G e o f fre y A she’s column FaIse Christs

Then i f anyone says to you, ‘Lo, here is the Christ!’or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders . . .

Jesus’s prophecy of the days to come has been fulfilled many times over, and his warning has been justified. Most of the ‘false Christs’ have been absurd. A few, like the personality-cult heroes of Fascism and nationalism, have been appalling. To include the latter is perhaps to stretch the definition a little. At this moment, however, it seems to me that the danger (if any) may be much nearer to the original sense of the word. We may soon be confronted with a ‘false Christ’ who is precisely that. 1 doubt if the prospect is very dfefinite, or very serious, but it is tangible enough to be worth guarding against.

As time passes, his monstrous ego and his astounding talents lift him higher and higher. He publishes a brilliant book called The Open Way to Universal Peace and Well-being. He becomes President of Europe and then saviour-emperor of the world. Every earthly authority supports him in imposing his cure-all schemes. Having put material things on a path he approves, he turns his attention to the realm of the spirit. Starting with Christianity, which is still a source of disaffection, he summons a conference of church leaders in Jerusalem, presided over by a spell-binding ecumenical prelate.

Listening to some of the talk that goes on now, I am reminded of a strange classic which was published in 1900. This was the work of Vladimar Soloviev, one of those offbeat, disturbing Russian Christians —Dostoievsky was another. It is an imaginary account of the coming of Antichrist. Some have thought that it influenced Hitler, though the theory seems far-fetched.

After a fanciful preface covering the next century —which is no more accurate than the speculations of H.G.Wells, though it scores one or two hits, such as the rise of Japan to super-power status, and the political drawing-together of Europe —Soloviev gets to his main story. The chief character is a rich young man of immense genius and charm, and also immense pride. He is a super-philanthropist, ready to do anything for humanity so long as he is adored publicly as the doer of it. In a phase of spiritual crisis he revolts against Christianity, because he realizes that in the presence of Christ he would be no more than anyone else. He emerges from the cris in a state of sinister exaltation.

Facing the delegates, the emperor proposes a united world Church backed by the resources at his command. To attract Roman Catholics he offers a new, streamlined, progressive organization structure. To attract the Orthodox he offers a renewal of the lost splendours of the Eastern Church. To attract Protestants he offers a vast sponsored programme of research and re-definition.

The delegates are invited to join him at his end of the hall, and most o f them do . . . but not quite all. The Pope, and a Russian elder, and a Lutheran professor, together with a few followers, denounce him as Antichrist. The end of the fable is confused, but eventually Antichrist is destroyed by the Jews, who at first thought he was their own Messiah but finally see through him.

Soloviev’s story has the limitations of its date and its authorship. He assumes, for instance, that the world of his ArchPlanner and Arch-Humanitarian will be largely dominated by Europe. But among people who talk nowadays of a New Age, I cannot help noticing a trend towards readiness for a ‘false Christ’ on very much these lines.

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As has often been pointed out, the New Age mental habit is total permissiveness. Anything goes —religions of every kind, occultism, UFOs, astrology, the lot. Most of this flourishes in an atmosphere of goodwill and is surely to be encouraged. Goodwill, however, can take some pretty equivocal forms, and one of them is Messianic. I have come across several groups which are expecting the advent of ‘the Christ’, under one name or another, and offering up prayers for it. I have come across at least one such group which is promising to deliver the goods in the near future, and can count on a ready-made following for its ‘Christ’ if and when he arrives.

The background of these ideas is not Christian. It is, broadly speaking, theosophical. Their advocates claim to transcend all ‘belief-systems’, but, as is usually the way, offer belief-systems of their own which are much harder to believe than Christianity. The general notion is that world history is being guided by superior intelligences —hidden Masters of Wisdom, extra-terrestrial beings, or whatnot —who were responsible for the first Christ and are now on the point of sending us another. Well, there may be Masters o f Wisdom, there may be extra-terrestrial beings; but when people invoke them in support of a movement, I am very much on my guard. A few months ago I heard a lecture by a professed forerunner of ‘the Christ’. He belonged to an outfit which is telepathically run by the Masters of Wisdom, and they must be doing a competent job, to judge from the premises in various major cities which their disciples seem to be able to pay for.

‘The Christ’, the speaker announced, will be among us very soon. He will go on television with world-wide coverage, and be able to communicate in every language (quite a challenge for Robin Day). He will proclaim a Plan for solving just about everything by top-level manipulation, and the governments will see its rightness and put it into effect. He will fulfil every prophetic hope, being not only ‘the Christ’ but the Messiah of Judaism, the Maitreya of Buddhism and the Mahdi of Islam. Hence, he will be able to transcend all religions and unite all religions . . .

Somewhere about this point, the whole programme began to sound eerily familiar. If ‘the Christ’ is ever launched, I hope I shall have the nerve to emulate Soloviev’s diehards and walk out on him. Oh, and one thing more about those Masters of Wisdom who are going to unleash him. It was only extracted from the speaker by questioning. Somebody asked him if any of the Masters were female. ‘No,’ he replied (these aren’t the exact words, but near enough). ‘They could be of either sex, but they all choose to be male, because the male is spiritually superior.’

I can’t help suspecting that this pseudoChrist may be in for a rougher ride than his terrifying prototype in Soloviev’s vision. Let us hope so. Q,