Who Is Jesus?

[willy]

Was Jesus a liar, a lunatic or God?

He said he was God, the bible recorded his miracles, he fulfilled prophecy and now over a billion people world wide follow him.

I read Christian books and talk to Christian friends about Jesus but I do wonder what Joe six pack non Christian thinks.

Is Jesus relevant?

And a more secular political concern,

If a politician follows Christ can they govern for those that don't?

[August1991]

Jesus Christ?

Let me start with this recent Mel Gibson movie that I have not seen. Maybe I will, but I doubt it. I have no desire to see a film depiction of someone being beaten to a pulp. I recall the end of Martin Scorcese's Casino (I guy gets beaten by baseball bats) and that was enough for me. Faked sex seems silly; faked violence seems pornographic.

From what I can gather, the only reason any viewer can sit through this faked, Hollywood violence is because of "its significance". "He" suffered for our sins.

Imagine you're a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Muslim on a South Pacific Island. A Christian friend shows this video to you. What do you think? "Your religion is based on some guy being beaten to a pulp?"

Imagine this is 5000 years in the future, you are walking through a museum, looking at Roman statuettes, Christian icons. Suddenly, you see this video beside a Rublyev. Confused, as we all are in museums, what do you think? Who was Martin Scorcese? Why did he make violent flicks? What was the mafia?

By curiousity, I have been to almost all the places where Jesus was reputed to have walked. Anyone know Maloula, north of Damascus? How about Aramaic? Or how about Gethsamane? Or how much Jerusalem moved?

The New Testament was written some 100 years after Jesus Christ died. I saw Christian churches of the 5th century. (Sorry if I say that when I walked among the foundations, I thought of Soviet propaganda of the 1920s.)

Christianity to me? A step, maybe forward; more likely back.

People need to believe because individual freedom is too frightening. People must work together because they achieve so much more more when they do.

With respect alone do I query belief, or Christian faith if you will. I have had too many intelligent conversations with Muslims and Buddhists.

[willy]

Thanks for the interesting point of view.

The movie did only depict the redemption side of Christ. The good news is the resurrection and the life explanation that came form the incarnation.

Needless to say, I did see the movie and it was a powerful movie. It was just a move though and not an experience with God. It did a good job of showing the true (as possible in a movie) suffering of violence that movies tend not to show.

The movie was only the last 12 hours of Jesus life and 10 seconds of resurrection.

The topic of faith and politics is very interesting to me as I find politics can lack a clear purpose.

[August1991]

In light of the possibility that we may find fossils on Mars, what would remain of a literal interpretation of the Bible (Old or New Testaments)? How would Christians feel about such a discovery?

[willy]

Nothing that I have read in the bible limits creation to just earth. The bible talks about God, and humanity. God in biblical terms is omnipotent, timeless and sovereign. We are limited to our linear experience. (Bounded rationality)

Nature proves to me there is a God, but the bible reveals who God is to me.

I was an atheist most of my life, but now I find it hard to remember why I thought that was such a good thing. I guess it was the illusion of control.

With God, I have purpose, I have freedom, and I have love. The Christian faith is the only metaphysic that I not only believe in but have studied and stands to reason. Philosophies always start strong and then they get mired with exceptions. I will admit, I don’t know as much about the other major religions as I do about Christian theology. I would like to learn more but if my faith stands to reason, it is true. The challenge with my last statement is that faith in God also is experiential. This is where the spirit part of the trinity comes in.

I now this was a little more than your very simple question required but the question as I interpreted it was a little more about progress and tradition. I feel that science will explain a number of things but it can’t explain why.