People posting to a past comment line on the Beliefnet web site were
rather sarcastic about the significance of 666. Some samples:
"...that whole triple six thing and the beast is just palpable
nonsense from a book (The Book of Revelations) [sic] that
specializes in nonsense." Posting by "steppen0410e."
"This 666 stuff has devolved into silly superstition, and
responsible Christians should eschew it, for the weightier matters
of peace, justice, and love." An Anglican priest.
"Is it more comical, or tragic that in the 21st century a debate
over the 'mystical' relevance of 3 numbers is occurring? It is
difficult to remain objective and tolerant in light of such total
rubbish." "Save1967."
The source of the number "666":
The "number of the beast," 666, is derived from the book of
Revelation -- the last book in the Christian Scriptures (a.k.a. New
Testament). It is perhaps appropriate that it comes from the 13th
chapter -- itself an unlucky number among the superstitious. A great
deal of attention has been paid to the meaning of this number,
particularly by conservative Protestants. The Roman
Catholic Church teaches that "666" is simply a code referring to the
Roman Emperor Nero. Many religious historians agree.
Mike Keith, "The Number of the Beast,"
at: http://users.aol.com/ He notes that the number has been studied
by mathematicians because of its many interesting properties.
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