Messiahs: The Visions and Prophecies for the Second Coming

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Summary: Millenialism: the issue of our times.
Review: From what I can see of his writings, John Hogue is among the best exponents on millenialism and related subjects, in the current set of writers. This is an overwhelmingly important issue, the "feeling" of which is generally building up in collective human conciousness. This book deals with a key aspect of millenialism itself, messianism. Retribution and punishment, especially of wayward people is a concept as old as human thought itself. No matter how technological Man and his society may get, God will always be there, and so will the concept of justice. One need not subscribe formally to any religion in order to "beleive" in God, though it goes without saying that among existing religions, some are better than others, and this is reflected in the state of their societies in general: their culture, science, and political and economic spheres. However, there are those who may be good in many, or in the majority of, respects. But they will have to suffer destruction--and then reconstitution and flourishing again--because of some erroneous "glitch" of theirs that they might have overlooked or underestimated. In the case of nowaday's "glittering" West, they had an obligation not to do what they have done; not to dash ahead selfishly and carelessly, not to allow or nurture the existence and efficiency of bad elites as are now found existing in the less fortunate parts of the world. And as for the backward civilisations of the world, they are coming to an end: because they are outdated and yet cherish it. But they will be perpetuators of the agression against the wayward developed ones, getting consumed in this process. That is what millenialism is all about, in the correct perception.

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Summary: Nothing but a soapbox for Hogue
Review: I got this book because the back raves about 'hundreds of cultures researched all over the world' and it turned out to be nothing more than Hogue droning on with his cynical and horrible ridicule of every religion out there... except for the deported guru he follows. After the first chapter, he stops talking all together about Messiahs and just starts ranting on and on. It's a terrible book... I suggest you only read it if you want to abandon all hope for faith.

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Summary: New Age Baloney
Review: I ordered this book because it looked interesting, but am returning it because it is so poorly written and researched. This is a "he said, she said" book with no apparent research. Do not waste your money!