Messianism is the belief in a
messiah, a savior or redeemer. Many religions have a messiah concept, including the
Jewish Messiah (from which the term and meaning originates), the Christian
Christ (the
Greek translation of the Hebrew root word), the Muslim
Mahdi and
Isa (one of the Arabic names for
Jesus), the Buddhist
Maitreya, the Hindu
Kalki, the Zoroastrian
Saoshyant and
He whom God shall make manifest in
Bábism (believed to be
Bahá'u'lláh by
Bahais). The state of the world is seen as hopelessly flawed beyond normal human powers of correction, and divine intervention through a specially selected and supported human is seen as necessary.