@DaasYochid,
Your are truly a fine specimen of a misnaged. I honestly thought they were extinct, but it lives on within you.
“the Chabad girls gave her a puzzled look and asked, “What does that have to do with Moshiach?” ”
That anecdote doesn’t ring true. I attended many Chabad camps, and we had many different themes, not all based on Moshiach. And even if this did happen, is the innocence of a young girl who thinks that everyone else is like her so so terrible?
Secondly:
“but it’s not to the exclusion of everything else in Yiddishkeit the way it seems to be in Chabad.”
In what way does our belief (or as you so derisively call it “obsession”) in Moshiach exclude any part of Yiddishkait?
On the contrary, we strengthen Yiddishkait all over the world, thereby hastening the coming of Moshiach.
How many Yidden keep Shabbos because of our efforts?
How many put on Tefilin?
How many keep Kashrus?
How many children were born בקדושה?
How many hours of Torah were learned?
How many tayere Yiddishe kinder are learning kometz Alef oh?
To suggest that fervent belief in Moshiach excludes any part of Yiddishkait is patently absurd.
And who helps you keep kosher? How much of the food you eat is supervised my Chabad Shluchim serving in “ek velt”
The OU and OK as well as many others heavily rely on our Shluchim.
Thirdly:
“You’re kidding, right? The Rebbe forced all Yidden to follow the Torah? Could have fooled me.”
I didn’t say he did, I clearly used the word argue, ie, for arguments sake. Meaning, that even if the Rebbe did force everyone to keep Torah Umitzvos, that still wouldn’t make him Chezkas Moshiach.
Finally, I’ll conclude with a Rambam:
וכל מי שאינו מאמין בו, או מי שאינו מחכה לביאתו, לא בשאר נביאים בלבד הוא כופר, אלא בתורה ובמשה רבינו.
(Hilchos Melochim Perek 11 Halacha 1)