MESSIANISM: THE ATTACK OF THE CLONES! By Fredy Snchez Dueas, M.D. From original article in Spanish: Mesianismo; El ataque de los clones! A brief analysis of the current situation which Judaism undergoes, with the "messianic" phenomenon of Christian background that has been uprising within the last decades in Latin America and worldwide. CONTENTS SCENARIO IDENTIFICATION AND PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSIS A PROBLEM OF ETHICAL AND MORAL PROPORTIONS JUDEOPHOBIC JUDEOPHILIA IDENTITY CLONATION RELIGIOUS SYNCRETISM/HYBRIDISM FUTURE PERSPECTIVES 1.1 SCENARIO IDENTIFICATION Let us observe the first scenario: the "messianic" phenomenon, the group where we encounter with religious individuals with apparent jewish background, but a minority of them actually own it. They dress as Jewish Shomer Torah (follower and observant of the Torah given to Moses at the Mount Sinai), and a broad group of them have acquired the chassidic appearance: long beards, peyot (long hair growing from the lateral head zones), kippot, black suits, wear talit, and tefilin (phylacteries), etc. If true, not all of them pretend to achieve this chassidic look, but their disguise is that "religious jew look". Their liturgy and doctrines may spread from christian evangelical teachings to the traditional teachings in an orthodox synagogue and beit midrash. Upon this presented situation, we inquire, what is the problem with appearing to be a Jew? The response will be given throughout the article. These are the groups where individuals stumble during their search of spiritual satisfaction. Proselytism is absent in traditional and pure Judaism; it does not call for external followers. The real Jew unravels and practices the highest dignity conceded to the human being, his free will. A genuine Jew considers that Truth has no need of witnesses, and that an individual can find it after a sincere search without prejudices, based on logic and reason that have been granted to the human being (the case of Avraham Avinu, who made his own analysis at an early age) (1). In animal behavior, there is no lion posing as a monkey, neither a snail pretending to be a bat. Animals lack the capacity of changing identity; simply, they live the kind of life they were given with no choice to transform.

Nevertheless, human beings in their innate pursuit of spirituality (as the prevalent pattern) possess the capacity to metamorphose, as they desire. A problem originates from how a person in a spiritual quest achieves his adaptation to a specific spiritual identity. We do not observe Buddhists debating Isaiah's book, neither Christian Catholics arguing on Mahoma's philosophy. Throughout history, multiple and failed attempts of Christianity across centuries have been observed, trying to reconcile with theological principles treasured in Judaism for more than 3500 years (2). Our actual discussion goes far from providing historical resources to enlighten this subject; that matter has been widely written about, and therefore will not be discussed in the present article. Who are we? What can we do with the identity that The Almighty has bestowed upon us? If it is our will to be part of Am Israel (Children of Israel) and practice a legitimate Judaism, why derail our objective by choosing shorter yet dangerous paths? A short metaphor may help us diagnose the situation of the "messianic" phenomenon. In a way, Judaism is similar to medicine. Everybody holds an opinion, but not everybody knows or is right about it. Medical treatments are prescribed by the grandmother, the mother, the mother-in-law, the neighbor, the pharmacist, the Internet, etc. In spite of that, the most assertive and recognized opinion is given by the medical doctor, who is the only one certified by the Professional College that licenses him for that matters and authorizes him in the legal aspect. As much as the empirical treatment works, the only one certified to remove a brain tumor is the neurosurgeon. Similarly happens in Judaism: many make opinions about it, pretending to "prescribe" Judaism, feeling "certified" to do so. Just like the medical doctor does not expect to attend his clinic and go out with prescriptions given by the patient, the same way, a Jew cannot be "converted to Messianism" after exposing his exegetical arguments of millenarian Jewish tradition. Israel signed an Eternal Oath with HaShem at Mount Sinai. Israel is the only certified to keep Torah and to be a light upon the nations. Israel is the only "board certified" and owns the Divine revelation copyright to men. Nobody else can steal it or usurp it. One cannot pretend to be what one is not. If there is a will to become an engineer, one must attend engineering classes at a certified university and approve every class to become a professional. Each spiritual identity has its acquisition process and a fine protocol to be recognized as part of it. Why should Judaism be differently thought of? What legal, genetic, or spiritual right is owned pretending to be Jew, for the fact of "feeling Jewish" or thinking that someone else's merit can make one a Jewish person? What is the importance of being formally recognized by a Jewish community and by the Jewish State as an authentic Jew?

1.2 PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSIS MESSIANIC JUDAISM: SALE OF A NON-KASHER PRODUCT As HaShem gave the Kashrut laws to Israel (3) to observe and conserve them, the same way a "spiritual Kashrut" must be kept, being careful with the spiritual bread ingested. Food, from its distinct sources, provides the nutrients that keep the body's sustain and functions. If, for example, pork is ingested, it becomes a part of the organism, since it is absorbed by the intestine, and then goes through metabolic processes to break down into amino acids that will finally be synthetized as proteins that are part of the body. This is how that eaten pork will help someone walk (by the muscular protein it became) and breathe (by the hemoglobin, which is in charge of transporting oxygen to the tissues). One cannot be tolerant with non-kasher Judaism, because the acceptance of this lifestyle constitutes into one's beliefs: a trashy product to walk and breathe in the Messianic Age and the World to Come. Every product has its expiration date, and this non-kasher product's expiration date is confined to the Messianic Age, if not before. This product leads to a spiritual health problem, of epidemic magnitude. MESSIANISM: A SPIRITUAL PERSONALITY DISORDER

Rorschach Test (A). One of the main characteristics of this phenomenon is that its members identify themselves as Jewish, just because they "feel Jewish," or because they feel that their messiah gives them "authority" or "merits" to become part of the historical and genetic Am Israel. Some of them may realize conversions with the reform, continuing later on with their Christian practices based on the belief of the Christian messiah (whom now they call by Hebrew names). Some of them may go even farther; they infiltrate into the Orthodox world, to the point of submitting to conversion process, keeping their "crypto-messianic" practices, trying to mock the rabbis, but they end up living a lie and hurting their own souls. It is not shameful to follow the Christian messiah if by personal conviction one decides to follow that path and live according the teachings of their messiah (New Testament). The problem with the "messianic" disorder is that it wants to

reclaim something that does not belong to it: being part of the legitimate Judaism, being recognized as one more Jewish movement, like the Masorti, Haredi, Chassidic Judaism, to name a few. There is no fundament in the Torah or the Halacha to backup or recognize them as Jews (a situation that differs to one Jewish born person that decides to follow the Christian messiah). There is no place other than their imaginative minds where this group of people live a Jewish life that they disown, similarly to the psychotic mind of the psychiatric patient that declares that he is the President of The United States. This disorder's spectrum is ample, and its diverse expressions go beyond reason and logic, where imagination and fantasy are unlimited, somewhere near the limbo. According to psychiatry, the term Insight is a conscious recognit ion of one's own condit ion. In psychiatry, it refers to the conscious awareness and understanding of one's own psychodynamics and symptoms of maladaptive behavior; highly important in effecting changes in the personality and behavior of a person (4) . The messianic phenomena do not have hints of spir itual insight, there is an absolutely absence of consciousness or awareness about what they are doing . This lack of proper recognit ion take them to the l imits we see they take targeting Jews to convert them under the church service. 2. A PROBLEM OF ETHICAL AND MORAL PROPORTIONS The exegesis practiced by members of "messianic" phenomenon, may vary from the classical Christian exegesis to the Jewish exegesis manifested throughout the centuries. The ethical point to highlight is that it makes an effort to approach Judaism with Jewish doctrines from a Christian perspective. It uses rabbinic teachings to accommodate into its parameters, making of improvisation a tool to sustain those doctrines, and to maintain the belief in the Christian messiah. Almost nothing from the Christian teachings (the ones they try to "return to their origin") has reconciled with Jewish tradition. The fundament of the Theory of Values (Axiology), sustains that one of the basic criteria to evaluate the goodness of a theory is its consistence. If a theory is inconsistent, it has to be revised or rejected. Another aspect is how a theory explains a certain phenomenon, and how well the justifying reasons are identified. Each action has one explanation or another, but not all of them can be morally justified. A true value does not vary according to an individual's belief, or a culture, and neither is it a subject left to relativity (5). The ethical principle of the "messianic" phenomenon is unsustainable from its origin. Its fundaments are relative (since its dogmas are relatively Christian and relatively Jewish) and its ethic translates in a double standard of "choosing and picking from authentic Judaism whatever feels proper." Philosophically, messianic

exegesis has no absolute true or validity (considering a relativist approach) (6), since it is an alien perception away from Jewish perception of the messiah. The instrumental and final values of this phenomenon can be exposed as follows: Orthodox Judaism as an instrumental value, since it is used to satisfy their spiritual needs; and the expansion of the evangelical message as a final value, because proselytism missionary labor is an inherent value as follower of the Christian messiah. Just like water and oil draw part, so are the ethical principles of this phenomenon antagonistic. Trying to find the Christian messiah in Talmudic and rabbinical literature is like trying to go fishing to the Sahara, and skydiving in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. 3. JUDEOPHOBIC JUDEOPHILIA The concept "Judeophobic judeophilia" has been proposed to describe the essence of the "messianic" phenomenon. On one side, its adepts are great admirers of Judaism, feeling profound empathy for Israel, the culture and tradition. On the other hand, its exegesis does not differ the one proposed by Christians throughout history: "The Jews are wrong respect the recognition of the Messiah." This is enough for the development of judeophobia and anti-Semitism, since it was an embryonic reason for which the Jews have died for the sake of the Kiddush HaShem (the sanctification of the Holy One), since early Christianity, spreading with The Crusades, Spanish Inquisition, and the consolidated judeophobia by the Nazis. There is no discrepancy respect the Messiah, between what the Dominican friars at middle age and what Martin Luther at Lutheran reform thought about the Jews and the creed of the followers of the "messianic" phenomenon, who made an effort to take Judaism to their baptismal pools of their faith, under the shadow of the cross. Many (not everyone) of its members are anti-Judaism, anti- temple, anti- Zionists, anti- Israel, and by extension, anti- Mashiach, because to propose a messiah stranger to the Mashiach of Israel, discards the fidelity to the twelfth Principle of Faith established by Maimonides (7). 4. IDENTITY CLONATION

From the film by George Lucas: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, launched on may, 2002 (B).

COMPARATIVE DEFINITIONS; ANALOGIES THAT SPOTLIGHT THE ABBYSS OF "MESSIANIC" THEOLOGY" Cloning is the process of making a biological copy of an organism with the identical genetic composition of the organism from which it is established. It is a method of asexual reproduction*. The only naturally produced clones in mammals are identical or homozygote twins (8). A small analogy respect mammal genetics and the "messianic" phenomenon is presented. Let us consider the Torah Sheviktav (written Torah) and the Torah Shebeal Pe (oral Torah) as both sexual gametes (the ovule and the sperm, respectively). The union of both produces the zygote (which forms the embryo, and later, the being of each observant Jew). The "messianic" phenomenon is compared with asexual reproduction, since its members do not believe in the Torah Shebeal Pe as the "identical or homozygote twin" of the written Torah, and they do not practice the symbiosis between both. For them, it is the stumbling block, from which most of the Principles of Faith established by Maimonides derive. Both manifestations of the Torah compare to both cerebral hemispheres, that even though they are separate entities they unite by structures that let them become part of a same organ (the brain) and part of a same system (the central nervous system). We compare the written Torah with the left hemisphere of the brain, that controls the right side of the body, with which the Scribes make loyal copies of the Torah. The oral Torah is compared to the right hemisphere of the brain, that controls the left side of the body, where the Tefilin and the Talit are placed (over the left shoulder) before extending it over the body (the guidelines of how to use them are given in the oral Torah)**. SIMILITUDES BETWEEN THE "MESSIANIC" PHENOMENON AND THE DOLLY SHEEP CASE Dolly the sheep was the first mammal to be cloned in 1996. She died prematurely in 2003. Her death generated a debate about long term health in clones. Scientists discovered that the embryos used in the procedure manifested "an inadequate gene expression" and the failure could have derived from a series of malformations than did not lead the process to its culmination (9). Similarly, the cloning of Jewish identity by members of the "messianic" phenomenon generates debate in terms of "long-term spiritual health" of these people, for there is an inadequate expression of the "genes" that Judaism has maintained for centuries, leading to "deformities" in the Jewish exegesis and does not produce the "culmination" process in the "normal reproduction" of Judaism, because it is "an asexual form" of foreign interpretations away from Judaism, proper of Christian exegesis, which only considers the ovule (written

Torah) as Divinely inspired. The "Messianic-Dolly" phenomenon is nothing more than an illegitimate copy of authentic Judaism, which will manifest "health issues" in a long term that these "clones" manifest. This phenomenon is nothing more than an "in vitro" theology, that goes contra natura (against nature), pretending to alter the "traditional and natural order" of Jewish exegesis. Curiously, the Greek word for clone is , wich means twig, shoot, branch, stem (10), an interpretation that messianic rabbis use to interpret Isaiah 11:1 claiming that the messiah would come from Nazareth***. 5. RELIGIOUS SYNCRETISM/ HYBRIDISM Religious syncretism is a trademark in the exposed phenomenon. In the angst to reconcile Judaism with the Christian messiah, the Jewish and Christian exegesis are blended, and the product compares to the act of boiling a kid in its mother's milk, which is forbidden by the Torah (11). That "milk" is the authentic Jewish teaching, and the "boiled kid" is the pursuits of this phenomenon to reconcile the Christian messiah with the Jewish messiah. One of the characteristics of an hybrid (the product offered by the "messianic" phenomenon) is to be sterile, it can not give offspring. Just like the Torah forbids the crossing of animals of different species (12), there cannot be crossing of doctrines of different "species," and Christianism and Judaism are theologically irreconcilable. Even if the exposed phenomenon has many adepts, they cannot "reproduce" themselves within Judaism, because they are "theological hybrids" and sterile. Following the pattern of thought of Maimonides (13), expanding the Teshuva concept exposed in the Guemara by Rabbi Adad Bar Ahaba (14), we can sustain equally that "messianic Judaism" compares to submerging in the pure waters of the Torah (mikveh), with the "Brit HaDasha" (compared to an impure animal or object) being held while the person submerges; in the end, it does not bring neither authentic Teshuva to the Jew nor ritual purity (doctrinal and theological). Each follower of this phenomenon instead of becoming a benei Israel, becomes a benei Pandira (with whom the Sages identify the paternity of the Christian messiah) (15), these "sons of the Roman" insist in their harassment towards the Benei Israel in their haste to persuade them at any cost to make them believe in their messiah. 6. FUTURE PERSPECTIVES The current situation of messianism could be compared to apoptosis (programmed cell death) in cellular biology, which occur in multicellular

organisms (compared to multiple attempts to convert Jews to an alien religion), there will be the exact time to them to be pushed away from the Messianic Age. As in apoptosis, which has three groups of genes involved in apoptotic death (16), we have three groups of Scriptural genes in our traditional and ancient genome, the TaNaJ (Torah, Neviim and Ketuvim). Judaism has seen the course of all that have risen against it. Nevertheless, many things have passed away throughout history, except the dissipation of Jewish faith, that awaits anxiously for the coming of Mashiach. Just as this phenomenon was born, so we will see it disappear. It is vital that each Jew identifies as an authentic messianic, because it is genuine Judaism that holds the twelfth Principle of Jewish Faith, which is purely messianic. Every Orthodox Jew that keeps the Torah with much passion and conviction is messianic. The "Mashiach" concept was established by Benei Israel and we are the ones that must own the legal rights to use it and not let it be misused by foreign doctrines. We are Jews, we believe in the Torah, we believe in the message of the Hebrew prophets, we hold the 13 Principles of Jewish Faith, therefore, we are messianic. To conclude the present article, we cite the words of the Prophet Zechariah (17). So said the Lord of Hosts: In those days, when ten men of all the languages of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of a Jewish man, saying, Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.

Bibl iography and cites 1. Midrash HaGadol 12,1. 2. "JewishEncyclopedia.com." JUDAISM -. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. Available at: http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9028-judaism 3. Parashat Shemini (Vayikr Leviticus 11). 4. Sadock B, Sadock V. Kaplan & Sadocks Synopsis of Psychiatry, Behavioral

Sciences/ Clinical Psychiatry. New York: Lippincott Wil l iams & Wilkins ;

2007. 5. Driver, J. Ethics: The Fundamentals. UK, Blackwell Publishing, 2007.Available at:http://books.google.hn/books?hl=es&lr=&id=WzBtzTATyBMC&oi=fnd&pg=PT3&dq=ethics+fundamentals&ots=vi8un0Wlch&sig=DKE02VvneCLmTAFpEo_5AFQqAMo&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=ethics%20fundamentals&f=false 6. "Relativism." Princeton University. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. 7. Maimonides in his commentary of the Mishna. 8. Liangxue L, Randall S. Biotechnology: Cloning Animals. In: Pond W, Bell A. Encyclopedia of Animal Science. New York: Marcel Dekker; 2005. p 133.

Available at: http://books.google.hn/books?id=1SQl7Ao3mHoC&pg=PA133&lpg=PA133&dq=cloning+science+encyclopedia&source=bl&ots=B8UcPIlqaU&sig=QPcOSatg_ec7kq5T7780kM8O7lY&hl=es&sa=X&ei=GyT4UsaGFNCgkQfCjIDAAw&sqi=2&ved=0CHQQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=cloning%20science%20encyclopedia&f=false 9. Arnold B, Kingston H, Poole E. En: Jacobs H. Manipulating Life. GCSE Success Revision Guide for 2007 Examinations Onward. Additional Science Higher Suitable for All Exams Boards. London; Letts Publishing: 2006. p 24. Available at: http://books.google.hn/books?id=ymP1GyeVtcMC&pg=PA24&dq=features+of+dolly+the+sheep&hl=es&sa=X&ei=6zP4Uv_fE4rdkQemlYHoCw&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=features%20of%20dolly%20the%20sheep&f=false 10. "Cloning." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 Aug. 2014. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. 11. Shemot (Exodus 23:19). 12. Vayikr (Leviticus) 19:19. 13. Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon in Hiljot HaTeshuva 2:3. 14. Guemar, Taanit 16a. "One who has sinned and confessed his sin but has not really retracted is similar to one who has become ritually impure by holding on to a dead rodent and immerses himself in a mikveh to purify himself while still holding on to the dead rodent. He may immerse himself in all of the waters in the world but they will not purify him. Once he throws away the dead rodent, any mikveh will make him pure." 15. Tosefta Masejet Julin 2:22-24. 16. Al-Rubeai M, Khoo S, Singh R. Encyclopedia of Industrial Biotechnology: Bioprocess, Bioseparation, and Cell Technology. John Wiley & Sons, Inc; 2009. Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1002/9780470054581.eib055/asset/eib055.pdf?v=1&t=hslgit6q&s=445c9837c399a264782f282ab6da6f363b7dd3fc 17. Zechariah 8:23. *A type of animal reproduction in which the union of a sperm with an ovule is unnecessary. **Considering these comparisons, there is no pretension to establish kabalistic concepts; they are simple analogies that pretend to facilitate the message intended to be transmit. *** The Hebrew word from this passage is Netzer. Nevertheless, the Septuagint (The Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) word used here differs from the Greek word for clone cited in this article. A. "Rorschach Test." - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. Rorschach test is used to determine personality traits.

B. "Attack of the Clones - Search with Google." Attack of the Clones. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. Analogy between Star Wars - Episode II : Attack of The Clones and the "messianic" phenomenon, that laboriously tries to reconcile traditional Judaism with one of the basic doctrines of Christianism (the belief in their messiah), becoming posers as Jews to the extreme of appearing like clones, and belonging to a different galaxy (theology) to Judaism.