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Was Jesus Psychotic?

Grumpuss

Grumpuss

Active Member
Augustus said:
Some folks believe that speculating about the mental health of people who lived 2000 years ago and are largely known through highly mediated narratives is a rather pointless endeavour.
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I wonder what the impetus is for such speculation too. Everyone involved is long dead, so insinuating that religious icons are mentally ill, or homosexual or communist seems to be nothing but a disgusting smear tactic. What's next- the idea that Jesus are non-dolphin safe tuna?

No one is suggesting Mohammad stole pocket change, as a child, are they? No one is suggesting that Mahatma Ghandi molested children when no one was looking? I have heard the theory that Abraham Lincoln was a secret transsexual (though it never went anywhere).

We need to view these speculations for what they are: a targeted attack on Christianity.
 
Saint Frankenstein

Saint Frankenstein

Here for the ride
Premium Member
Grumpuss said:
I wonder what the impetus is for such speculation too. Everyone involved is long dead, so insinuating that religious icons are mentally ill, or homosexual or communist seems to be nothing but a disgusting smear tactic. What's next- the idea that Jesus are non-dolphin safe tuna?

No one is suggesting Mohammad stole pocket change, as a child, are they? No one is suggesting that Mahatma Ghandi molested children when no one was looking? I have heard the theory that Abraham Lincoln was a secret transsexual (though it never went anywhere).

We need to view these speculations for what they are: a targeted attack on Christianity.
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There's nothing wrong with examing the personal lives of historic figures. Jesus is no different. Gandi possibly committed sexual assault against young girls since he would sleep nude with them. He was also a racist and a sexist who treated his wife horribly. Just a nasty. person. I've heard of Lincoln possibly being gay but not transsexual. No idea where you're getting that from.
 
Fool

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
Grumpuss said:
I wonder what the impetus is for such speculation too. Everyone involved is long dead, so insinuating that religious icons are mentally ill, or homosexual or communist seems to be nothing but a disgusting smear tactic. What's next- the idea that Jesus are non-dolphin safe tuna?

No one is suggesting Mohammad stole pocket change, as a child, are they? No one is suggesting that Mahatma Ghandi molested children when no one was looking? I have heard the theory that Abraham Lincoln was a secret transsexual (though it never went anywhere).

We need to view these speculations for what they are: a targeted attack on Christianity.
Click to expand...

actually, characters in the book speculate on Jesus' mental well being.


But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."
 
DavidFirth

DavidFirth

Well-Known Member
Fool said:
actually, characters in the book speculate on Jesus' mental well being.


But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."
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Did you pick that screen name or did your professors pick it out for you?
 
Grumpuss

Grumpuss

Active Member
Saint Frankenstein said:
There's nothing wrong with examing the personal lives of historic figures. Jesus is no different. Gandi possibly committed sexual assault against young girls since he would sleep nude with them. He was also a racist and a sexist who treated his wife horribly. Just a nasty. person. I've heard of Lincoln possibly being gay but not transsexual. No idea where you're getting that from.
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When there's zero evidence either way, it's rapidly revealed as a moot question.

Speculation in this instance is at best a very brief intellectual exercise, and at worst- an imagined backstory, justifying all sorts of horrors. Hitler tied his own genetic lineage straight back to Norse gods or something (conveniently leaving out those parts about possible Jewish relatives)..

Could it be that Jonas Salk gambled away his children's college funds? Perhaps George Washington sodomized ducks and other waterfowl? See- same lack of historicity.

Fool said:
actually, characters in the book speculate on Jesus' mental well being.


But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."
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Sure, if you willfully interpret it in such a way. There are also those who think that there's a hidden Bible code unlocking all the secrets of the Universe. The only deciding factor there seems to be how badly you want to believe it's in there and what it purports to say.
 
Fool

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
DavidFirth said:
Well, if you think Jesus might have had mental issues or that He might have never existed, then why are you trying to obey Him?
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i didn't state that jesus had a mental issue. i asked.. i stated some folks believe he did. i don't have to dolize someone, in order to agree with them.

people of the same mindset and having a loving, respectful relationship one to another, don't create hierarchies.Love is not a respecter of persons.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the high minded places.

For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ. i don't need jesus because as it states no one will teach his neighbor, "Know god", because everyone will know him from direct experience.
 
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DavidFirth

DavidFirth

Well-Known Member
Fool said:
i didn't state that jesus had a mental issue. i asked.. i stated some folks believe he did. i don't have to dolize someone, in order to agree with them.

people of the same mindset and having a loving a respectful relationship one to another, don't create hierarchies.Love is not a respecter of persons.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the high minded places.

For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ. i don't need jesus because as it states no one will teach his neighbo, "Know god", because everyone will know him from direct experience.
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You sound you you do believe in the authority of Jesus. Do you?
 
Fool

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
Grumpuss said:
When there's zero evidence either way, it's rapidly revealed as a moot question.

Speculation in this instance is at best a very brief intellectual exercise, and at worst- an imagined backstory, justifying all sorts of horrors. Hitler tied his own genetic lineage straight back to Norse gods or something (conveniently leaving out those parts about possible Jewish relatives)..

Could it be that Jonas Salk gambled away his children's college funds? Perhaps George Washington sodomized ducks and other waterfowl? See- same lack of historicity.

Sure, if you willfully interpret it in such a way. There are also those who think that there's a hidden Bible code unlocking all the secrets of the Universe. The only deciding factor there seems to be how badly you want to believe it's in there and what it purports to say.
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jesus spoke in parables about something hidden. i have had a couple of responses to my posts as "word salad". i'm willing to consider that i have mental issues. science is learning that schizophrenics are highly intelligent in some aspects, autistic people too.. never hurts to think outside the black box.

case in point: tesla

being challenged doesn't make you a bad person.

The world needs all kinds of minds
 
Grumpuss

Grumpuss

Active Member
Fool said:
jesus spoke in parables about something hidden. i have had a couple of responses to my posts as "word salad". i'm willing to consider that i have mental issues. science is learning that schizophrenics are highly intelligent in some aspects, autistic people too.. never hurts to think outside the black box.

case in point: tesla

being challenged doesn't make you a bad person.

The world needs all kinds of minds
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If people want to launch a billion lines of inquiry with no proof to back up their claims, that's fine. But consider who is making the speculation or who is running with it as valid historical analysis. Saying, "well Jesus could have been a cannibalistic, poop-eating demon worshiped; you can't prove he wasn't" isn't really useful as a hypothesis.

I'm watching "Einstein" on NatGeo now. Last night's episode has Philipp Lenard being involved in a conspiracy with a rising Antisemitic group that hates Einstein, because he's jealous of Einstein's scientific achievements and wants to discredit him.
 
Scott C.

Scott C.

Just one guy
Fool said:
Some folks believe Jesus might have had a mental health issue; if he actually existed.


http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.11090214


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Jesus' behavior was consistent with being the Son of God and can all be explained as the acts of a benevolent God. If you think he was not God at all, or a prophet called of God, then you are left to speculate as to what made him tick. I suppose people from that point of view may come to see him as nuts or dishonest. Is your post intended only for those who believe he was not who and what he claimed to be?
 
Brickjectivity

Brickjectivity

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
The video at minute 3:28 says "The historical accounts found in the Bible depict Jesus (whose Hebrew name was Yahusha) as a factual, real person." --- this is misleading. The gospel writers do not call themselves Historians, nor do they write to people who are not already Christians. The video narrator is doing a little bit of slight of hand here by attempting to present the gospels as 'Historical accounts' and that the facts therein can be used to verify their validity. First, verifying facts against historical facts does not verify the validity of the gospels -- at all. It doesn't matter whether they are historically accurate. That cannot verify whether they are valid. Secondly these are not textbooks for students. They are written to people who are already Christians, already heavily knowledgeable about Judaism, and they are religious not historical texts.

Suppose you are an Anne of Green Gables fan. You are very big into Anne of Green Gables, and you write a story about Anne. Then the world is destroyed so that someone finds your Anne book two thousand years later not in the Fiction section of a bookstore but hidden in a basement under some ancient newspapers. Lets say few books survive, and nobody remembers the strict categories 'Historical', 'Biography' or 'Fiction'. Now how are they to know whether the book is a real story or historically accurate fiction? Well, the videographer above would presume that Anne of Green Gables must have been an actual real person, putting the book to a perverse use. Anne of Green Gables is fiction, but you are supposed to know that before you read it. Similarly you have to know ahead of time whether the gospels depict a man or not. They cannot be used to 'Verify' Jesus existence, nor should they. That is a misleading use of the gospels.

I want to add that the videographer claims at minute 11:30 that Jesus "Fulfilled 350 prophecies that were written about the messiah of the Old Testament." This is an ignorant person making zealous videos. Their intended audience is not scholarly, yet they want to tout scholarship. I have pointed this out before in other thread, but any layperson can debunk this claim. Start in Matthew, the first gospel. Everywhere that Matthew says something is fulfilled -- use a concordance and try to find out what Matthew means. Look up the relevant passage. What happens is not prediction-fulfillment. Matthew refers to imitation. Jesus imitated the actions of the prophets, and all through Matthew this is denoted using the term 'Fulfill'. What this videographer does is terribly confusing, and no Jesus does not perform 350 actions predicted by prophets. That is terribly dishonest.
 
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