Originally posted by Rajk999That is true for the one who knows and is convinced on who Jesus is but the challenge is more for those on the fence about who was this Jesus character ?
None of those things are of any value. People will argue about irrelevancies until the cows come home. What is of value is if we follow His commandments. Nothing else matters.
Manny
Originally posted by stellspalfieThat is a very valid position to take if we look at the story with face value. Jesus said and did some radical and even strange things and you have to ask the question was He a nut cake off of his rocker ?
it would be important to know if he was suffering from a mental illness or not.
Manny
Originally posted by stellspalfieOne of my favorite MASH episodes is when one of the patients claims to be Jesus Christ and blesses Radar at the end.
i would recommend anybody interested in this thread to read 'behold the man' a sci-fi/fantasy novel by michael moorcock about a time traveler who decides to become the biblical christ when he sees that the real christ is an idiot.
Manny
Originally posted by FMFI see then your mind is made up on who Jesus was. Anything make you think differently? Or pretty concrete about Jesus being just a maverick rabbi ?
To me Jesus was a maverick Jewish preacher who lived about 2,000 years ago who probably advocated a less austere brand of Judaism but who was virtually unknown during his lifetime.
Decades after his death, some leading figures among his admirers and followers wrote versions of his life story (called Gospels) and collected writings about themselves (e.g. lett ...[text shortened]... ccount written by people who were trying to set up a religion based around his alleged divinity.
Manny
People want to say the writers of the Gospels had an agenda well that is actually very true they did have agendas. John's point of view was to show Jesus being a man and yet showing that Jesus was divine in nature at the same time. Luke's was one of detail. I don't see the issue with the different Gospels having a different twist. It would be the same if we witnessed the same event and wrote it out for people to read.
Manny
Originally posted by Rajk999I agree we can argue until the cows come home but it does matter about Jesus. The Apostle Paul says if there was no resurrection then Christians are to be pitied the most for believing a lie.
None of those things are of any value. People will argue about irrelevancies until the cows come home. What is of value is if we follow His commandments. Nothing else matters.
Manny
Originally posted by menace71Well I also stated what I believe ~ having considered the intriguing issue of Who Is Jesus? for more than 40 out of my 50 years. So we are both "concrete" about our beliefs, yes?
Honestly yes I do believe that Jesus is who He claims to be. Even with all of the religion and crazy stuff that we see. I believe that the story is true. I take it at face value.
The fact that we're chatting about Jesus in a Chess forum 2k years after the event even holds weight that Jesus was something important in history. How many in history can claim that ? Well many can claim fame but not all. A calendar loosely based off His death shows He was of some importance and fame. For me and it is personal but just too much evidence causes me to think this way.
Manny
Originally posted by menace71The people who created the religion centred around their story of Jesus indeed established something that was and has been highly successful.
The fact that were chatting about Jesus in a Chess forum 2k years after the event even holds weight that Jesus was something important in history. How many in history can claim that ? Well many can claim fame but not all. A calendar loosely based off His death shows He was of some importance and fame. For me and it is personal but just too much evidence causes me to think this way.
This is not to say that organized religion has not harmed or tainted the truth and message about Jesus. Many savage things have been done in the name of God but I think man has a duty to seek truth through all things and garbage. My old man struggled with the hypocrisy He saw in the Catholic Church and it caused him to have a skewed view of God and Church in general. He would say you don't have to go to church to behave like a decent person and do what is right. Many who claim Jesus are some of the most vial people too.
Manny