Why Jesus?

[cardero]

I enjoy researching people’s lives and anyone who comes up as very interesting usually receives my understanding attention. In my generation (as well as the past century), it has come to my awareness that there were many meaningful people. People who provided a historical service for most of their lives, people who may have had an extraordinary gift or purpose that they have shared unselfishly with millions, people who have sacrificed themselves for the greater good while leaving an indelible impression upon humankind. Now, before anyone goes harrying me for examples, let us focus for the moment on the man called Jesus.

We hardly know anything about his early life from the scriptures, with only an emphasis on the last three years of his life which led to his ministry and death. We cannot even verify the truth of those moments but are forced to take it on faith that these proceedings occurred. Events that seemed impressive during Jesus’ time look as primitive as the video game PONG compared to the miracles that maturity and technology can perform today (Jesus walking on water has nothing on Pacifc Princess Cruise ships. Jesus feeding the multitudes with fish, well Starkiss now provides individual servings that can feed millions and everyone can take it home in their very own tin can.) So my question is, why are there so many religions in worship and awe to this man? Where is the Church of Disorderly Nuttiness, where we can worship Jerry Lewis? What about the Church of the Cool (where anyone can go to exonerate and interpret the musical compositions of Miles Davis)? Why aren’t there more teaching facilities for the Edgar Cayce Foundation (who seems to have devoted more of his life and had more documented successes in healing than Jesus)? Why not Martin Luther King, Larry Flint, Carl Sagan, Superman? Why Jesus?

 

[James the Persian]

The answer is not in what He did but in who He is. Unfortunately, the answer of who He is flies directly counter to your premise in this post that he was simply a 'man called Jesus'.

James

 

[blueman]

The Biblical record is our evidence for His existence. There were also non-biblical references to Jesus through Jewish and Roman historians of the 1st century. Your comparisons to the miracles of Jesus and modern technology are comical and do not warrant any serious discussion. The reasons the New Testament focused on the last three years of His life is because it aligned with the purpose that God The Father carried out in Jesus being the light that condemns sin and willingly became the sacrifice for the redemption of sins and the source of eternal life through His ressurection. Only God Himself could be the perfect sacrifice for the salvation of man. There is no other substitute. In addition, there is no one in the annals of history that has had more impact on education, literature, music, humanitariasm and moral values than God The Son. It's because of who He is as the foundation for many billions of believers in the world today.

 

[michel]

The Biblical record is our evidence for His existence. There were also non-biblical references to Jesus through Jewish and Roman historians of the 1st century. Your comparisons to the miracles of Jesus and modern technology are comical and do not warrant any serious discussion. The reasons the New Testament focused on the last three years of His life is because it aligned with the purpose that God The Father carried out in Jesus being the light that condemns sin and willingly became the sacrifice for the redemption of sins and the source of eternal life through His ressurection. Only God Himself could be the perfect sacrifice for the salvation of man. There is no other substitute. In addition, there is no one in the annals of history that has had more impact on education, literature, music, humanitariasm and moral values than God The Son. It's because of who He is as the foundation for many billions of believers in the world today.

People will convince themselves of everything they chose to; just look around you, at the conspiracy theories..............

As far as jesus is concerned, I agree with the point James made; on the other hand, I think that there are some wonderful people out "there" who are on the way to being "Jesus-like" .

 

[Halcyon]

Why not Martin Luther King, Larry Flint, Carl Sagan, Superman? Why Jesus?

My guess would be the time and setting, people were looking for a Messiah and, largely through the efforts of Paul, they got one.

Why Jesus was chosen over other contemporary "miracle workers" such as John the Baptist and Hanina ben Dosa, well, only God knows.
Perhaps his story was easier to transform into a Gentile understanding. Let's face it, without Paul and his Gentile mission the Jesus sect would have remained an obscure Jewish sect and, more than likely, died out.

Much like King Arthur or Robin Hood, we have a real man (most probably) who is plucked from relative obscurity by chance, in Jesus's case it was the chance conversion of an outspoken, educated man - Paul. He has his story exaggerated upon over time until the original events are barely recognisable, and the myth-man is born.

This doesn't happen today, not in the west anyway, because with our modern scepticism and worldwide media, myth-men have a hard time getting started.
Although, if Koresh had had more followers, and less guns, there could have been a future myth-man in the making with him - that judging from the devotion of his followers.

 

[robtex]

We hardly know anything about his early life from the scriptures, with only an emphasis on the last three years of his life which led to his ministry and death. We cannot even verify the truth of those moments but are forced to take it on faith

actually you don't even know if those scriptures are fictional narratives with a fictional savior or not so the entire idea of christianty is an article of faith. Also is isn't something you christians are forced to do. It is something you chose to do. The more interesting question would be why do you make this choice?

Why not Martin Luther King, Larry Flint, Carl Sagan, Superman? Why Jesus?

superman is a fictional character. but certainly has jesus like qualities in his blood. the perception of chrisitans of jesus was that he is a non-fictional character.

I would be curious as to why the other real life people listed as well as your own personal heros who lived in your lifetime, pale in comparison to Jesus to you guys.

 

[Super Universe]

There once was a man called Jesus. He was born a human, lived a typical human life as a carpenter, and died a human death. Between his birth and death He achieved something that no other human ever has, full realization. Jesus awoke.

This awakening is something that is possible for each of us but the probability of us finding the way on our own is virtually zero. Jesus awoke because He was meant to. He had help.

Jesus came to the earth to experience human life because He was sent to this area of the universe to represent God.

You do not have to believe in Jesus at all but read His parables, look at what He taught (forgiveness) and decide for yourself whether it is something that you will strive for.

 

[Kcnorwood]

The Biblical record is our evidence for His existence. There were also non-biblical references to Jesus through Jewish and Roman historians of the 1st century. Your comparisons to the miracles of Jesus and modern technology are comical and do not warrant any serious discussion. The reasons the New Testament focused on the last three years of His life is because it aligned with the purpose that God The Father carried out in Jesus being the light that condemns sin and willingly became the sacrifice for the redemption of sins and the source of eternal life through His ressurection. Only God Himself could be the perfect sacrifice for the salvation of man. There is no other substitute. In addition, there is no one in the annals of history that has had more impact on education, literature, music, humanitariasm and moral values than God The Son. It's because of who He is as the foundation for many billions of believers in the world today.

The bible was & is nothing but a book filled with people telling of a story there is no proof to back any of it up. If there was any evidence to back it up I'd say all the world would be christians.

 

[blueman]

The bible was & is nothing but a book filled with people telling of a story there is no proof to back any of it up. If there was any evidence to back it up I'd say all the world would be christians.

I tend to doubt all of your statement, especially, the last one. Jesus was rejected by His own people, even in light of the miracles he performed, the Old Testament messianic prophecies that he fulfilled some 1,000 years after they were written. People would still reject Him today, even in light of additional proof lying at their feet. You would like to believe the Bible is a fairy tale, but there is so much visible evidence to the contrary just based on it's prophetic prowess of things that are materializing right before your very eyes in the 21st century. If you're right, you got nothing to lose, but if you're wrong........................

 

[Kcnorwood]

Blueman


Is that more fear?

 

[pladecalvo]

The Biblical record is our evidence for His existence

You need to prove that the bible is true before you can produce it as 'evidence'.

There were also non-biblical references to Jesus through Jewish and Roman historians of the 1st century.

No there wern't.

 

[lilithu]

So my question is, why are there so many religions in worship and awe to this man?

So many? I know of only one religion that worships him. There are others that revere him. The two are not the same.

Where is the Church of Disorderly Nuttiness, where we can worship Jerry Lewis? What about the Church of the Cool (where anyone can go to exonerate and interpret the musical compositions of Miles Davis)? Why aren’t there more teaching facilities for the Edgar Cayce Foundation (who seems to have devoted more of his life and had more documented successes in healing than Jesus)? Why not Martin Luther King, Larry Flint, Carl Sagan, Superman? Why Jesus?

Um... as much as I admire Miles Davis and Carl Sagan, the only other person on your list that comes close to having a deep spiritual impact on me is Dr. King, and he eumulated Jesus. Religion for me is not about just feeling good, so you can pick comedians and musicians and porn providers and ask why we don't compare them to Jesus. I will stick with prophets and sages. Thank you.

 

[lilithu]

Why Jesus was chosen over other contemporary "miracle workers" such as John the Baptist and Hanina ben Dosa, well, only God knows.

Maybe it had nothing to do with working miracles. Maybe it was the quality of his message.

Why did the Buddha's message take off and spread throughout Asia and into the West, while the message of his contemporary, Mahavira, remains relatively obscure?

Maybe not all messages are the same, maybe some are actually better and "success" isn't just due to historical accidents and good PR.

 

[pladecalvo]

the only other person on your list that comes close to having a deep spiritual impact on me is Dr. King, and he eumulated Jesus.

Apparently, MLK was a womaniser and adulterer!

 

[lilithu]

Apparently, MLK was an womaniser and adulterer!

Whatever dude.

 

[Dirty Penguin]

My guess would be the time and setting, people were looking for a Messiah and, largely through the efforts of Paul, they got one.

Why Jesus was chosen over other contemporary "miracle workers" such as John the Baptist and Hanina ben Dosa, well, only God knows.
Perhaps his story was easier to transform into a Gentile understanding. Let's face it, without Paul and his Gentile mission the Jesus sect would have remained an obscure Jewish sect and, more than likely, died out.

Much like King Arthur or Robin Hood, we have a real man (most probably) who is plucked from relative obscurity by chance, in Jesus's case it was the chance conversion of an outspoken, educated man - Paul. He has his story exaggerated upon over time until the original events are barely recognisable, and the myth-man is born.

This doesn't happen today, not in the west anyway, because with our modern scepticism and worldwide media, myth-men have a hard time getting started.
Although, if Koresh had had more followers, and less guns, there could have been a future myth-man in the making with him - that judging from the devotion of his followers.

Although some may not see your poin...I totally agree.

especially on the point of Paul did it.....

 

[Dirty Penguin]

There once was a man called Jesus. He was born a human, lived a typical human life as a carpenter, and died a human death. Between his birth and death He achieved something that no other human ever has, full realization. Jesus awoke.

This awakening is something that is possible for each of us but the probability of us finding the way on our own is virtually zero. Jesus awoke because He was meant to. He had help.

Jesus came to the earth to experience human life because He was sent to this area of the universe to represent God.

Got to love it when people tell the greatest "story" ever told.

You do not have to believe in Jesus at all but read His parables, look at what He taught (forgiveness) and decide for yourself whether it is something that you will strive for.

This i would agree with......

 

[Halcyon]

Maybe it had nothing to do with working miracles. Maybe it was the quality of his message.

Why did the Buddha's message take off and spread throughout Asia and into the West, while the message of his contemporary, Mahavira, remains relatively obscure?

Maybe not all messages are the same, maybe some are actually better and "success" isn't just due to historical accidents and good PR.

But of course, both religions had several decades, if not centuries, to refine the message of their founder before they became popular. People have a habit of egrandising their heroes and role-models, to the point of putting words in their mouths if necessary.

Perhaps it was their message, or perhaps they simply became the figurehead for an already existant message - most if not all of Christ's message can be found in the Jewish scriptures.
Someone takes all the parts they like and wraps them up into a tidy little package called Jesus, just as someone embodied their hopes and dreams of a perfect King with Arthur, or the "Just Man" with Robin Hood.

 

[lilithu]

Perhaps it was their message, or perhaps they simply became the figurehead for an already existant message - most if not all of Christ's message can be found in the Jewish scriptures.

Not all. For example, Jesus redefined "Love thy neighbor" with the parable of the Good Samaritan, in which he said that even your enemy is your neighbor.

Someone takes all the parts they like and wraps them up into a tidy little package called Jesus, just as someone embodied their hopes and dreams of a perfect King with Arthur, or the "Just Man" with Robin Hood.

Which is fine with me. Religion is always about the ideal. Which is why I really don't care about the question of whether or not there really was a Jesus who really said all those things. Just as I don't worry about whether there really was a Lao Tse who wrote the Tao te Ching. Someone said them. Or more than one someone. But it's easier to think of the someone(s) as one someone. The message is what's important to me. The ideal embodied in the message.

 

[Halcyon]

Not all. For example, Jesus redefined "Love thy neighbor" with the parable of the Good Samaritan, in which he said that even your enemy is your neighbor.

That's true, although my point was that Jesus's teachings, like Buddha's, weren't totally original but based on those already present.
The counter-intuitive teachings of the Sermon on the Mount didn't occur spontaneously and in isolation, but were exaggerations and reworkings of Old Testament concepts.

Which is fine with me. Religion is always about the ideal. Which is why I really don't care about the question of whether or not there really was a Jesus who really said all those things. Just as I don't worry about whether there really was a Lao Tse who wrote the Tao te Ching. Someone said them. Or more than one someone. But it's easier to think of the someone(s) as one someone. The message is what's important to me. The ideal embodied in the message.

Sure, i was just answering Why Jesus?
We don't know John the Baptist's message, and we don't really know that Jesus's message was really his, i'm just saying that "Why Jesus?" is the same as Why Arthur? or Why Odysseus? The message could have been given to anyone, the man for all we know is inconsequential.