon: The Three Great Religions and the Plot to End the World
by Michael Baigent
c. 2009
Possibly more of a well-researched opinion than actual fact though there are a lot of facts backing up much of what he has written.
This is actually an indictment of fundamentalists world-wide from Ultra Orthodox Jews to Fundamentalist Christians to radical Muslims. Along the way, Baigent indicts homeschooling and extremes. He bashes all three religions but not necessarily equally. He spends considerably more time trying to poke holes in the faith of Christians than he does Jews and Muslims though he obviously has little or no use for their faith either.
All-in-all, however, this is a revealing book. Baigent does understand and present that radicalism leads to destruction. He starts with the Jews burning desire to destroy the Mosque of Oman in Jerusalem. He points out certain Christians who are trying to help them by breeding the needed red heifer for the purification of the Temple site. On the other hand, Muslims want to wipe out all the Jews and believe that Jesus (yes, the Christian Messiah, Jesus) will help.
I don’t agree with everything in the book but I do find it frightening that there are Christians who want to hasten the day by condemning the world just so they can make it to heaven. As I read the Bible, Jesus died for everyone. He never intended the Crusades to occur. He never intended for Christians to “write off” Muslims or any other group. He never intended that we “convert at the point of the sword” or that we cheer the wiping out of non-believers. According to Baigent, there are those Christians who believe exactly that. Also Muslims and Jews.
Baigent doesn’t believe in Revelation. He believes it was a story John wrote and was never intended to be a reality. He believes it was a wish and a prayer but not reality. However, he does bring out some interesting and frightening points. Well worth reading but not necessarily by everyone.
