Or perhaps Jesus doesn't exist for the purpose of absolving us of personal responsibility for the world's situations. Jesus didn't create terrorism, and taught us to eschew violence. Why does he have to solve that particular problem?

For that matter, what is a Church as powerful and wealthy as the Catholic Church doing to end the threat of terrorism? Benjamin Franklin said, "God helps those who help themselves." Is the Catholic Church, if it's so almighty concerned about ending the threat of terrorism, then what, specifically, is it doing to end it, apart from prostrating itself on its knees to pray about it, while sitting on one of the world's largest fortunes, to say nothing of a system of adherants that account for about 1/6 of the world population? (And how does the Pope manage to sit and kneel at the same time?)

Or maybe he really meant what he said about judgment day?

"Or maybe he really meant what he said about judgment day?" - Howard Owens

The Biblical Jesus promised that the Judgment Day would come within the lifetimes of some of the original 12 disciples. The scripture is clear on this, and any legitimate Bible scholar will tell you there is no other way it can reasonably be interpreted.

The popular idea that Jesus promised to return at some undisclosed time in the future is wildly unbiblical. He set a deadline, it passed, and he didn't show.

There is a good book entitled "Bible Prophecy: Failure or Fulfillment?" By Tim Callahan that touches on this. I also wrote an essay on the subject. It is on my perpetually unfinished website:
http://www.geocities.com/godlessrose/eschrist.html

But the single most eye-opening book on the Gospels that I've read is "Gospel Fictions" by Randel Helms. He uses a comparative analysis of the Gospels to demonstrate that they are works of fiction intended to support theological positions, and have little value as histories.

All the Best,
Charles